The Alpine crash of the Germanwings flight from Spain to Germany was a tragedy that is just in its initial investigation stage. While most of the jet crash victims were from Europe, several Americans suffered fatal injuries. The “black box” was heavily damaged in the impact, but may reveal information about the doomed Airbus jet’s…
Continue readingOnce a jet is aloft, we rarely think about the people on the ground who keep the aircraft well-maintained and able to keep its “on time” schedule. “Airplane maintenance and repair is difficult and sometimes dangerous work,” notes airline employee injury attorney Doug Landau, and the normal “rules of the road” do not apply on…
Continue readingWorker’s Compensation insurance companies do not volunteer to tell injured airport workers what additional benefits they may be entitled to, in addition to the basic medical care and partial wage replacement. Avoiding paying “full value” is what insurers do. Every day. Recently an insurance company for a local airport filed papers with the Virginia Worker’s…
Continue reading“Lost at the airport.” These are words that no parent wants to hear. But those with a family member with special needs who call the airports and airlines looking for a little flexibility may find they cannot get a pass to meet their loved ones on the other side of the TSA screening area. Families…
Continue readingAfter the airlines refused an injured flight attendant’s doctor’s request to surgically fix a screw that had come loose in her shoulder, the company’s insurer told her they were closing her file. The young Florida woman, who flew out of Dulles International Airport (“IAD”), proceeded to hire ABRAMS LANDAU upon the recommendation of a Pensacola…
Continue readingDulles Airport area lawyer Doug Landau recently told a client from the South West that he looked forward to seeing PRIOR medical records. Landau was particularly keen to review any notes from the treating doctor indicating that the airport accident caused an “objective injury.” That is to say, that this event caused an identifiable anatomic…
Continue readingCruising at a comfortable speed, passing others on his right, Doug Landau had nearly finished Sunday’s ride when, without any warning, his new silver airplane took off and landed somewhere in a corn field in Colonial Beach. Lawyer Landau had received the toy plane from his daughter for his July 4th birthday, and he had…
Continue readingWhen an airline worker is injured on the job and receives comp benefits, their employer (or workers comp insurance carrier) can request that they see a doctor not of their choosing, and not for treatment. Under the Virginia workers compensation law, the comp insurer can have the disabled employee seen by a physician, once per…
Continue readingWhy would an airline, or an airline’s workers compensation insurance company, hire investigators to follow an injured airline employee ? Why would the air carriers’ gumshoes search the disabled workers’ FaceBook, MySpace, LinkedIn, Twitter and other social media ? According to air injury lawyer Doug Landau, the short answer is “Economics.” “Airlines have an economic…
Continue readingNowadays it seems as though every domestic flight on a large commercial air carrier is “a la carte.” As the cartoon sent to me in a solicitation for New Yorker Magazine suggests, even safety may finally be “pay to play.” As many first and business class passengers get to check a bag without charge, and…
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