PERSONAL INJURY POST
FOLLOWING MY CALLING 820 S. Main St. McAllen, TX 78501 (956) 587-5833 www.go-lawfirm.com DECEMBER 2019
Thank You to My Brother and Parents for Encouraging Me
companies, trucking companies, and many others. During one case, the firm I worked at had a case against the office I’m currently associated with. After the case concluded, I was asked to join them in representing individuals and families who had been hurt as a result of someone’s negligence. At that point, I felt that I had found my calling. While I was working at the other firm, there were a lot of people that needed help, and insurance companies were reluctant to provide that help. When I was asked to join this firm, I knew it was what I needed to do and my chance for a better and brighter future. I had insight into how insurance companies worked, and that provided me an edge to help our clients fight for what was right. Everyone at Garcia & Ochoa fights for the same cause, ensuring every one of our clients are taken care of. We do our best for our clients by working together as a team. I am proud and humbled to be a part of this team. I’m extremely grateful for my parents, as well as my brothers, for helping me reach the point where I am today. My parents worked exceptionally hard at what they did, and their efforts embolden me and my brothers to do the best that we can do and work hard no matter where we find ourselves. Ciro is focused on his career as an attorney, my other brother, Eli, is a successful construction engineer and architect, and we do our utmost to help our community. We wouldn’t be where we are today if it weren’t for both of our wonderful parents.
Growing up, two people influenced me the most to pursue a legal career: my dad and my brother, Ciro. My dad always told me how much he wanted to go to law school but never did. He ended up attending barber school, and, while he loved his profession, being an attorney was the path Dad always wished he would have taken. My brother, Ciro, is 17 years older than me, and when I was a kid, he was in law school, which fascinated me. I remember many times when Ciro would take me to the courthouse to sit in on a hearing or other small cases. He’d also take me into his office, and I’d have the opportunity to watch him work and look at everything he had in there. Everything I saw, heard, or experienced was never daunting to me; I was eager to witness everything that transpired in that courtroom. I also had many chances to see Ciro in action. To see my brother arguing on behalf of his client against another attorney was very inspiring. Growing up, I always loved to argue and debate with people, and here I saw firsthand how much good it could do for people. Throughout my life, whenever I felt or saw something wrong, I was the person to speak up. I’m not the type of person who can sit quietly when I see someone suffering or being taken advantage of. Standing up for people is something I’ve always done, and seeing my brother do that, as well, solidified the path I wanted to go down. After law school, I clerked for a few years with a federal bankruptcy judge near Dallas. Subsequently, I practiced insurance defense representing insurance
“I’m not the type of person who can sit quietly when I see someone suffering
or being taken advantage of.”
Hardworking Lawyers Helping Hardworking People.
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The Dangers Everyone loves decorating for the holidays. It’s a delight to bring out your favorite ornaments and Christmas lights and dress up your house until it’s fit for the North Pole. However, the additional decor and lights can create serious fire hazards. One of the biggest factors of fire risk is the increased use of electricity. During the Christmas season, people use a lot more electricity, especially when it comes to lighting their tree or home. Typically, one string of Christmas lights with 25 incandescent C9 bulbs uses around 175 watts of electricity; that’s an additional $15 to your electricity bill, but it isn’t the only problem. This increased use of electricity means that faulty lights or extension cords can catch a homeowner unaware. The National Fire Protection Association estimates that each year, holiday lights on Christmas trees result in fires worth almost $9 million in property damage. A frayed wire can cause a tree, curtains, or other flammable objects to catch fire within a few seconds. The use of counterfeit extension cords and Christmas lights can also cause immense devastation to people who are unaware they’re using counterfeits. Within the U.S. alone, the National Retail Federation estimates that $6 billion will be spent on Christmas decorations alone, averaging about $65 per person. Through this immense exchange of currency 3 SISTERS We Will Not Turn Away From Those in Need
THE JOY OF A GINGERBREAD HOUSE Everything You Didn’t Know About This Holiday Tradition Of the many seasonal traditions that sweep our nation, few are as creative, delicious, and satisfying as building your very own gingerbread house. Whether you’re looking to create a simple table decoration or bake a tasty treat to nibble on, everyone can enjoy this holiday activity! THE ORIGINS OF GINGERBREAD Ginger was first cultivated in ancient China, then traded into medieval Europe. There, Europeans incorporated it into culinary traditions and used it to bake cookies into elaborate shapes and works of art, including figures of animals and people. The gingerbread house first appeared in the early 19th century in Germany. Although historians don’t know an exact date, it’s speculated that it gained popularity around the same time that “Hansel and Gretel,” the popular fairy tale recorded by the Brothers Grimm, was published. THE LARGEST GINGERBREAD HOUSE In 2013, the world record for the largest gingerbread house in the world was broken. The house, topping out at 21 feet and covering 2,520 square feet, was built by Traditions Golf Club in Bryan, Texas, to raise money for a local Level II trauma center. To construct the house, builders created a recipe that required 1,800 pounds of butter, 2,925 pounds of brown sugar, 7,200 eggs, 7,200 pounds of flour, 1,080 ounces of ground ginger, and a few additional ingredients.
