Upon late arrival at a local airport, a passenger was injured while walking through a poorly lit airport corridor. The passenger/traveler fell, shattering his elbow, requiring EMS assistance and surgical repair. In order to prevail in a case against the airport authority or their contractors, we must have the ability to prove the defendant’s negligence.…
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Even if an airport accident is your fault, if you were on the job, then you may still be able to collect Workers’ Compensation benefits under Virginia and Washington, D.C. law. Workers’ Compensation is a “no-fault” administrative system, so that if the employee is not in violation of a safety rule or regulation, they can…
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Injuries at the airport can happen for many reasons to both employees and travelers. Unfamiliar terrain, distractions, ever-changing signs and uneven jetways present dangers to even the most careful airport travelers. However, tripping or slipping in the terminal, jetway, or on the airport operations area (“AOA”) does not necessarily mean the airport authority or airline…
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The easy answer is “no.” You are not covered by workers’ compensation insurance if you have not yet reported for work. However, Virginia workers’ compensation lawyer Doug Landau says that there are exceptions to this rule. For example, under what is known as the “personal comfort doctrine,” the employee may clock out of work and…
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Workers at Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) and Reagan National Airport (DCA), like many clients of Abrams Landau, come from all over world. Many different languages are heard on both sides of the security screening at the Washington, D.C. area international airports. Attorney Doug Landau has helped tug drivers from Nepal, gate attendants from Ethiopia,…
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Unlike cars, trucks, vans and other vehicles we see on the highways, many of the vehicles on or around the runways of our major international airports do not have the safety features we take for granted. For example, the small, metal Cushman industrial carts that maintenance workers use around Dulles International Airport (IAD) and Reagan…
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“Not if you are struck by a co-worker operating a luggage tug or tripped by another member of the flight crew. The Virginia Workers Compensation Act does not allow lawsuits between co-workers for accidental injuries,” notes experienced comp attorney Doug Landau of the Herndon law firm ABRAMS LANDAU, Ltd. “However, if the person causing the…
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You would think that airport workers and airline employees who drive vans, cards and other vehicles around the busy gates, runways and the Air Operations Areas (AOA) would require special licensure. However, there is not class X, Y or Z license for airport drivers. Yes, all airline personnel on the AOA are subject to random…
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Attorney Doug Landau has seen an increase in permanent injury claims by flight attendants as passenger carry-on luggages get heavier and more unwieldy. The injuries range from torn muscles and herniated cervical discs to torn rotator cuffs and other permanent shoulder and neck injuries. As charges for excess luggage become more frequent and more expensive,…
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Several clients received “NOTIFICATIONS” from the Virginia Workers Compensation Commission this month indicating that their claims with Continental Airlines and United Airlines had a “New Claim Administrator.” Did this mean that the insurance company was out of business? Was the airline going to renegotiate on their compensation awards? Did a change in the Claim Administrator…
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