Landau Injury Law

Carpal tunnel, cubital tunnel and cumulative trauma lawyer Doug Landau notes the difficulties in these cases

Cumulative injury cases and Carpal Tunnel claims present difficulties in court because there is usually no sudden, identifiable accident that trial counsel can show the finder of fact.  While the firm has been successful with repetitive trauma claims and carpal tunnel cases, Culpeper injury lawyer Doug Landau has also helped those disabled from sudden injury that results in carpal tunnel syndrome.

In one case, a landscaping worker was struck when a sapling snapped back from a chipper and struck the ABRAMS LANDAU client in the forearm, and carpal tunnel developed.  In another Virginia Workers Compensation claim, a driver’s wrists were hyperextended, resulting in this disabling condition and surgical repair.  In the Landau Law Shop’s negligence and liability cases, hand injuries in car crashes can result in carpal tunnel and compensation for this painful upper extremity diagnosis.  Review of the medical history is very important in these kinds of cases, whether the permanent wrist or forearm injury is from a slip and fall or other traumatic event.  If you or someone you know has been injured in a workplace or car crash where a sudden impact or trauma has resulted in carpal tunnel syndrome or similar diagnosis, please e-mail us at ABRAMS LANDAU, Ltd., or call 703-796-9555 today.

ABRAMS LANDAU negligence, liability, personal injury & jury trial paralegal Krisin Tanzi and her canine assistant

Another friendly, experienced and helpful voice ABRAMS LANDAU clients and their families have come to appreciate is that of Kristin Tanzi.  If a case involves negligence, liability and jury trial issues, Mrs. Tanzi will likely be interacting with you along with law clerk Shawn Shook and Landau Law Shop founding partner Doug Landau.

Recently, she helped Mr. Landau successfully conclude a dog bite case in New Jersey, prepare a trucking negligence case in Georgia and an airport cart crash case in Florida.  Legal assistant and paralegal Kristan Tanzi has experience working for law firms in New York and Texas before joining the Herndon Reston area law firm.  The Ashburn area paralegal’s responsibilities include:
•    Intermediary between attorney and clients, opposing counsel and justice system personnel
•    Drafting and filing of pleadings and correspondence (i.e., Interrogatories, Discovery Requests and Responses, Settlement Agreements)
•    Discovery preparation (i.e. correlation of client’s discovery responses)
•    Preparation of insurance claim forms for clients; Correspondence with insurance companies regarding clients claims
•    Trial preparation and attendance
•    Case file and client management
•    Scheduling appointments and court dates
•    Deposition coordination
•    Screening of potential clients
•    Docket control

Oakton Chantilly Bike crash lawyer Doug Landau always wears his helmet, whether racing, touring or training

As hard-headed as he is, Oakton Chantilly injury lawyer Doug Landau still wears a helmet whenever he rides his bike.  Landau was pleased to see the recent results from Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute testing.  The Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute (”BHSI”) submitted samples of six helmet models to a leading U.S. test lab: three in the $150+ range and three under $20. The impact test results were virtually identical. There were very few differences in performance among the helmets. The  conclusion: when you pay more for a helmet you may get an easier fit, more vents and snazzier graphics. But the basic impact protection of the cheap helmets tested equaled the expensive ones.

The results are a testimony to the effectiveness of our legally-required CPSC helmet standard. Although the testing sample was small, the testing indicates that the consumer can shop for a bicycle helmet in the US market without undue concern about the impact performance of the various models on sale, whatever the price level. The most important advice is to find a helmet that fits you well so that it will be positioned correctly when you hit.  The BHSI has a page up with details of the testing.  If you or someone you know has been injured in a car, truck or bike crash while riding their bike, e-mail us at ABRAMS LANDAU, Ltd., or call 703-796-9555 today.

The front page of the Washington Examiner screams, “A pothole ate my car.”  While this may seem like sensationalistic journalism, DC car crash and injury lawyer Doug Landau has actually won a case for driver injured by a pothole.

Doug Landau has helped motorists, bikers and athletes injured by potholes, snow, ice and roadway defects

In Landau’s client’s case, the motorist was driving under L’Enfant Plaza, when suddenly, and without any warning, her car was stopped dead.  When she came to, she got out of the car and saw that her front wheel was completely in a large pothole in the darkened underpass.  The pothole had filled with melting snow, and so there was no way for Landau’s client to see the dangerous hazard.  The case went to court in the Superior Court, where experienced  D.C. trial attorney Doug Landau was able to cross examine the District of Columbia’s roadway expert witness so effectively, that he was able to get concessions as to the ability of freezing water to break up concrete and create a dangerous driving hazard.

