New Mexico Personal Injury Lawyers

When should I call a personal injury lawyer in New Mexico?

Whether you’ve been in a car crash or you had a slip and fall injury, if you’ve been injured because of someone else’s negligence, contacting a personal injury attorney as soon as possible is essential. Time is not on your side in an injury case, and the faster you contact a New Mexico personal injury lawyer, the faster they can work on your case, investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident, go to the injury scene, and file your claim.

Remember, New Mexico has a statute of limitations on personal injury claims, and the longer you wait to file your claim, the more evidence you stand to lose.

What is the statute of limitations on personal injury claims in New Mexico?

The New Mexico statute of limitations states that you have up to three years to file an Albuquerque personal injury claim, and in most cases, the clock starts ticking on the day the injury occurred. Three years sounds like a long time, but in personal injury cases, the longer you wait to file your claim, the more difficult proving your case becomes. Experienced personal injury attorneys can help you understand the statute for your injuries to ensure you remain eligible to collect economic, non-economic, and, in some cases, excess damages from the responsible party.

What types of damages can I recover in a personal injury claim in New Mexico?

Depending on your injury, or in the case of wrongful death, our clients may be able to recover money for damages such as medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other losses. While every personal injury case is different, we can help you understand understand the types of damages you may be entitled to, including:

Economic Damages

Economic damages are financial losses. Some are fairly obvious, such as medical bills. In contrast, others can require an Albuquerque personal injury lawyer to determine a fair settlement amount, such as future lost wages or ongoing medical expenses. Economic damages may include:

• Medical bills and medical expenses
• Lost wages and future lost wages
• Reduced earning capacity
• Prescription drug and pain management costs
• Home modifications to accommodate a disability
• Rehabilitation and other therapies
• Ongoing and future care costs
• Property damage
• Loss of household services
• Other out-of-pocket costs

Non-economic Damages

Non-economic damages are subjective and are losses that are not financial in nature. While you may be able to clearly show economic and financial losses, personal injury lawyers know what is needed to recover damages that are not as straightforward. These include:

• Pain and suffering
• Emotional distress
• Loss of enjoyment of life
• Loss of consortium
• Scarring and disfigurement

Punitive Damages

Punitive damages are awarded at the court’s discretion to punish the liable party further and are intended to discourage the defendant from repeating harmful activity in the future. For punitive damages to be awarded, it must be proven that the defendant acted intentionally, maliciously, or particularly recklessly. For example, punitive damages may be awarded in a car accident case if the defendant was driving drunk or engaged in road rage.

How does Ron bell Injury Lawyers handle personal injury cases?

If you’re wondering, “What does a personal injury lawyer in New Mexico do,” the experienced personal injury attorneys at Ron Bell Injury Lawyers handle each case with care and dedication. Hiring a personal injury attorney from our firm can help you in a number of ways so that you can focus on your recovery. We provide a wide range of services for personal injury claims, which include:

• A highly skilled team to answer any questions you have throughout the duration of your case
• Dedicated attorneys who will deal with the insurance company and navigate all of the insurance coverage, benefits, and conversations with your claims adjustor
• Gathering medical records, police reports, and other documentation to use as evidence of negligence during negotiations with the insurance company
• Conducting accident investigation and reconstruction to prove fault and percentage of fault
• Ensuring that all legal deadlines are adhered to so that your personal injury case can keep moving forward in a timely manner
• Conducting eyewitness interviews to document their account of the accident and obtain expert witnesses when needed to testify on your behalf
• Damage analysis and evaluation to determine how much your case is worth to maximize your compensation
• Insurance settlement negotiations
• Trial or court litigation

What are the most common injuries that require personal injury lawyers in Albuquerque?

Clients often come to us with various serious injuries due to someone else’s negligence. Some of the most common injuries we see are:

• Whiplash from either a car accident or a fall
• Lacerations
• Broken bones
• Soft tissue injuries
• Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI)
• Spinal Injuries
• Psychological trauma

What are the common factors that cause personal injury in New Mexico?

Traditionally, injuries had been presented in New Mexico injury reports as random things that “just happen.” Someone runs a red light and causes a car crash, someone falls in Walmart, causing a brain injury, a medical device is defective and causes a serious injury – and the list goes on – one cause and one effect. In other words, injury victims and various injuries were viewed superficially; however, in 2003, New Mexico took on a new, scientific approach to better understand patterns, causes, and risk factors that impact New Mexico residents regarding personal injury. The output of this study was named the New Mexico injury Prevention Strategic Plan.

In 2014, the study was updated by every injury-related authoritative body in New Mexico, including New Mexicans working in injury prevention, the Office of Injury Prevention, Injury and Behavioral Epidemiology Bureau, and the Epidemiology and Response Division. This update set out to identify all the various elements that may play a factor in an injury. Some of these factors included the effect injury has on subpopulations in the state, such as:

• Age
• Gender
• Race and ethnicity, including American Indians/ Alaska Natives and Hispanics.

Along with a host of other factors, including:

• Income level
• Generational status
• Environmental conditions
• Geographic location
• Unique histories with health systems and government policies
• Occupational conditions
• Language barriers
• Discrimination
• Inadequate access to treatment and medical services characterize these populations’ lives and contribute to the types and extent of injury disparities.

For example, poverty puts individuals at an elevated risk of injury.