BUILD YOUR OWN! While you don’t have to challenge yourself to beat the Guinness World Record, you can still have fun creating your very own gingerbread village. Starting your gingerbread house from scratch can be a fun activity for the whole family to enjoy. Give the kids a chance to mix the ingredients, roll out the dough, and set out plenty of candies and frostings to use, and remember to have fun! If you’re looking for unique gingerbread house ideas, take a look at 20 gingerbread house ideas at TasteofHome.com/ collection/gingerbread- houses.
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f Christmas Lights YOU MAY BE AT RISK this time of year, it’s up to the many retailers who sell these products to ensure the safety of their customers. Any Christmas lights, extension cords, or other electricity channeling objects should be tested and approved for their safety before they end up in a person’s home. Any lights that have not been tested and rated by Underwriter’s Laboratory (UL) or (Intertek (ETL Semko) are unreliable.
Cranberry Gingerbread
Inspired by Food & Wine Magazine
INGREDIENTS:
• 1/2 cup canola oil, plus more for greasing • 3/4 cup unsulphured molasses • 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar • 2 large eggs • 1 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated • 1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries, coarsely chopped • 2 cups all-purpose flour • 2 tsp baking powder • 1 tsp baking soda • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon • 1/2 tsp ground cloves • 1/2 tsp kosher salt DIRECTIONS: 1. Heat oven to 350 F. 2. Grease a loaf pan with canola oil. 3. In a large mixing bowl, mix together 1/2 cup canola oil, molasses, brown sugar, eggs, ginger, and cranberries. In a separate bowl, sift and combine flour with baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients until blended. 4. Scrape batter into loaf pan and bake for 50 minutes. 5. Transfer to a rack, let cool for 20 minutes, slice, and serve. BE INSPIRED
If you believe Christmas lights were the cause of the fire in your home, call Garcia & Ochoa today at 956-587-5833.
We’ve helped clients with many cases, some more devastating than others. When three sisters came to us seeking help after a horrifying and tragic incident, our team did not hesitate to provide them with support and a voice. CASE FACTS: Our three clients were awoken one night a few weeks before Christmas by a fire consuming their home. The three sisters managed to escape by jumping from the top floor balcony, but they were injured from their falls. Unfortunately, their mother, her husband, a baby boy, a younger daughter, and an unborn child all perished in the fire. It was later determined that the fire was caused by malfunctioning Christmas lights that came with an artificial Christmas tree the family had purchased before the fire. This incident left the sisters with no means to provide for themselves and very little food, clothing, or shelter. THE OUTCOME: The team at Garcia & Ochoa knew that something must be done for these three girls who had lost everything in a few terrifying hours. We provided strong evidence and arguments that placed the blame not only on the seller of the tree but also the manufacturer. Both were obligated to ensure that the lights functioned properly, that buyers received appropriate warnings about the product, and that the product was 100% safe for installment and use by consumers. Our attorneys argued that the negligence of the two parties resulted in the fire and caused such distress for our three young clients. We held the distributor responsible and negotiated a settlement for the sisters. While there was nothing we could do to take away the pain that night, the people at Garcia & Ochoa could at least ensure that these three sisters would never go hungry again. When people come through our doors, they become more than just clients; they’re family. Garcia & Ochoa won’t rest until the people in our community who are facing the hardest moments in their lives are heard.
Hardworking Lawyers Helping Hardworking People.
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INSIDE This Issue
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Standing Up for the People
Building Your Own Gingerbread House An Increased Threat This Christmas
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Our Clients Are Family
Cranberry Gingerbread
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Lessons Families Can Learn From ‘A Christmas Story’
Lessons Families Can Learn From ‘A Christmas Story’
wonder but won’t enchant them forever. Belief in certain parts of the Christmas season can fade slowly or die as quickly as the spin of a decoder pin, but parents can always be there to remind children about what’s really important during the Christmas season.
In 1983, one movie introduced Red Ryder BB guns, fishnet-clad leg lamps, and bright red bars of soap into America’s everlasting Christmas mythos. Now, over 35 years later, “A Christmas Story” continues to delight audiences every holiday season with timeless lessons for viewers of all ages. In a story where kids are clever and kind, and parents are bumbling and wise, “A Christmas Story” has more lessons to offer families than just, “You’ll shoot your eye out!” They aren’t always obedient, but that doesn’t mean they’re not listening. After Ralphie lets slip the “queen mother of dirty words” in front of his father, the narrator reminisces about first hearing that word from his old man — possibly when he was trying to get their furnace to work. He doesn’t admit this to his mother, but it’s a lesson for parents everywhere that kids may hear more than they let on. KIDS WON’T BELIEVE IN MAGIC FOREVER. Magical stories about Santa or even “Little Orphan Annie’s” Secret Society fill children’s hearts with YOUR KIDS ARE LISTENING TO YOU (OH, FUDGE!).
SOMETIMES ‘DISASTERS’ LEAD TO NEW ADVENTURES.
Christmas Day can be hectic, and, in the hubbub of it all, sometimes disaster can feel inevitable. Ralphie’s parents certainly experience their fair share of disaster in hilarious fashion when the Bumpus Hounds destroy their holiday turkey and leave nothing but the heavenly aroma. But, when Ralphie’s father takes them out to eat at a local Chinese restaurant, it creates a whole new Christmas tradition for the Parker family. Our holiday mishaps, no matter how tragic, are rarely the end of the world.
MORE THAN JUST ‘YOU’LL SHOOT YOUR EYE OUT!’
Consider one final tip: Do not stick your tongue to any flagpoles this winter! Happy holidays!
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