Albuquerque Car Accident Lawyer

As the victim of a car accident in Albuquerque, New Mexico, it’s important to explore your legal options. You may have the right to pursue compensation from an insurance company or at-fault party to cover your medical bills, disability, and distress. The experienced Albuquerque personal injury lawyers at Singleton Schreiber are here to help you fight to maximize your recovery.

Singleton Schreiber is a fearless advocate for crash victims and families in Albuquerque. We help our clients stand up to powerful insurance companies and achieve life-changing results. As leaders in New Mexico car accident litigation, we’ve helped our clients recover billions in settlements and jury awards.

You don’t have to struggle with the aftermath of your auto accident on your own. Choose Singleton Schreiber, and discover how our top-rated law firm can make a difference in your life. We offer a free consultation. Contact our law office in Albuquerque, NM, to get started now. Call (505) 657-2240 today.

What to Expect When You Trust Singleton Schreiber After a Car Accident in Albuquerque, NM

You’re more likely to win your car accident case and win a larger monetary award when you enlist the help of an Albuquerque personal injury lawyer after a wreck. When you choose Singleton Schreiber, you set the stage for the life-changing results you need and deserve.

Our fearless advocacy, compassionate representation, and consistent ability to deliver winning results have earned us top honors from Super Lawyers, The National Trial Lawyers, the Daily Journal, the National Law Journal, and other prominent organizations. We’re local attorneys with national resources who are determined to make a difference in the lives of the people we represent.

When we take on your car accident case, you’ll be able to count on our top-rated legal team to:

• Handle every aspect of your case, giving you the opportunity you need to rest and recover
• Be available to you to answer questions and offer advice 
• Investigate your car accident thoroughly to understand why it happened, how, and who’s at fault
• Carefully evaluate medical records, police reports, witness statements, property damage, photographs of the crash scene, cell phone records, maintenance reports, video footage, and other evidence obtained through our investigation and the discovery process
• Consult expert witnesses as we build your case and calculate what your damages are worth
• Represent you during conversations with the insurance company and other defendants
• Strategically pursue a maximum settlement during negotiations with the at-fault party
• Litigate your car accident lawsuit before a Bernalillo County jury if the defense refuses to take full responsibility for the crash and your injuries

Let our personal injury law firm stand up to the insurance company on your behalf. You focus on getting back on your feet and moving forward with your life. We’ll be your most passionate advocate and work to get you every cent your car accident case is worth.

We offer a free consultation and represent crash victims on contingency, it costs nothing to work with our law firm unless we win your car accident case. Reach out to set up a time to speak with our respected personal injury lawyers in Albuquerque today.

Fighting For Clients in All Types of Albuquerque Car Accident Cases

Enlisting the help of an experienced, resourceful, and passionate attorney can make a huge difference in your pursuit of compensation through an insurance claim or car accident lawsuit. When you choose Singleton Schreiber, you’ll benefit from a team of savvy local attorneys with access to national resources and highly respected experts and specialists

Our law firm represents crash victims in all types of car accident cases, including:

• Head-on collisions
• Rollover accidents
• Rear-end collisions
• Sideswipes
• T-Bone accidents
• Intersection accidents
• Single vehicle accidents
• Collisions with uninsured drivers
• Hit and run accidents
• Parking lot accidents
• Fatal car accidents

Every car accident is different. By taking the time to make each case personal, we’re able to dive into the details of each individual situation, identify the best strategies for success, and execute a winning plan.

Find out more about why you will want our car accident attorneys in Albuquerque to advocate for you after a wreck. Your initial case assessment is free. Contact us to get started now.

New Mexico Car Accident Statistics

Every year, thousands of people are injured and killed in traffic accidents in Albuquerque and across the state of New Mexico. According to data from the New Mexico Department of Transportation and the University of New Mexico, 467 people were killed in traffic accidents statewide in 2022.

This represented a 2.9 percent decrease from 2021, but a 17.3 percent increase from 2020.

In 2022, 1.27 traffic fatalities were reported in New Mexico every single day.

While motor vehicle accidents can happen anywhere, many are often reported in urban parts of the state, including cities like Albuquerque.

Albuquerque, in particular, is known for having some of the most dangerous intersections and roads in New Mexico, including:

• Coors Boulevard and Irving Boulevard
• Paseo Del Norte and I-25
• Eubank Boulevard and I-40
• Louisiana Boulevard and I-40
• Coors Boulevard and Quail Road
• Paseo Del Norte and Coors Boulevard
• Central Avenue and I-25
• I-25 and I-40
• San Mateo Boulevard and I-40

While you might not be able to avoid these intersections entirely while you drive through Albuquerque, you can exercise additional caution to decrease the risk of a collision.

