Gordon & DennisonBrookville Personal Injury & Estate Planning Law Firm | Gordon & Dennison2023-09-05T07:33:25Zhttps://www.gordondennisonlaw.com/feed/atom/WordPress/wp-content/uploads/sites/1501868/2019/12/apple-touch-icon-75x75.pngOn Behalf of Gordon & Dennisonhttps://www.gordondennisonlaw.com/?p=488532020-07-17T16:22:20Z2020-07-17T16:21:20ZWhen you saw the other vehicle heading toward you, you knew that you were going to be involved in a crash. You couldn’t have known how bad it would be, though.
When you finally woke up, you were in a hospital room. You were alone, so you called a nurse and soon found out that you’d been through surgery and had a serious spinal cord injury. That’s why you couldn’t feel anything below your waist. While you’ve been fortunate to survive, your biggest question is if you’ll be able to recover any of the feelings that you’ve lost.
Can you recover from a spinal cord injury?
To a degree, most people do see some improvement after a spinal cord injury. The damage that has been done won’t likely be able to be reversed, but you may see some improvement with physical therapy and other medical supports. Spinal cord injury rehabilitation focuses on helping you restore any functions that can be restored, and then it goes on to teach you how to live with any disabilities that you now have to live with. Some common issues people have after suffering spinal cord injuries include:
Trouble with walking, coordination and balance
Weak joint movement
Difficulty performing daily tasks
Trouble being able to participate in recreational activities
Depending on your situation, you may need assistance relearning things like how to get dressed, how to move from a chair to your bed and other actions. The driver who caused your crash can be held liable for the injuries you’ve suffered. You may want to consider filing a claim, so you can get compensation for what you’ve been through and to cover the care that you’re going to need.]]>On Behalf of Gordon & Dennisonhttps://www.gordondennisonlaw.com/?p=488492020-07-05T19:19:43Z2020-07-05T19:19:06Zdivorce proceedings?
While you know that your pet is not a mere possession, under the law in Pennsylvania, your companion animal is just another piece of property. The courts typically will not assist you in arranging or enforcing a pet visitation schedule. Instead, they will simply allocate ownership of the pet to one spouse or the other. Although state lawmakers have introduced legislation that could change this practice, the bill has not made it out of committee and gone to a vote of the full assembly.
If sharing pet custody is important to you in your divorce, then arranging for an uncontested divorce where you and your spouse work out your own terms might be the best solution for your family. While the Pennsylvania courts likely won't create pet custody arrangements, they may approve them as part of an uncontested divorce filing.
Barring that approach, you may have to accept that your ability to interact with your beloved pet may require the goodwill of your spouse if they are the one who keeps the animal in the divorce. Whichever route you choose, your attorney can help seek the arrangement you believe is best for your pet.]]>On Behalf of Gordon & Dennisonhttps://www.gordondennisonlaw.com/?p=488462020-07-03T18:54:26Z2020-07-03T18:54:20Zestablish adverse possession of real estate that you paid for, and continue to pay taxes and possibly insurance on, as well.
What is adverse possession?
Adverse possession is the idea that someone can establish legal ownership of a property without purchasing it or securing the permission of the owner on record. Some people also refer to this legal concept as squatter's rights.
States have different attitudes toward someone establishing adverse possession over the land of another individual or business. Typically, the person hoping to establish adverse possession must openly take possession of the property, cover expenses associated with its maintenance and make improvements on the property for many years before they bring a claim in court.
Does Pennsylvania recognize adverse possession claims?
Pennsylvania law does allow individuals to eventually claim possession of a property that they have not purchased, although the process typically can only start after they have maintained possession of someone's property for 21 years.
In fact, Pennsylvania lawmakers recently streamlined the adverse possession in specific scenarios. Someone living on a property with an absentee owner might be able to claim adverse possession of the property by filing a quiet title action after 10 years, not 21 years, provided that the circumstances meet the new requirements. The property must have a single-family dwelling on it and must have its own separate lot on record. The land itself must have half of an acre or smaller.
Properties owned by the government and those in housing cooperatives or condominium associations are not eligible for this new process. It's worth noting that liens and other blemishes on the property's title will pass to the new owner if they make a successful claim under Pennsylvania's adverse possession law.
Provided that you inspect your properties every few years and evict anyone staying there illegally, you can limit the potential of anyone claiming adverse possession to property you own.]]>On Behalf of Gordon & Dennisonhttps://www.gordondennisonlaw.com/?p=488432020-06-25T19:38:10Z2020-06-25T19:37:32ZWhen people talk about the high divorce rate, one thing you must keep in mind is that many of these divorce cases simply come before a second marriage. Those involved may stay single for just a few years before marrying again. They did think that initial marriage was a mistake, but that does not mean they did not want to be married at all.
