Landau Injury Law

Sometimes lawyers take on cases that they are not equipped, staffed or experienced to take.  We represent a cyclist who was struck by a car.  He originally retained a Loudoun County lawyer for his personal injury case.  That lawyer, David Young of the Leesburg law firm Ault & Young, was given records, bills, exhibits and other evidence in order to submit the claim and settle the crash injury claim with the defendant driver’s car insurance company.  However, as we see all too often, the Leesburg lawyer did not have the ability to properly bring the case forward; he and his staff did not return the injured cyclist’s telephone calls, and the two year time limit for such a personal injury case in Virginia was soon to run.

The cyclist called our Herndon Virginia law firm, and we tried to call, e-mail, write and fax this lawyer and law firm.  As we tell all similar callers, we told the injured victim we could not represent him while already had counsel for the case.  Yet with the time limit (“statute of limitations”) running and no word or proof of any work or investment by the so-called Loudoun County personal injury lawyer, the cyclist fired his original counsel and cyclist lawyer Doug Landau stepped in, filed the lawsuit to save (more…)

A good trial lawyer for bike crash cases actually tries injury cases, supports trial lawyer associations, has published results and also rides a bicycle regularly, even one with a basket !

Just as being a good trial lawyer does not make me a good cyclist, being a strong cyclist does not automatically make one a terrific trial lawyer for injured bikers’ crash cases.  I was sent information about a local lawyer who is supposedly a plaintiff’s personal injury trial lawyer and a Washington DC area bicycle accident victims’ advocate.  Yet, when I did not recognize the name, I looked to find his number in the Virginia Trial Lawyers directory, as VTLA is the group that lobbies for injured victims in Richmond, educates lawyers and the public, and helped me to distribute free helmets to school children.  This lawyer was not listed as a member.  So I looked in the Trial Lawyers Association of DC directory, as Arlington, Alexandria and Fairfax County are near the District of Columbia, and many good trial lawyers belong to both Virginia AND the DC trial lawyers associations in order to promote, and give voice to, their disabled clients’ stories.  Again, not listed.  So I (more…)

Herndon bicycle police officers and bike safety lawyer Doug Landau preparing to give free Bell Sport cycling helmets to Hutchison Elementary School students

Yesterday, all sixth graders at Hutchison Elementary School learned about using their heads, protecting their brains and then received complimentary bicycle helmets. With the “hands on” help of Dr. Paul Aravich from Eastern Virginia Medical School, Fairfax County Police Officers, and bike safety lawyer Doug Landau of the Herndon law firm Abrams Landau, the students got rubber gloves and were encouraged to hold and touch real human brains, skulls and spinal cords.  The focus of the program was making good choices, including the choice to wear head protection when cycling, skate boarding, roller blading, long boarding, mountain biking and other wheeled sports.  According to the Virginia Department of Health, bicycle helmets, when worn properly, reduce the risk of a serious brain injury by almost 90%.  The Herndon school children were encouraged to wear a helmet when biking.  After the school assembly, a Bell Sports bike helmet was given to every child in the Hutchison Elementary School sixth grade.

Mr. Landau is known as “the Athletes Lawyer” because of his representation of many injured cyclists and other injured athletes.  Landau is a competitive triathlete, who is a three time winner of the Herndon Super Sprint Triathlon, a USAT Triathlon All American and World Championship qualifier.  Mr. Landau is sponsoring the event in cooperation with the Virginia Trial Lawyers Law Foundation and Mr. Henry Tragle, an outstanding local triathlete and father of 2, who was injured on his bike.  Fortunately Mr. Tragle’s brain was protected by his helmet.  Mr. Tragle won this year’s Reston Sprint and was runner up at last month’s Reston Triathlon.

Doug Landau hopes to visit other Reston, Herndon and Oak Hill Virginia area schools in order to protect other students and prevent disabling and fatal head injuries to these young cyclists.  If you or someone you know or care for would like Mr. Landau to come to their school to discuss bike safety and traumatic brain injury, please e-mail or call us at ABRAMS LANDAU, Ltd. (703-796-9555).

Motor-cross is a muddy hobby with some really cool safety gear.  Air-brushed helmets and matching styled boots and suit look great and keep you safe, but the less glamorous side is making sure your bike is running at peak performance.  Besides going to the mechanic making sure to stay up to date on equipment news is just as important.  Such as, on September 8th a voluntary recall was announced by KTM North America for some of its’ off-road sport bikes. Approximately 6,117 units are effected and if you suspect you are an owner of a defective unit discontinue use and check the US. Consumer Product Safety Commissions’ Report to verify.  The defect is in the piece which secures the handlebars to the bike.  Cracks can develop from regular use resulting in the handlebars slipping which can cause the rider to loose control.

For more information you can read this article by NPR.  If you have any legal question concerning recalls or bike injuries please respond to this post or contact us at The Herndon Law Shop or (703) 796-9555.

With no referee in sight, cowardly DC, Virginia & Maryland truck & car drivers feel they can injure bikers with impunity

Road rage, rude drivers, people in a hurry in the DC metro area have exposed all of us to unsafe actions on local roads and Interstate Highways in Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia.  The helmet camera recording of a truck driver riding a biker off the road and then driving off should give everyone pause.  The actual crash video can be seen on YouTube (Caution: harsh language).