What Causes Car Accidents in Albuquerque?

Most car accidents can be avoided, but happen because of mistakes, poor decisions, and carelessness. That’s why the primary cause of action for most car accident lawsuits is negligence.

Specifically, the top causes of Albuquerque car accidents include:

• Distracted driving
• Drunk driving
• Speeding
• Fatigued driving
• Tailgating
• Illegal turns
• Improper passing
• Failing to yield
• Unsafe lane changes
• Rolling stops
• Running red lights
• Vehicle defects
• Road defects
• Bad weather conditions

Our Albuquerque car accident attorneys will carefully evaluate your specific crash to understand why and how it happened. Once the cause is clear, we’ll begin to construct a compelling claim that forces those at fault to take accountability for your injuries and losses.

Understanding Negligence in Car Accident Cases

Negligence is the leading cause of action in car accident cases in Albuquerque, New Mexico. At its core, negligence refers to a party’s failure to exercise reasonable care. When this want of care causes a car accident in which another person is injured or killed, the negligent party can be liable for resulting damages.

You might have the right to bring a car accident claim based on negligence if you were injured in a crash because:

• Another driver was speeding, texting, under the influence of drugs or alcohol, or failed to check their blind spots before changing lanes
• The city of Albuquerque neglected to fix dangerous potholes that were known to contribute to wrecks
• A courier service or transportation company hired an unqualified driver and failed to provide adequate training
• A rental car company didn’t inspect its vehicles and rented out an unsafe car

When your car accident claim is based on negligence, you’ll have the burden of proving four different things:

• The defendant owed you a duty of care. In New Mexico, motorists are expected to follow the law and behave in a manner that does not pose a threat to another party’s safety.
• The defendant breached this duty of care. The defendant’s actions fell short, deviating from what a reasonable person would have done in the same situation.
• The defendant’s actions (or inaction) caused your car accident. The car accident (and your resulting injuries) were a direct and proximate cause of the defendant’s conduct. But for the defendant’s behavior, you would not have been harmed.
• You’ve suffered damages. Even if you can prove everything else, you still need to prove that you have suffered some compensable loss to win your negligence action.

Working with an experienced car accident attorney in Albuquerque, NM, can help you build a winning negligence action and recover the compensation you deserve. Contact us for a free consultation today.

How Do I Win a Car Accident Case in Albuquerque?

Since most car accidents are a result of negligence, you’ll generally have to prove four things to win a car accident lawsuit in Albuquerque.

• Duty of Care: You have to demonstrate the defendant owed you a duty of care. (e.g., follow New Mexico traffic laws, drive with reasonable care)

• Breach of Duty: There must be evidence that the defendant’s actions were unreasonable under the circumstances, which ultimately caused them to breach the duty of care owed to you. (e.g., texting while driving, driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, speeding)

• Causation: The defendant’s action or inaction must have been the direct and proximate cause of your car accident (e.g., the driver didn’t see a red light because they were texting and hit your vehicle in the intersection)

• Damages: Even if all of the elements are proven, you can’t win your case without proving you’ve suffered damages, such as medical bills, lost income, or emotional distress.

New Mexico law requires plaintiffs to prove their cases by a preponderance of the evidence. You’ll have to have enough evidence and facts on your side to convince a factfinder that your claims are more likely true than not.

Will Insurance Cover My Car Accident Damages in Albuquerque, NM?

New Mexico follows fault-based insurance rules, which means that you’ll have the right to seek compensation from the at-fault party’s insurance company.

Drivers in New Mexico are legally required to purchase minimum amounts of car insurance coverage, which includes:

• $25,000/$50,000 in bodily injury benefits, and
• $10,000 in property damage benefits.

Bodily injury benefits help to compensate crash victims for costs of medical treatment, rehabilitation, lost wages, and other verifiable damages. Property damage benefits can be used to help repair or replace a vehicle that’s damaged in a wreck.

When you’re injured because of another driver’s negligence, you can file a claim with their insurance company for benefits up to the driver’s policy limits. If their insurance doesn’t cover the full extent of your damages because your injuries are severe, you can seek additional compensation by suing the at-fault motorist directly.

Do I Need A Car Accident Attorney If The Insurance Company Offers A Settlement?

It’s always smart to have a trusted and successful car accident attorney in your corner, even if the insurance company offers a settlement. After all, the insurance company’s interests aren’t aligned with your own. In fact, insurance companies have carefully designed playbooks full of strategies to get claimants to accept way less compensation than they really deserve.

Once you accept a settlement offer, you give up the right to request more money in the future - even if you’ve woefully underestimated how much your car accident case is worth. The insurance company knows this all too well, so they’ll try to rush negotiations, use scare tactics, and do everything possible to get you to accept a quick and small settlement. They tend to be much more successful when claimants aren’t represented by counsel.