People who get married for a second time need to consider their estate planning carefully. It’s definitely time to update the will and change any beneficiary designations. Your life has changed significantly, and your plan needs to reflect that. One reason for the importance of planning is that you want to make sure you leave the proper assets to children from your first marriage. If you pass away, they could end up in a dispute with your new spouse. This can get contentious. They may feel like they’re not really related to each other and the children won’t want to give assets that they thought of as their own to your new spouse. On the other hand, your spouse may feel they have a right to everything since you were married. The right plan can provide guidance. Another reason to plan carefully is that you probably have more assets at this point in your life. You may have had relatively little during your first marriage, but now you having retirement savings, business assets, investments and much more. This makes your estate more complex, and you need to make sure you address that. With complicated family situations like this, be sure you are well aware of your legal rights and learn more about how to accomplish your estate goals.
]]>On Behalf of Gordon & Dennisonhttps://www.gordondennisonlaw.com/?p=488032020-06-15T18:14:08Z2020-06-15T18:13:53ZAs a pedestrian who enjoys walking around your city, you never expect a vehicle to come up onto the sidewalk. There is a curb that is generally painted for visibility, and you feel like there is plenty of space for vehicles to correct themselves.
Unfortunately, some drivers do lose control and end up entering areas where pedestrians are standing. They may end up causing serious collisions with the people who are on a sidewalk, potentially leaving them disabled or worse.This happens all over the United States, but Pennsylvania saw a shocking crash on June 12 just around lunchtime. A pedestrian was walking near the City-County Building when they were struck by a dump truck that had left the roadway. It’s not clear why the driver left the roadway, but he continued on until he collided with the pedestrian and building. A witness at the scene described the crash, stating that the pedestrian had been standing on the left had been found under the vehicle after the vehicle stopped moving. There is no news on how serious the incident was, but both of the individuals involved were taken to the hospital for their injuries. A crash like this isn’t common or expected, and it could leave someone with serious injuries or lifelong disabilities. If you are walking and are struck by a driver whose vehicle has left the roadway, remember that you do have a right to seek a claim against them. The injuries that you’ve suffered were completely preventable, but because of their actions, you’re now having to go through pain, suffering and major changes in your life. ]]>On Behalf of Gordon & Dennisonhttps://www.gordondennisonlaw.com/?p=487992023-09-05T07:33:25Z2020-06-03T18:20:58Z
Visual — looking away from the roadway ahead
Manual — removing one or more hands from the steering wheel
Cognitive — letting one’s thoughts and focus drift away from the task of driving
No matter if it’s rubbernecking when passing a roadside accident, handing a tissue to a sneezing passenger in the backseat or contemplating a stressful work project, all can be potentially hazardous. Distracted driving isn’t just texting behind the wheel, either, which is illegal in Pennsylvania. It’s anything that takes your eyes, hands or attention away from the road.
Plus, as you’re no doubt aware, distracted driving dramatically increases the chances of a motor vehicle accident and, consequently, it takes a horrible toll on many lives each year. An estimated nine people die and over 1,000 are hurt in crashes involving distracted drivers every day in America.
Surely, nobody ever intends to cause a traffic accident by their distracted driving. Their judgment simply lapses for a moment, and they overestimate their multitasking abilities and underestimate the risks. They prioritize the distraction over getting to their destination safely, which endangers other motorists as well. The priority of us all should be to make driving as safe as possible for everyone on the road.
Legal help if your family suffers the worst
If you or a loved one has been injured or killed in a motor vehicle crash caused by a distracted driver, it’s vital that you protect your rights and seek compensation for your suffering and loss. Talk to an experienced and compassionate Brookville personal injury attorney who can help you understand your legal options and pursue as much financial compensation as possible under Pennsylvania law.]]>On Behalf of Gordon & Dennisonhttps://www.gordondennisonlaw.com/?p=487962021-04-08T12:55:46Z2020-05-21T11:36:13Zget title insurance when you buy a home. Though the title will be searched and investigated, there is a potential for issues to be missed. For instance, a skilled professional may still not find that there were forgeries on the title or that there were undisclosed heirs. Later on, those issues could impact your purchase, which is why title insurance is usually required.
There is another form of title insurance called an owner’s policy of title insurance. This insures your ownership rights to a property. You pay once to obtain this kind of insurance, and the coverage then lasts for whatever length of time it is that you own your home.
