The Perils of Dying at the Wrong Time of the Day!

It is usually never a good time to die, but did you know that the exact time of day of your death could have major consequences for who inherits your estate? This is a genuine and very real problem for [married] couples who jointly own property and die in a common accident. The operation of Property Laws of Succession in relation to joint assets, combined with a ‘rule’ to determine who is deemed to die first in an accident, creates unexpected results and has devastating financial consequences when couples die either Intestate (without a Will) or with poorly drafted wills that each have different beneficiaries.