Welcome to New Attorney Ross Weatherspoon

Younce, Vtipil & Baznik, P.A. is pleased to announce the recent addition of Attorney W. Ross Weatherspoon to our law firm. Ross will concentrate his legal practice in the area of family law.

As a domestic law attorney, Ross seeks to provide legal guidance to clients who are going through some of life’s most difficult transitions, including separation, divorce, and issues involving child custody and spousal support.

He recognizes that people going through the process of ending a marriage may be on an emotional roller-coaster and need compassion and steadfast guidance. His goal is to help each client take into consideration all the financial aspects and issues that arise in a divorce and to deal with the issues effectively so that the client can move forward with his or her life. He also assists clients with separation agreements, protective orders and seeking positive solutions to situations involving domestic violence and abuse.

Ross’s hands-on approach fits well with the focus at Younce, Vtipil & Baznik P.A. to provide compassionate and personalized legal service to our clients.

Past Experience Informs Work as a Family Law Attorney

Ross has dedicated much of his life to serving others—as a Raleigh police officer and a church missionary before obtaining a law degree.

During Ross’s law enforcement career, he had the chance to engage with members of the community from all walks of life and to learn effective strategies to de-escalate tense situations and to resolve contentious disputes peacefully. He also served as a Spanish language translator. Those are skills that serve him well as a family law attorney dealing with emotionally charged domestic situations.

Ross grew up in Baker City, Oregon and served two years as a missionary in the Dominican Republic from 2006 to 2008 where he learned to speak Spanish fluently before moving to Wake County. He obtained a bachelor’s degree from East Carolina University. While completing his undergraduate degree, he began working as a law enforcement officer for the Raleigh Police Department.

Fluency in Spanish Language

Ross’s language fluency helps him discuss family law legal questions with clients who primarily speak Spanish. He knows that clients are most comfortable discussing domestic issues in their first language, whether that is English or Spanish.

His experience as a police officer helped him manage his time and succeed academically when he enrolled at North Carolina Central University School of Law. He was awarded a full-tuition scholarship while in law school and was selected to serve as Senior Editor of the North Carolina Central Law Review. Ross was selected to work as an Academic Success Fellow and he volunteered his time two days a week to read to kindergarteners at Burton Elementary School in Durham. He graduated Summa Cum Laude from law school and passed the North Carolina State Bar to gain admission to practice law in North Carolina.

He is a member of the North Carolina Bar Association (NCBA), NCBA Family Law Section, and the NCBA Young Lawyers Division.

Ross and his wife, Rachel, have two children. The active family enjoys hiking in the North Carolina mountains, camping and exploring the state parks.

The attorneys at Younce, Vtipil & Baznik P.A. are passionate about helping people, and we are proud to welcome Ross Weatherspoon to our firm. From our offices in Raleigh, we serve clients throughout the Triangle and beyond.

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from Younce, Vtipil & Baznik, P.A. https://www.attorneync.com/blog/welcome-new-family-law-attorney-ross-weatherspoon/
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Study Shows that Longer Work Commutes May be Safer

We learn early that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. But a recent study of commuter traffic suggests that a longer route between home and work is safer and less likely to end in a car accident.

The study by University of Illinois researchers was a project to produce an algorithm to help urban planners route city traffic. The report is as complex as you’d expect the explanation of an algorithm to be. What they found was that urban commuters may be less likely to encounter automobile accidents if they are willing to increase trip time, a news release says.

The findings are based on traffic speed, accident count, and trip origin and destination data collected from New York City taxi services and police reports. “The data shows that the shortest routes between two points, distance-wise, often have the most automobile accidents,” said lead study author Richard Sowers, a professor of mathematics and industrial and enterprise systems engineering.

The study showed that a Manhattan commuter willing to increase travel time by about 15% during the evening or morning rush hour might reduce the number of accidents they encounter on their route by up to 18%, according to the release

Chance of A Car Accident On Your Way To Work

For commuters driving to and from work in Raleigh, Cary, Durham and the greater Triangle, the algorithm created by the researchers does not predict the likelihood of accidents.

But it goes to figure that the shortest commute routes are the most crowded and most likely to be the location of car accidents during rush hour.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation’s Traffic Crash Facts 2017 shows a significantly higher number of crashes in the 7-8 a.m. and 3-5 p.m. hours on weekdays compared to other times of the day. Taking a route across the Triangle that avoids Interstate 40 may be a safer bet.

At Younce, Vtipil & Baznik, P.A., we help people who have been in car accidents obtain insurance compensation when the injury was caused by someone else’s carelessness or disregard for safety. We also assist injured workers with workers’ compensation claims. Sometimes the two types of cases intersect if a worker driving as part of their job duty is injured in a car accident by another motorist.

Unfortunately, while we can seek and obtain other compensation for an unjustly injured driver or passenger, accidents that happen during workers’ commutes are not generally covered by workers’ compensation insurance.

Workers’ Compensation and the ‘Coming and Going Rule’

In general, workers’ compensation pays medical bills and a portion of lost wages for an employee who is injured in the course of performing his or her job.

Most work-related injuries happen at a job site, but accidents are also covered by workers’ comp if they happen away from the workplace – if the employee is on the clock and engaged in work-related activity. This includes accidents at work-sponsored trade shows or social events, such as holiday parties, for example.

Individuals who drive as part of their job are covered by workers’ comp for auto accidents that occur while they are working. This includes accidents that delivery drivers may get into, or an accident that occurs on a business trip or while traveling between two company office locations during the workday.

However, a tried and tested rule, known as the “coming and going rule,” holds that the daily commute is not part of the job and is not covered by workers’ compensation. There are exceptions, which have also been upheld when challenged:

• Company transportation. If your employer has agreed as part of your employment to provide you transportation to and from work, an accident would be covered by workers’ comp. This includes travel in a company vehicle, such as one you take home and are to use only for work, or in a van that picks up multiple employees. It also applies if you are regularly reimbursed for commute mileage traveled in your own vehicle.
• “Special mission” or dual-purpose travel. If your employer asks you to travel and you get into an accident, your injuries should be covered by workers’ compensation. For example, no one can find an extension cord needed to make a sales presentation, and the boss asks you to buy one on the way to work the next morning. An accident on this commute would be covered. When travel is at least partly to benefit the employer, an accident may be covered by workers’ comp. If you had already stated plans to stop by the store on your way in the next morning and your boss asked you to pick up an extension cord while there, any accident on the trip would be covered.

Contact a Raleigh Personal Injury / N.C. Workers’ Comp Lawyer

Our experience as Younce, Vtipil & Baznik, P.A., as personal injury and workers’ compensation lawyers allows us to help you after a car accident. We will seek to identify all types of insurance coverage that may provide compensation for your injuries. An employer will suggest you look to your own insurance after a work-related car accident. But if you are due workers’ compensation benefits, we can help you obtain them.

Workers’ compensation is a type of insurance protection that most employers in North Carolina are required to carry to cover worker injuries. You may be unfamiliar with it until an injury occurs and you find yourself with questions about your rights and the insurer’s delay or denial of your claim.

Let Younce, Vtipil & Baznik level the playing field for you. We can review your car accident and injuries and discuss your legal rights to pursue compensation, including workers’ comp benefits, in a free initial consultation. Our goal is to help you obtain the money you need to be made whole after a serious injury. Call us now or contact us online.

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from Younce, Vtipil & Baznik, P.A. https://www.attorneync.com/blog/study-shows-that-longer-work-commutes-may-be-safer/
via https://www.attorneync.com