You know that buying a home may be one of the most important purchases in your life, so it’s important to carefully consider if you want to have owner’s title insurance as well as lender’s title insurance. If so, your attorney can talk to you about what you need to do to secure it and to make sure your title is going to be insurable in the first place. Good title insurance may be what you need to support you in the future, especially if issues with your title come up at a later date.]]>On Behalf of Gordon & Dennisonhttps://www.gordondennisonlaw.com/?p=487932020-05-14T19:46:29Z2020-05-14T19:46:22ZWhat’s an uncontested divorce?
An uncontested divorce is one where the parties manage to settle any disagreements regarding the practical aspects of their split without the court’s intervention. In other words, even if you and your ex can’t stand to be in the same room together, you can manage to agree how to best split up the marital property, how to manage the custody of the children (if there are any) and so on.
Why do uncontested divorces make sense?
If you’ve really had it with your spouse’s antics, you may think, “Why not let a judge make all the calls?” Well, there are several reasons:
You may not get what you expect (or need) out of the divorce. When spouses negotiate directly with one another, they’re free to use creativity in their deals and negotiate what matters to each of them the most. Judges are often inclined to take a “cookie-cutter” approach that won’t suit anybody very well.
You may leave the situation less angry. That may or may not be important to you, but if you have children with your spouse, the negotiation process can help the two of you embark on a different kind of partnership even as your old partnership is ending.
You have better control over your expenses. Divorce is expensive. There’s no denying that. But working with your spouse (instead of fighting about everything through your attorneys and a pile of court motions) can help you preserve more of your marital assets -- which you may both need in order to move forward.
None of this is to say, of course, that you should be a pushover and let your spouse have everything that they want just to avoid a legal fight. Talk over your goals for your divorce with your attorney early in the process so that you have a firm idea of what you will (and will not) negotiate.]]>On Behalf of Gordon & Dennisonhttps://www.gordondennisonlaw.com/?p=487902020-05-06T20:36:39Z2020-05-06T20:36:38ZIntegrating a trust into your estate plan has several benefits for parents with dependent children.
Trusts can help you protect your children from potential financial abuse
If you pick someone to be your children's guardian, you probably trust them deeply. Unfortunately, that person may not have this strong of a bond with your children as they do with you. The temptation of significant assets can sway even the most upstanding person into questionable behavior.
If your children are minors when you die, the guardian you name will have control over the assets you leave behind. It is possible that they could spend everything you wanted to leave for your children, resulting in your children getting nothing when they become adults.
Putting your assets into a trust or having them transfer to a trust upon your death will allow you to control the conditions under which the guardian can access the funds and limit how much they can withdraw before the child turns 18.
Creating a trust can help your child avoid inheritance pitfalls
Receiving who wants some inheritance at a young age, even if your child has technically become an adult, could lead to unhealthy behaviors. Especially when you consider the effect that the traumatic loss of their parents would have on their mental health, the misuse or dissipation of an inheritance is very possible.
Putting funds into a trust can ensure that your child can only use a little bit at a time or can only use the assets you pass on to them to cover expenses like college tuition, a down payment on a home or an investment in a business they hope to start. Your trust can provide your child with both a source of financial stability and an incentive to keep growing as they mature.]]>On Behalf of Gordon & Dennisonhttps://www.gordondennisonlaw.com/?p=487852020-05-03T01:12:39Z2020-05-03T01:12:38Zyour odds of hitting a deer are about one in 52 -- which is more than double the one in 116 average around the nation. (Only drivers in West Virginia and Montana have it worse.) That means it’s smart to keep the following spring safety tips in mind when you’re driving on roads where wildlife might be nearby:
Slow down. You can’t stop in time to avert an accident if you’re traveling too fast.
Pay attention to signs. Those “wildlife crossing” signs are there for a purpose.
Rely on your senses. Keep your eyes on the road and watch for the shining eyes of animals near the road when the light is dim.
Keep your high beams on if conditions make it safe to do so. They can help you spot animals in the road from a much further distance than your regular lights do.
Avoid rural areas around dusk. That’s when the majority of wildlife travels.
Wear your seat belt. An accident may be unavoidable. Your seat belt can protect you from worse injuries.
If you do see an animal in the road, press your brakes and try to stop -- but don’t cross into the next lane if there is oncoming traffic. That’s how encounters like these turn deadly.
Unfortunately, you can do everything right and still end up in a wreck. Another driver may panic when they see a deer in the road and careen right into your path. If you’re injured by another driver’s negligence, remember that you have the right to seek fair compensation for your losses.
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