Police officers have dangerous jobs, and injuries in the “line of duty” are not unusual.  Doug Landau has represented law enforcement officers injured in the course of their employment.  Injuries from running the wrong way down an escalator, slipping on ice and being struck while writing a ticket are all cases that Alexandria and Fairfax Bar association member Landau has had experience with over the last 25 years.  A case that has recently come to the Herndon workplace injury lawyer’s attention involved a car crash that injured an Augusta County police officer.

plaintiff and his partner commenced a traffic stop of a suspected drunk driver. Plaintiff noticed a gun in the vehicle and ordered the driver out of the car, but the driver fled in the vehicle. Plaintiff pursued the suspect in his patrol car and was struck by an oncoming SUV driven by Defendant.  Plaintiff was unconscious for two days following the crash.  Plaintiff police officer alleged defendant was negligent in failing to use extra caution when approaching a police vehicle with its emergency lights activated.  Defendant stipulated to the amount of medicals and lost wages claimed by plaintiff, but asserted that plaintiff was contributorily negligent in causing the accident.  If successful, the contributory negligence defense precludes ANY recovery by an injured plaintiff.

The plaintiff alleged a closed head injury resulting in loss of consciousness for two days with no permanent cognitive deficits. Plaintiff also sustained a complete tear of the anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments, as well as the medial collateral ligament, of the right knee and a torn meniscus, all of which required surgery. A second arthroscopic surgery was needed when plaintiff was unable to bend his knee after the first surgery. Plaintiff also suffered a 4 cm head laceration and lacerations to his hands. Plaintiff claimed some disability, but was able to return to work with numbness in his knee and some scarring.  A bench trial (in front of a judge with no jury) resulted in an award of $450,000 in favor of the injured Plaintiff police officer.