In December Australians were shocked by the news that music icon Molly Meldrum had been critically injured when he fell from a ladder while putting up Christmas lights.
It was such a simple task – but it almost took his life.
Now, after brain surgery, Molly is thankfully making a steady recovery, to the relief of thousands of his Australian fans.
When such simple events cause death or injury to famous identities they create shockwaves around the nation.
But the reality is that thousands of Australians are being killed or injured every day due to unexpected events resulting in devastating circumstances for their families.
We all know how easily life can be taken from us but how many of use give genuine consideration to the repercussions to our families if our legal affairs are not in order?
Even if we survive accidents we could be out of action for a significant period of time and if we suffer a head injury and brain damage our capacity to deal with important issues could be diminished, potentially forever.
This danger emphasises the need to have an Enduring Power of Attorney in place so that people that we trust can handle our medical and financial affairs.
To cover the prospect of death resulting from injuries, we should have a properly drafted Will in place so that our assets are distributed to those beneficiaries that we want them to go to.
We should regularly review our Wills and Enduring Powers of Attorney to ensure they are in order, particularly if our circumstances in life change from time to time. This might include when relationships and financial circumstances change, you have another child, an executor dies or no longer wishes to act, a beneficiary dies or you sell or buy property.
As published in the Gold Coast Sun p.23 7/3/12
For any enquiries regarding Attwood Marshall Lawyers Wills and Estates Department, please contact Department Manager Donna Tolley, on direct line (07) 5506 8241 or by email on dtolley@attwoodmarshall.com.au.
