Killeen, Texas, Personal Injury Blog | Michalk, Beatty & Alcozer, L.P.

Moving to a different state means updating your will

On behalf of Seth Alcozer of Michalk, Beatty & Alcozer, L.P. posted in estate planning on Thursday, November 29, 2018.

You know your time on Earth is limited to an unknown amount of years, months, weeks and days. One of the best ways to ensure you are being responsible with your time and investments is developing an estate plan. Having a will is an important part of estate planning.

Creating a will at one point in your life may require updates and changes as circumstances in your life shift. For example, not all states have the exact same laws surrounding wills. When you move from one state to the next, you will want to make sure your will and how it is setup is valid in your new state. Invalid wills can cause problems when they are not resolved afterwards.

Studies show drivers are not seeing cyclists or pedestrians

On behalf of Seth Alcozer of Michalk, Beatty & Alcozer, L.P. posted in personal injury on Friday, November 16, 2018.

The outside world is in constant motion, and it can seem difficult to keep track of everything you encounter while driving. However, it is vital that drivers remain aware of their surroundings at all times, otherwise, the likelihood of a serious crash greatly increases.

Statistically, drivers repeatedly struggle to notice bicyclists and pedestrians. The number of pedestrians killed in traffic deaths across the United States has increased faster than the rate of all other traffic deaths in recent years. From 2007 to 2016, pedestrian fatalities increased 27 percent. The numbers have been grim for bicyclists too, as there were 840 bicyclist deaths nationally in 2016, an increase from the year before.

Don't make divorce financially harder than it is

On behalf of Seth Alcozer of Michalk, Beatty & Alcozer, L.P. posted in family law on Friday, November 2, 2018.

As this blog has discussed before, in the event of a divorce, a married couple's property will have to be divided according to the community property laws in force in Texas.

What this means is that a resident of the Killeen and Fort Hood area is going to have to live with the reality that they will be dealing with some financial challenges after a divorce since they will have about half of their assets. They will also be without the benefit of their spouse's income or other financial support, and they may be making alimony and child support payments.

Construction zones crashes on the rise nationwide

On behalf of Seth Alcozer of Michalk, Beatty & Alcozer, L.P. on Thursday, November 1, 2018.

With new communities and roadways seemingly popping up around every corner throughout Texas and across America, road construction is a constant presence, but road construction zones present a considerable threat for motorists. In fact, the number of car crashes occurring in the nation’s construction zones is on the rise, and as a result, so, too, is the number of injuries people suffer while navigating their way through them.

Per the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration, the number of car crashes that took place in the country’s work zones rose substantially between 2013 and 2015, with the number of construction zone crashes increasing more than 40 percent during that time period. Additionally, in 2015, at least 70 work zone crashes resulting in injury occurred every day on the nation’s roads, while 12 work zone crashes every week ended in at least one fatality.

Texas offers protection to victims, children of domestic violence

On behalf of Seth Alcozer of Michalk, Beatty & Alcozer, L.P. posted in family law on Friday, October 26, 2018.

Like other states, Texas takes domestic violence seriously on multiple levels. For instance, in addition to criminal charges, Texas family law judges have the authority to restrict custody, that is conservatorship, and visitation upon hearing credible evidence that domestic violence has occurred. This is true even if there has been no criminal charge against the suspect.

Basically, a judge can consider a pattern of domestic violence in her custody decisions, as well as specific incidents during the course of the divorce or custody case and the two years prior. Under the right circumstances, the law will require the judge to award conservatorship to the victim, not the perpetrator of the violence, unless the perpetrator can affirmatively show that he or she is still the best custodian for the children.

Tips for co-parenting during the holidays

On behalf of Seth Alcozer of Michalk, Beatty & Alcozer, L.P. on Sunday, October 21, 2018.

The holidays are a time for family. However, this can get a bit tricky when a child has parents in two different households.

Being able to properly co-parent after a divorce is essential, and navigating the holidays correctly can be very important. Here are a few tips that may aid in making a child's holidays as enjoyable as possible.

Killeen man accused of drunk driving, manslaughter

On behalf of Seth Alcozer of Michalk, Beatty & Alcozer, L.P. posted in dui/dwi on Friday, October 19, 2018.

A Killeen man now faces intoxication manslaughter and drunk driving charges in connection with a fatal accident a few weeks ago on a frontage road near Interstate 35. The accident happened in Georgetown, Texas, which is less than one hour from the Killeen and Fort Hood areas.

According to reports, police responded to the scene of an accident in the early morning hours. During their investigation police determined the man had struck a parked semi. The semi had a right to be on the shoulder of the road, and the truck driver had left the lights of the truck on.

Handling property division is a multi-step process

On behalf of Seth Alcozer of Michalk, Beatty & Alcozer, L.P. posted in family law on Friday, October 12, 2018.

As is the case in other states, when a couple in Killeen or Fort Hood spit up either through a divorce or otherwise, property will often have to be divided between them.

When the couple is married, this will mean dividing the property according to Texas's community property rules. While these rules can be complicated and hard to apply in particular situations, one can say that the law requires Texans to divide their marital property roughly in half.

Colder weather means understanding safety with space heaters

On behalf of Seth Alcozer of Michalk, Beatty & Alcozer, L.P. on Tuesday, October 9, 2018.

In Texas, the winters usually do not get cold enough to necessitate heating your entire house, but you may get chilly enough to want to use a space heater to warm up a small area. It is crucial to understand the common hazards that space heaters present, especially if you are unaccustomed to using them.

Space heaters pose a significant risk of fires and electric shock when people use them improperly. The Electrical Safety Foundation International claims that more than 65,000 fires occur in homes across the United States each year because of heating equipment. In fact, heaters, particularly portable ones, are the second most common cause of home fires in the country.

Number of traffic deaths down, but still too many

On behalf of Seth Alcozer of Michalk, Beatty & Alcozer, L.P. posted in personal injury on Friday, October 5, 2018.

According to recent statistics compiled by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or NHTSA, there were over 37,000 deaths on the roads of Texas and the other states in 2017.

To some extent, this grim number is actually hopeful news. It is 1.8 percent lower than number of fatalities in 2016. Moreover, if preliminary estimates about the number of accidents that will happen this year are correct, the downward trend will continue.