Asheville Legal Blog

CVSA cracks down on speeding with Operation Safe Driver Week

On behalf of Bull & Reinhardt, PLLC posted in personal injury on Tuesday, May 14, 2019.

According to the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety, speeding accounts for more than 25% of all the car crash deaths that have occurred since 2008. The organization also reported that 94% of the traffic crashes in 2015 involved speeding. Drivers of both passenger and commercial vehicles in North Carolina should know, though, that something is being done to reduce car crash numbers, especially speeding-related ones.

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance will increase enforcement of traffic laws during its yearly Operation Safe Driver Week. In 2019, it will take place from July 14 to 20, and the focus will be on speeding. Passenger and commercial vehicle drivers will be under increased observance from law enforcement officials.

Critical steps to take after a car accident

On behalf of Bull & Reinhardt, PLLC on Monday, May 13, 2019.

If you have suffered an injury in any type of motor vehicle accident, you can expect to face a variety of challenges. In addition to your physical health, you may have concerns about emotional distress and the impact on your finances.

By taking the right steps after a car accident, you put yourself in position to make a full recovery and receive all the compensation you deserve.

Assessing the contributions of stay-at-home spouses in divorce

On behalf of Bull & Reinhardt, PLLC posted in family law on Tuesday, April 30, 2019.

In North Carolina, like most states, property division in case of divorce is supposed to be equitable. This means that a court may consider the contributions of both spouses when deciding how to split up assets. While this may be straightforward if both spouses earned an income, it can be more complex if one spouse did not. These spouses are often stay-at-home parents whose support has helped the career of the breadwinner.

More of them are mothers than fathers, and this is consistent with Americans' belief that mothers are better caregivers for babies than fathers. One-quarter of mothers in America do not work outside the home compared to 7 percent of fathers. A study by two Vanderbilt University professors examined attitudes about the value of each person's contributions when assets are divided in a divorce and found that men and women differed.

New technology to monitor driver behavior

On behalf of Bull & Reinhardt, PLLC posted in personal injury on Tuesday, April 16, 2019.

Starting in 2020, North Carolina motorists will be able to purchase Volvos that will not exceed a speed of 112 miles per hour. By the early 2020s, the company will begin rolling out safety features that detect certain driver behaviors. These are part of an overall effort by the company to cut down on accidents caused by drunk driving.

The company says it is focusing on prevention rather than minimizing how severe accidents are. Volvo will begin to equip its cars with cameras and sensors that detect when drivers close their eyes or do not look at the road for a significant time. The technology will also monitor whether drivers have not steered for some time and slow reaction times. The cars may take action in response, such as by reducing speed or even parking in a safe spot.

Assuming a mortgage after divorce

On behalf of Bull & Reinhardt, PLLC posted in family law on Tuesday, April 2, 2019.

When couples in North Carolina divorce, every aspect of their shared finances is open to negotiation and division. In many cases, a shared home is one of the most valuable assets the couple owns. If the home is not yet paid off and there is still a mortgage, the spouses will have to decide how they want to manage that responsibility.

In many cases, divorcing couples decide to sell the family home and then agree to a fair division of the proceeds. However, it is not unusual for at least one spouse to want to remain in the home. If there are young children living in the home, parents may feel that a move is not in the children's best interest. In other cases, a spouse may simply not wish to move from the home in which he or she has lived for many years.

Making wise decisions about the family home during a divorce

On behalf of Bull & Reinhardt, PLLC posted in family law on Tuesday, March 19, 2019.

North Carolina residents who have gone through a divorce understand just how challenging the entire process can be. One of the major challenges a divorcing couple may face is determining what to do with the marital home. There may be a lot of sentiment attached to the home. For that reason, the couple may struggle with whether to sell the home and divide the profits, have one of the two parties buy the other one out, or both keep ownership of the home and alternate the days that they live in it.

There are some advantages that come from selling a home while going through the divorce process. One advantage is financial. If a divorcing couple is able to sell the home, both parties may walk away with money that they can use to move on. They may be able to use that money to invest in a new home or pay off joint debt.

Pros and cons of keeping your business after divorce

On behalf of Bull & Reinhardt, PLLC on Friday, March 15, 2019.

You and your spouse started your business together five years after you got married. It seemed like the right time to do it, your marriage was going really well and you knew that you both offered something that the business needed. Your spouse is great with numbers and finances, while you are the people-person who really puts on the public face of the business.

As a result, your company has grown and done well. The same is not true for your marriage. You started thinking about divorce last year, and now you want to file.

Using social media to communicate with children after divorce

On behalf of Bull & Reinhardt, PLLC posted in family law on Tuesday, March 5, 2019.

Parents in North Carolina who are divorced may help their children adjust by keeping lines of communication open. According to a new study, the relationship a child has with each divorced parent is much more important than the relationship the parents have with each other.

The study, which examined nearly 400 parents and children who were aged 10 to 18, classified parents based on how cooperative they were with one another. Researchers also identified several aspects of the relationship between parents and children, including parents' knowledge about their children, the consistency of discipline and the closeness of relationships. When children and their parents communicated just once a month or less, it led to a decrease in the parents' knowledge about their children.

Why are deadly car accidents increasing?

On behalf of Bull & Reinhardt, PLLC posted in personal injury on Tuesday, February 19, 2019.

Over the past several years, traffic fatalities have been on the rise in North Carolina and across the United States. In fact, according to the National Safety Council, car accident deaths rose approximately 13 percent between 2014 and 2016.

Experts say that there are several reasons behind the increase in fatal motor vehicle accidents on American roads. For example, as the economy improves, people can afford to drive more miles, which increases the risk of accidents. Meanwhile, cell phones and other electronic gadgets are distracting more and more drivers every year, which also leads to more crashes. Finally, speeding continues to be a contributing factor in most motor vehicle accidents.

Divorce errors to avoid

On behalf of Bull & Reinhardt, PLLC posted in family law on Monday, February 4, 2019.

North Carolina couples who are considering getting a divorce may already know that the divorce process can be difficult to navigate. However, there are certain mistakes people can make before and during a divorce that may make it even more difficult and result in expensive consequences.

One mistake that can have significant consequences in a divorce is not having all of the paperwork that may be needed. If there is a possibility of a divorce occurring, individuals should immediately begin to gather all of their financial information, such as the balances and account numbers for all financial accounts, which will not only be helpful for the divorce settlement but will also be useful for future tax and retirement planning. It is also likely that the Social Security statements that detail the earning records and projected future benefits of a spouse may be necessary. Additional paperwork that should be gathered includes receipts for purchases made for significant assets and for any home improvement expenses.