Research clearly shows a link between hiring an attorney and car accident case results. Hiring an attorney is associated with more wins and better case results. So, it’s in your best interest to hire an attorney to represent you, review settlement offers, and fight to get you the case results you really deserve.

How to Prove Liability in a New Mexico Car Accident Claim

Under New Mexico’s fault-based rules, liability refers to another party’s legal obligation to pay for your damages after a car accident.

In New Mexico, another party might be liable for your car accident if:

• Their negligence caused the collision
• They intentionally caused the wreck
• Their employee, who was working at the time of the crash, is at fault
• They designed, manufactured, and/or sold a defective vehicle or vehicle component 
• It insures the party that caused your car accident

Anyone whose actions or inaction contribute to your car accident can potentially be liable for your injuries, related costs, and even the harder-to-value pain and suffering you experience. However, to get another party to pay, you’ll have to prove that they’re liable. 

This means you have to prove that they (a) broke the law; (b) committed a tortious act; or (c) are strictly liable for your accident.

Several pieces of evidence can help you establish another party’s fault and, in turn, liability:

• Accident reports
• Dash cam footage
• Forensic evidence from the scene of the car accident
• Property damage
• Photographs
• Eyewitness accounts
• Expert testimony
• Black box data and recordings if the collision involved a commercial vehicle
• Medical records
• Cell phone records
• Vehicle maintenance records

As long as you can prove liability by a preponderance of the evidence, you can force a negligent or otherwise responsible party to pay for crash-related costs and related non-economic awards.

What Damages Are Available to Albuquerque Car Accident Victims?

Whether you file an insurance claim or seek compensation through a car accident lawsuit, New Mexico provides the opportunity for a crash victim to recover compensatory damages.

Compensatory damages can be further divided into two categories: economic and non-economic. Each category of damages serves its own distinct purpose.

Economic Damages

Getting into a car accident can be expensive and have a huge impact on your ability to make ends meet. Economic damages are intended to help crash victims deal with the verified costs and losses they experience after a car accident.

This can include:

• Medical bills, both present and future
• Rehabilitation and therapy
• Out-of-pocket expenses
• Nursing care
• Disability
• Reduced earning capacity
• Lost wages and earnings
• Funeral expenses if an Albuquerque car accident is fatal

Economic damages can only be awarded when your financial losses are proven or reasonably projected.

Non-Economic Damages

Not every consequence of a car accident takes a direct hit on your bank account. Rather, many aspects of being a car accident victim are very personal and intimate. Non-economic damages aim to help auto accident victims cope with these harder-to-value losses, which are no less important than monetary losses.

This can include:

• Pain and suffering
• Loss of consortium
• Reduced quality of life
• Chronic physical pain
• Inconvenience
• Post-traumatic stress disorder
• Emotional distress
• Physical disfigurement and scarring

Since non-economic damages are subjective, they can be incredibly difficult to value. It’s important to enlist the help of an experienced car accident lawyer in Albuquerque to help you fight to get every cent you need and deserve.

How Much Money is My Albuquerque Car Accident Case Worth?

No two car accidents are the same. Every victim will have a one-of-a-kind experience. It follows, that every car accident case - and value - is different.

Several factors will be important in calculating how much money you should be able to get after a car accident in Albuquerque:

• What specific types of physical injuries have you suffered?
• Are your injuries classified as severe or catastrophic?
• Have you been able to work since your car accident?
• Have there been any changes in your earning capacity or income?
• Will you need long-term medical care or nursing assistance?
• What out-of-pocket costs have you had?
• Are you getting blamed for the car accident?
• What are the policy limits on the insurance benefits available to you?
• How old are you?
• What is your life expectancy?

The more severe your injuries, the more you can typically expect to get when your car accident case is resolved. According to the National Safety Council, the average comprehensive cost of a crash ranges from $17,000 when no injury is observed to $1.016 million when an injury is disabling. Of course, other factors like shared fault or a failure to mitigate damages can adversely affect valuation.

Don’t hesitate to reach out to the award-winning Albuquerque car accident attorneys at Singleton Schreiber for help understanding what your case might be worth. We offer a free consultation and are always available to take your call.

Helping You Pursue Compensation For All of Your Car Accident Injuries in Albuquerque

Any injury, no matter how severe, can have a huge impact on your quality of life. If someone else caused you to get hurt, they have to be held accountable for every single one of your car accident injuries.

Singleton Schreiber is here to help you seek damages for your crash-related:

• Broken bones
• Soft tissue injuries
• Leg injuries
• Crushing injuries
• Chest injuries
• Airbag injuries
• Degloving injuries
• Amputation injuries
• Eye injuries
• