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Albuquerque Car Accident Lawyer
A severe car accident can result in victims facing significant injuries, substantial medical bills, lost income, permanent disabilities, and chronic pain. Even seemingly minor fender-benders can lead to total losses and injuries that take months or even years to fully recover from.
Seeking compensation for the damages incurred in a car accident can be a vital step in your recovery. If you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident in Albuquerque or the surrounding area, reach out to Dominguez Law to discuss your situation. At Dominguez Law, we understand that any motor vehicle accident, regardless of its severity, can profoundly impact your life.
Common Causes of Car Accidents in Albuquerque
Although there have been incredible technological developments in vehicle safety over the past decade, accidents are still frequent. Here are just a few of the most common causes of car accidents in Albuquerque:
- Distracted driving: Distracted driving endangers the driver, their passengers, pedestrians, and others on the road. Distracted drivers are the leading cause of car accidents in the U.S. today.
- Drunk driving: Every day, about 28 people in the United States die in drunk-driving crashes, which is about one person every 52 minutes.
- Speeding: We all know the frustrations of juggling a busy schedule, but speed limits are put in place to protect all road users. Speeding kills, and driving faster than the posted speed limit is a potential way to cause a car accident.
- Running red lights and stop signs: Drivers who run red lights risk causing wrongful death because they often cause significant collisions at high speeds. Likewise, many rollover accidents and side-impact car accidents result from drivers who run stop signs.
- Reckless driving: This is a moving violation in which drivers display a disregard for the rules of the road. When someone’s reckless driving causes an accident, the victims may be entitled to file a civil claim for compensation.
- Aggressive driving: Aggressive driving—unsafe driving behavior performed deliberately and with ill intention or disregard for safety—is extremely common among U.S. drivers.
- Fatigue: Operating a motor vehicle while fatigued or sleepy is commonly referred to as “drowsy driving.” This often happens when a driver has not slept enough, but it can also happen due to untreated sleep disorders, medications, drinking alcohol, and shift work.
About 2.3 million people are faced with car accident-related injuries each year, yet only a few understand their rights and get a car accident lawyer to fight for justice and go after the monetary damages they need to get their lives back on track. If you have been injured due to another driver’s negligence in the Albuquerque area, you may be entitled to compensation.
Steps To Take After a Car Accident in Albuquerque, NM
Just after your car accident, it is crucial you remain calm and execute a few key steps that may help protect your rights. While the post-accident procedure is relatively straightforward, it is not always easy to remember and implement the proper steps when you are feeling stressed and in physical discomfort. Here are a few tips that will help you get the compensation you deserve:
Check Yourself and Others for Injuries
You might feel shaky and disoriented after a car crash, which is completely normal. It is vital that you put your personal safety above all else. Call 911 or ask someone else to do so if you think anyone is hurt, either in your car or any other vehicle involved in the accident. If you are injured, try not to move until help can get to you.
Pull Over and Call 911
If it is safe to do so, remove your vehicle from the line of traffic, turn on your hazard lights, and call the police as soon as possible. Mention your location and any injuries that were sustained in the accident. Note that no matter the severity of the accident—even if it is just a minor fender bender—calling the police is essential so they can create a legal accident report. Without a legal accident report or police report, a greedy insurance company can use it against you to deny or minimize what they pay for your lawful and just claim.
Exchange Car Insurance Information
Once the police are on their way, try to exchange contact information with the other driver. Your insurance and the other driver’s insurance will need each other’s contact information to ultimately decide who pays for the damages.
Do Not Admit Fault
When discussing the proceedings with anyone, it is important that you do not slip up and admit fault or liability, especially if you are not at fault. Any statements you make can be used against you later in the claim or legal proceedings. Remember, it is a jury’s job to determine who is at fault, not yours.
Get Witness Contact Information
Just after calling the police and ensuring that everyone was okay, scan the area to see if any witnesses observed the events of the accident. To avoid a “my word against theirs” dispute, it is often critical to the case to have a neutral third-party account of the incident.
Document The Accident
Use your phone to take photos of the accident scene, the vehicles involved, skid marks, road signs, and any sustained injuries. It is always better to take too many pictures than not enough. Likewise, while it is still fresh in your mind, jot down the details of the accident as you most accurately recall them.
Contact Your Insurance Company
At this point, you will want to get your insurance company involved. They will provide you with information on how to move your claim forward. However, do not sign anything or give a recorded statement to the insurance company before speaking to a Albuquerque car accident lawyer. Remember, the insurance company can use your statements to minimize or deny your claim, even if it is your insurance company.
Call An Experienced Car Accident Lawyer
Perhaps most importantly, it is crucial that you get in touch with an experienced Albuquerque car accident lawyer after the events of the crash as soon as you can. While you focus on recovering from the accident and seeking medical treatment for any injuries you suffered, a car accident attorney may be able to help you recover the compensation you need to move forward. Importantly, a Albuquerque car accident attorney will protect your rights and confirm that the insurance company does not succeed with any efforts to minimize or deny your lawful and just claim.
Do Not Beat Yourself Up
No matter what happens after the crash, remember it is challenging to follow every proper step after a car accident. After all, you are likely flustered, anxious, and in physical pain. So, if you forgot to take photos or you feel as if you said something incorrect to the other driver, it is not the end of the world. In all probability, the other driver did not do everything right either. It is ultimately the job of an experienced car accident lawyer to work the case and make sure the truth of the accident is not distorted by the insurance company.
How To Hold Negligent Drivers Accountable for Damages After an Albuquerque Car Accident
Every New Mexico driver has an obligation to act in a reasonable manner to avoid injury and harm to others. There are many ways that a person can breach their duty to act reasonably, including driving recklessly, failing to obey traffic laws, or succumbing to distractions like cellphone use. If a breach occurs, your Albuquerque car accident lawyer can show that the defendant’s careless behavior directly caused your harm and that you sustained damages that must be fairly and fully compensated according to New Mexico law.
An issue that frequently arises in car accident cases is “comparative fault.” Collisions typically occur between two or more vehicles, and it is not unusual for drivers to blame each other. Under these circumstances, a percentage of responsibility will be assigned to each party involved. The compensation award may then be decreased depending on whether and how much you are found at fault. However, you still may be able to obtain damages even if you were not entirely blameless.
New Mexico has rigid timelines for bringing a personal injury claim associated with an auto accident. The state’s civil statute of limitations is three years for a personal injury case. If you wait too long to file a lawsuit, you may lose the right to recover any damages for your car wreck injuries.
Discuss Your Case with Our Auto Accident Lawyers in Albuquerque, NM, Today!
At Dominguez Law, we believe in holding parties who act recklessly accountable for their actions and are dedicated to making their insurance companies pay top dollar for your claim. If you believe the at-fault party acted negligently or recklessly, contact us as soon as possible.
To schedule a free consultation with one of our compassionate and aggressive Albuquerque car accident attorneys, call Dominguez Law today at 505-596-4481 or contact us online. We also speak Spanish.
Help Articles From Our Albuquerque Car Accident Lawyers
- 4 Steps to Take After a Child is Injured in a Car Accident
- 5 Surprising Facts About New Mexico Car Accidents
- 6 Signs You May Be Suffering From PTSD After a Car Accident
- 11 Most Common Car Accident Injuries
- Can More Than One Person Be At Fault for a Car Crash in New Mexico?
- How to Gather Witness Statements After a Car Crash in New Mexico
- How to Prove Lost Wages After a New Mexico Car Accident
- How to Take Legal Action as a Passenger in a New Mexico Car Accident
