$204,000 Settlement Secured for a New Mexico Man Injured in a Read-End Collision

ALERT: $204,000 Settlement Secured for a New Mexico Man Injured in a Read-End Collision

The Ron Bell team of Albuquerque personal injury lawyers was successfully able to obtain a $204,000 settlement for a man injured due to a rear-end collision in Albuquerque, NM. 

For the sake of client confidentiality, we are going to refer to our client injured in the wreck as “Red”.

HOW DID THE REAR-END COLLISION OCCUR?

In April of 2023, Red decided to swing by the McDonald’s on Coors Boulevard for a bite to eat.  At this particular location, there is a median between the north and southbound lanes of Coors Boulevard that prevents people from turning left out of the parking lot. Our client needed to go left (northbound), and to do so, he would need to turn right (southbound) out of the parking lot and then make a U-turn. 

That’s exactly what Red did. He turned right out of the parking lot, made his way over to the left turning lane, and was waiting for traffic to clear before making the U-turn. While waiting, he saw headlights quickly approaching in his rearview mirror. Feeling as if he was going to be wrecked into, Red braced for impact, and almost immediately, felt the impact of the driver behind him crashing into the rear-end of his vehicle. 

The driver of the other vehicle made no attempt to stop before crashing into him and the force of the impact caused both cars to spin across two lanes of traffic onto the east shoulder of the road,. Red’s vehicle  stood no chance against the vehicle that struck him, a Ford Ranger pick-up truck. Both airbags deployed within his vehicle and Red was jerked around inside, causing him to sustain severe injuries.  

WHAT INJURIES DID THE REAR-END WRECK CAUSE?

Immediately following the wreck, Red had a friend come pick him up at the scene and take him directly to the emergency room. He was experiencing neck, back, abdominal, and facial pain, as well as nausea from being knocked unconscious during the impact. The next day, Red followed up with his primary care physician (PCP) and was provided with medications for the pain in addition to a referral for physical therapy. 

Red began to have anxiety, nightmares, and flashbacks, following the crash.  He began meeting with a therapist to address both the fear of the crash itself as well as the stress of being unable to work and pay his bills. 

Red attended physical therapy, though it didn’t seem to improve his pain. He had constant neck, lower back, right knee, sternum, chest, and right ankle pain. 

Additionally, Red sought treatment from a pain and neurology specialist because he suffered with constant headaches, cognitive issues, and constant pain.  He was also struggling with cognitive communication, which was something he never experienced before the wreck. 

He also went to an orthopedic specialist who recommended additional therapy and use of a tens unit (a machine that uses electrical impulses to stimulate muscles). 

Furthermore, although he didn’t realize the extent of the injury at the time of the incident, the wreck injured his foot, mainly his toe, which ended up causing his toenail to fall off. When it grew back, it caused a pincer toenail that had to be removed. 

HOW DID THE REAR-END WRECK CHANGE THE VICTIM’S LIFE?

Before the incident, Red was a door dash driver who worked as many hours as he could each week. Injuries aside, the anxiety the wreck caused resulted in Red being unable to drive, which meant he could not do his job. Further, he did not have a vehicle due to the property damage caused during the wreck. He was completely off work for almost four months, and although he has returned, he still cannot work at the level of hours he used to without being uncomfortable – mentally and physically. 

In addition to Red’s professional life changing, his personal life did too. The pain he experienced for months played a toll on him, not to mention the many different doctor’s appointments he was constantly having to attend. Within those many doctor’s appointments, he had to go through multiple different providers before finding any relief for his pain. 

The wreck completely uprooted Red’s life, he was exhausted and losing hope. 

WHAT HAPPENED WHEN THE REAR-END WRECK VICTIM CALLED A NEW MEXICO PERSONAL INJURY  ATTORNEY?

The incident occurred around 1 am. By 2 pm the same day, Red had already called Ron Bell Injury Lawyers and explained all he had gone through. He made the right choice, and we brought him on as a client. 

Our experienced personal injury law professionals immediately began collecting all the records we knew would be useful for a claim of this sort, including but not limited to:

• Photos from the incident
• Photos of the injuries
• Medical bills
• Wage information (historical and present)
• Police Report
• Insurance information (for both drivers)
• Other expenses (property damage, transportation costs, etc.)

Upon review of the documentation, it was evident that Red had suffered severe injuries. It was also clear to our team that the other driver, who would eventually become the defendant, was not paying attention to the roadway when he hit our client. Regardless of what had pulled his attention away, he was not focused on what was going on in the road in front of him, which is why he struck the client with such force, recklessly. 

During our investigation we determined that the defendant driver had provided a false identity to the police, for a reason we could never determine. Regardless of why, we added it to the list of things we used to get our client the compensation he deserved. 

HOW DID THE RON BELL INJURY LAWYERS TEAM HELP THE VICTIM?

In addition to the extensive investigation and helping our client to get through his medical treatment, our dedicated personal injury attorneys drafted a demand to the defendant’s insurance company. The demand included the evidence we gathered, and the compensation amount we were seeking. It was a timed demand, so the insurance company only had a little over a month to respond. 

Up to this point in the treatment process, Red had already accumulated over $70k in medical bills. Additionally, since he couldn’t work, we were able to estimate his lost wages to be over $4k based on his previous months’ pay.   Red’s life was completely changed by the incident; therefore, we also went after damages for pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life and other damages allowed under New Mexico law.

Through negotiations, we were able to reach a $204k settlement offer from the defendant’s insurance company. This offer would completely cover all expenses Red acquired from the wreck, plus more. Red was extremely happy with the outcome of his case.  

RON BELL INJURY LAWYERS CAN HELP

Our team of Albuquerque personal injury lawyers has represented many injured victims in cases similar to Red’s. We offer a variety of services across different practice areas. Our team has the experience and motivation to get each injured client the compensation they deserve after an accident. 

We’ve been representing injured victims in New Mexico for over 40 years. We know what needs to be done and we get it done. 

If you’ve been injured due to someone else’s negligence, Ring the Bell! Call 505-898-BELL today for a free case evaluation. We are available 24/7. 

You can also fill-out a free case evaluation form or submit a chat on our website. 

We’re here to help New Mexico accident victims, call today!