Reporting potholes so that they will get fixed and other will not get injured or have their cars, trucks or bikes “eaten”:

• Arlington: 703-228-6570
• Prince George’s County: 301-952-0555 or 301-776-7619 (upper county)
• Fairfax: 703-383-8368
• Montgomery: 240-777-6000 »  District: 311
• Maryland State Highway Administration: 800-323-6742

Doug Landau has lost hubcaps due to potholes in Virginia, and has driven disabled clients to their Social Security hearings in the District when the roads are unsafe or there is ice and (more…)

Herndon Virginia Mediation, Arbitration and Alternative Dispute Resolution Lawyer Doug Landau of ABRAMS LANDAU with his latest TRIAL Magazine article

While the ABRAMS LANDAU team prepares every case for trial, our success in Mediation, Arbitration and other forms of “Alternative Dispute Resolution” has resulted in Herndon disability and injury lawyer Doug Landau being asked to write, speak and teach for the State and National trial lawyer associations.  Landau teaches for the “non-profit” organizations committed to helping innocent victims and disabled persons and their families.  Landau is not paid for teaching, writing or lecturing for these groups.  This was his second major article in 2009 for TRIAL magazine, a peer-reviewed journal sent to judges, lawyers and schools around the world.  Herndon’s injury and disability lawyer has been contributing articles to TRIAL since the 1980s.

In addition, Landau was also a presenter at the American Association for Justice’s (AAJ) 2010 winter convention.  The topics discussed at the “Litigation at Sunrise” session, included:

• *Birth Defects Suffered by Children Whose Parents Are Exposed to Chemicals Used in “Clean Rooms” — Frank Verderame, AZ
• Pool Safety: Drain Entrapment — Dennis M. Lynch, IL
• How I Learned to Relax and Love Mediation — Douglas K.W. Landau, VA

If you have questions about Mediation, Arbitration and other forms of “Alternative Dispute Resolution,” please contact us at ABRAMS LANDAU, Ltd., 703-796-9555

Doug Landau's friend and mentor, Maui lawyer Jim Krueger, and "Sheffield"

Whenever Franklin Farms injury and disability lawyer Doug Landau travels to teach and learn at state, national and international trial lawyers meetings, he makes it a point to meet with top lawyers from all over the world to exchange ideas on how to help injured and disabled clients.  One of the best is Landau’s friend, mentor and Masters swimming champion Jim Krueger of Maui.  Krueger’s firm

has successfully handled cases involving Ocean, Boats and Pools that have caused death, spinal and other serious injuries resulting from (more…)

Herndon car crash lawyer Doug Landau at the Herndon Virginia Courthouse, just a block from the ABRAMS LANDAU Law Shop

A bizarre crash in Fairfax County left a Herndon man dead and questions for police.  Shortly after 2 a.m., Fairfax Police were called to an area near Dranesville Road and Powells Tavern Place in Herndon, where they had been told a car crashed through a fence and fled.  Upon arriving, Fairfax Police did not find anything.

Seven hours later, police were called back to the scene, where news accounts relate police spokeswoman Shelly Broderick says the 1997 Mazda car was in the backyard of a home in the 1300 block of Rock Chapel Road.  According to news reports, Joseph Taylor, 31, of Herndon, was found dead in the car.  Investigators believe the driver lost control of the car on Dranesville Road, crossed the median, hit a curb, rolled through two fences and then hit a house.  If  you have any information about this tragic and bizarre car crash, please contact the Herndon Police (703)-435-6846.

Fairfax, Loudoun and Leesburg injury lawyer Doug Landau’s speech, “How I learned to relax and love mediation,” for the American Association for Justice (”AAJ”) was well received, as was his article in TRIAL Magazine.  In his presentation, Herndon’s Lawyer Landau discussed how to use Mediation in brain injury, slip and fall, dog attack, car crash, and premises liability cases.  One review of his article in the peer-reviewed trial lawyer publication reads as follows:
DOUGLAS LANDAU, p.40    TRIAL Magazine.
Mediation can be a blessing in disguise. In fact, depending on your jurisdiction, the results can be better than what you might get at trial. An experienced trial lawyer describes three cases where mediation led to unexpected benefits and exceeded everyone’s expectations—especially his own.

