In the summer of 2015, a healthy, vibrant 52 year old woman died of her injuries after being struck by lightning on an airport tarmac in Columbia, South Carolina. The woman was getting off an American Airlines plane that had been diverted to Columbia because of bad weather. Her family filed a lawsuit, alleging the…
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Drones are unmanned remote-controlled aircraft. The Commonwealth of Virginia is uniquely positioned to test, manufacture, and create policy to augment the safety of these unmanned systems. In an interview with second term U.S. Senator Mark Warner for the April edition of Virginia Business, this outstanding politician said, “Not as a politician, but as a business…
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Airline personnel are at risk for injury due to accidents on the Air Operations Area (“AOA”) at busy international airports. Nighttime flights, runway noise, and slippery winter conditions increase the risk of on-the-job accidents. Because ground personnel are wearing hearing protection, they may not be aware of a luggage tug, fuel truck, or other small…
Continue readingJust weeks after Doug Landau warned of the dangers of “Rogue Drones” and gave a presentation on “Drone Law” at the convention of American Trial Lawyers, a suspected drone struck a British Airways airliner. The international jet was beginning its landing at Heathrow Airport when it was hit. The aircraft’s pilot reported to police that the…
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Normally, when a Virginia Workers Compensation claim is accepted by the employer and their insurance company, the injured employee must choose a doctor from the panel of physicians offered by the insurer. If the disabled worker fails to choose an attending physician from the panel, then the carrier can deny treatment as “unauthorized.” “The panel…
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Airline ground crew and airport personnel are vulnerable on the air operations area (“AOA”) because of the numerous vehicles that are maneuvering — sometimes in very tight spaces. In addition, most of these workers are wearing ear protection which limits their ability to hear danger coming from behind. With jet engines running, it is sometimes…
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In follow-up to our prior post regarding unmanned drone safety and registration, we discuss a new wrinkle in administering policy to these pilotless aircraft: the question of privacy. While there is no question some regulation of the private and commercial use of drones was inevitable, the task for regulators is now how to protect privacy…
Continue readingThe Association for Justice (“AAJ”) morning litigation program tends to feature “cutting edge” and merging areas of the law. When Doug Landau submitted his paper on the law of drones, there was little case law or regulation, despite reports of near misses with helicopters and airplanes at major international airports. Given the Virginia Motorsports Park…
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While passenger jet flight crews can maintain workers’ compensation claims when injured on the job AND also bring a “third party case” against the unsafe wrongdoer, cargo crews may not know they also could have this double-barreled legal protection. A workers’ compensation claim can cover a cargo airline employee’s medical bills and some wage loss.…
Continue readingThe October edition of our newsletter, the Landau Law Letter, was published earlier this month. A unique feature of our newsletter is that we publish lawyer Landau’s schedule so you can “see him in action”. This is especially helpful if you have an upcoming trial, hearing, or mediation session. A visit to your trial’s venue…
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