Queens Personal Injury Law Blog

When many people think about drafting a will, they often think that the process involves simply taking their assets that they intend for their loved ones to inherit and writing them down alongside the names of the individuals that they want them to go to.

It's only when they head to an estate planning attorney's office that many clients find out that they have to appoint an executor to administer their estate. Once they learn this, it's oftentimes not the easiest decision to decide who to appoint to this role. Instead, it's one that must be carefully made, especially given the multitude of responsibilities that this person has to take on once the person writing the will, the testator, passes on.

A recent City of New York Police Department (NYPD) report shows that during April of 2018, at least 17,893 motor vehicle collisions occurred citywide. Data compiled by the department shows that 35,611 drivers and 1,452 passengers had their lives impacted by these crashes. Another 290 bicyclists and 719 pedestrians were involved as well.

Of the aforementioned crashes, the data shows that 5,192 of them occurred in Queens. At least 1,023 of the accidents resulted in injuries. Another four resulted in deaths, three of which involved pedestrians being struck and killed.

As a pedestrian, you always need to think about your safety. This is particularly true when you're walking, jogging or biking in close proximity to motor vehicles (such as in New York City).

Fortunately, there are many steps you can take to remain safe. Here are some of the things you can personally do to prevent a pedestrian accident:

• Cross the road at designated crosswalks
• Don't enter the road until the "walk" symbol tells you it's okay to do so
• Never dart into traffic
• Make eye contact with drivers, such as those waiting at a red light as you're crossing
• Don't fall prey to distractions, such as listening to your favorite tunes or texting

Our lives are not infinite. They can end unexpectedly in a mere instant. Unless we have certain end-of-life documents properly executed and easily accessible by our family members, our loss may not only result in creating an emotional void in our loved one's lives, but a financial one as well.

When many individuals think of estate planning, they often don't think they have the requisite wealth or portfolio of assets necessary to need to plan for what happens after they're gone.