A buck totals a Mercedes Benz limousine on its way back to Clarke County, Virginia.  Winchester injury and animal accident attorney Doug Landau recovered for his client, the limo driver, after careful examination of the evidence necessary to prove the case.  As stated yesterday, Northern Virginia crash injury lawyer Doug Landau advises that in many cases the facts are such that negligence, fault (or “failure to exercise ordinary care under the circumstances”) can not be established after a crash with a deer or other animal in the road.

However, there are two areas to examine: the speed of the striking vehicle and avoidance. Here are examples of how Robson Forensic , an engineering firm that has been retained by ABRAMS LANDAU in past cases, has helped to establish liability in these areas:

1. The front of a car hit a deer. The deer then hit the windshield or roof line of the striking car, vaulted over the roof and came down on the top of a passing pickup, injuring the pickup driver. The roof of the pickup was collapsed down and the columns supporting the roof were buckled. To do that damage to the pickup the deer had to have fallen a few feet onto the pickup roof, and thus was lofted into the air by the striking car. The speed limit was 30 mph. The car had to have been greatly exceeding the speed limit to have lofted the deer into the air. The car exceeding the speed limit caused the injury to the pickup driver.
2. A car hit a deer and the passenger was injured. The point of impact was established by the driver and police at the site. In his deposition, the driver said “I came over the hill crest and saw the deer…” We went to the site, determined the sight distance from the hill crest to the point of impact with the deer. The driver had far more than enough time to have controlled the situation. The driver’s failure to control his approach speed caused the injury to his passenger.

The Crash Reconstruction Practice Group at Robson Forensic is well equipped to investigate all varieties of crashes (Crash Practice Group Leader, Peter Leiss, direct 800.813.6736). Our experts include Vehicle Engineers for cars, trucks, buses, motorcycles and recreational vehicles. Robson Forensic also has experts in highway engineering, human factors, biomechanics, and many other related disciplines and has assisted ABRAMS LANDAU in cases involving scalding burns, premises liability, hotel, motel and resort negligence.  If you or someone you know has been injured in a crash or car accident caused all, or in part, by a deer or other animal, please contact us at ABRAMS LANDAU, Ltd., 703-796-9555

Ashburn and Ashburton injury lawyer Doug Landau discusses deer car crash cases in today and tomorrow's posts

Ashburn and Ashburton injury lawyer Doug Landau could not believe what he saw – a Mercedes Benz limo crushed by a buck ! While none of the limousine occupants were injured, the car was “totaled.”  Loudoun lawyer Landau successfully won the case for his client, the limo driver, to get a new vehicle.  However, the fact that a deer weighing only as much as the ABRAMS LANDAU litigator could crush a Mercedes was beyond belief.  Serious crashes and injuries from deer in the roads is not a problem limited to the Commonwealth of Virginia.  In 2008  3.3% of passenger cars and 1.6% of utility trucks involved in deer crashes resulted in a fatality or injury to an occupant, according to statistics kept by the Wisconsin state government Department of Transportation.

Generally, when a car  hits a deer, the deer is thrown onto a car coming the other way and someone is injured in that car.  Or someone is injured in the car that crashes into the animal. With the increase in the Northern Virginia deer population and change in their habitats as development continues in Loudoun, Fairfax and Prince William Counties, deer are often seen on the sides of roads during dawn and dusk.  Every driver knows that deer run out from fields, forests and undeveloped properties and that they can move much faster than a running child.  This presents the lawyer for the injured persons in the cars or trucks going in the opposite direction with a significant legal hurdle; how can you establish negligence (or fault) on the part of the striking driver?  Northern Virginia crash injury lawyer Doug Landau notes that in many cases the facts are such that negligence (or failure to exercise ordinary care under the circumstances) can not be established.  In tomorrow’s post, we will look at two examples of deer and car crash accidents and how engineering expert look at the evidence to determine the facts, and ultimately, legal liability.  If you or someone you know has been injured in a crash or car accident caused all, or in part, by a deer or other animal, please contact us at ABRAMS LANDAU, Ltd., 703-796-9555 immediately, as the evidence in these cases require immediate preservation if at all possible.