So, how can one avoid a situation like this where people send money to your address with a vicious timelock.
As Loyce says, don't create the address in the first place.
As I explained above, the address in question is generated from a script which contains a timelock. For you to have such an address, you would have to specifically create it. It's not the case where a regular address can be turned in to a timelocked address, nor for me to send coins to your regular address and specify how or when you are allowed to spend them in the future.
This was a mistake on behalf of the person who created that address, not on behalf of the person who sent coins to that address.