An ABRAMS LANDAU, Ltd., client was a guest at one of the hotels in the Colonial Williamsburg area.
He went into bathroom in his hotel room and turned on the heatlamp.  This was the original unit that was installed in the hotel in 1983.  He sat down on the toilet.  The hotel heat lamp heated to a critical point, broke and began to drip molten plastic and metal fragments onto his back.  These heated elements ignited his shirt and he was immediately engulfed in flames. The flames and smoke set off the room’s smoke alarm system.  Mr. Landau’s client sustained 1st, 2nd and 3rd degree burns on 15-20% of his body.  He was treated at the local Hospital and later with the Director of the Burn Center and other surgeons. His injuries, scarring and sun sensitivity are permanent.  While he missed little time from work at a major law firm, his medical bills were $25,000 in this premises liability claim.

One of the interesting aspects of his negligence case was the fact that the skin on his back could not be exposed to the sun due to the ease with which it would burn.  Scar tissue reacts differently than normal, healthy tissue.  One piece of evidence submitted by Herndon Reston area injury and disability lawyer Doug Landau on behalf of this client was the costs of SPF clothing.  One company that supplies such specialized sun protective clothing is “Sun Precautions“.  Their Solumbra line, at 30+ SPF, is considered a medical device.  The American Academy of Dermatology has recognized this company for their work in skin cancer prevention.  If you, or someone you know, has skin sensitivity or needs extra sun protection due to an accident, injury or disease, check out the Solumbra line, which blocks more than 97% of UVA and UVB.