What the driver did was dangerous.  No one can seriously argue otherwise, since he saw the bicycle commuter, who was riding to the motorist’s left at a speed slower that the cars around him, in broad daylight, yelled at him and then pushed him over into the asphalt.  But Herndon bike injury lawyer Doug Landau also adds, “what the driver behind the wheel, and in the safety of his truck, demonstrated, is that he is not any an unsafe driver, but a coward as well. A truck is essentially a small tank.  Against a small tank, a bicycle has no chance in any impact at speed.  Any driver who uses his truck, car or motorcycle as a weapon, should lose their license to operate any motorized vehicle for a very long time.”   If you or someone you know or care for has been injured as the result of a bike crash (or “near miss”) with a truck, car or motorcycle and there are questions about what laws apply, e-mail or call us at ABRAMS LANDAU, Ltd. (703-796-9555) at once, as Virginia, Maryland and DC have legal time limits for these cases.

Reston Triathlon finishers are all shapes, sizes & ages !

The anniversaries of the 9-11 attacks are noted with sadness every year at the Landau Law Shop, as several victims’ families have been clients as the result of the fatal losses they sustained and are still enduring.  The 28th Reston Triathlon fell on this fateful day.  A moment of silence was held at the South Lakes High School track in memory of those who lost their lives, were injured or suffered occupational disease from the crashes and their aftermath.  Then the strains of the “Star Spangled Banner” were heard from the Seahawks stadium, played movingly by Pavel Pegarsky.  Pavel is a National Sympthony Orchestra (“NSO”) violinist and triathlete, who himself was recovering from minivan crash injuries while cycling (more…)

Reston Triathlon volunteer Doug Landau checking helmet safety before tomorrow's race at South Lakes High School

If you pick a fight with race directors or volunteers when they try to protect you from head trauma or brain injury.

“Not every Triathlon or multisport competition takes the time to inspect helmets, but when they do, it is for the athletes’ safety.  When a triathlete, duathlete or bike racer competes with an unsafe, cracked, delaminating or outdated helmet, they are ‘Voluntarily assuming the risk of harm,’ adds All American Triathlete Landau, whose “Law Shop” regularly helps injured victims of other peoples’ unsafe conduct.

Under Virginia law, “Assumption of Risk”  in and of itself may preclude any reimbursement for losses caused by (more…)

With back to school comes varsity sports and all the late night practices, close friendships, and sadly injuries.  Concussions occur too often each year and are a potentially dangerous injury.  Concussions occur when a person is stuck on the head and the brain on the opposite side bruises from the impact with the skull. While concussions are rarely a devastating injury after one occurrence, multiple occurrences of this injury can have an accumulative adverse affect.  This is why on July 1, 2011 Virginia passed a law where any student which sustains a concussion is benched until they receive medical clearance from a medical professional or athletic trainer. For more details check out the Student-Athlete Protection Act which focuses on minimizing further damage from a concussion which could effect them later in life.

Fortunately, the community has also identified how devastating concussions can be are are spreading awareness and implementing precautions.  For example, some schools are utilizing a computer program which can identify concussions faster and more accurately.  In addition, Dick’s Sport Goods has created PACE (Protecting Athletes through Concussion Education) a program designed to spread information about concussions with the support of famous athletes like Doug Flutie and Jerome Bettis. The AAN (American Academy of Neurology) has put together a website toolkit for parents and students to prevent and recognize concussions. While concussion are a serious matter it is good to know that both the legal and local communities are taking strong steps to keep student sports fun but also safe.

As the medical profession continues to learn more about the adverse long term effect of concussions, it is important to be safe instead of sorry.  If you or your child has sustained a head trauma please  get it examined by a medical professional. If you think you need legal advice concerning a concussion or other wrongfully acquired injury please contact us at the Herndon Law Shop at 703-796-9555 or email us.

Clients suffering from hip, shoulder, knee and arthritis pain should try to learn as much as possible about their condition in order to get as healthy as possible after an on the job accident or car crash.  You can ask the joint replacement experts of the INOVA Joint Replacement Center (“IJRC”) about relief from arthritis, repair of damaged bones and painful inactivity.  Surgical joint replacement, with minimally invasive techniques may be the solution to your disability, pain and osteoarthritis.  IJRC is the largest joint replacement center in the metro-Washington DC area, performing over 2,000 joint replacements annually.  With the latest techniques and medical equipment, patients are returning to more active lifestyles.  Herndon joint injury lawyer Doug Landau has attended past programs, along with ABRAMS LANDAU staff, and new insights are always gained and tough questions are always answered.  While knee, hip and shoulder joint replacement surgery is not for everyone, workers compensation and disability lawyer Landau has seen friends, family members and clients make wonderful recoveries as the result of such operations.

A FREE Community Seminar on Osteoarthritis and Joint Replacement Advances will be held with Drs. Kevin Fricka and William Hamilton:

• Date:     Wednesday, April 13, 2011
• Time:     7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
• Address: Workhouse Arts Center, 9601 Ox Road, Lorton, VA 22079
• Contact Phone:     (855) 694-6682
• Free parking available in the rear of the building.

Inova Health System is pleased to present our “Ask the Expert” community lecture series. All lectures are free, but advance registration is requested.  Register online or call 855-MY-INOVA (855-694-6682).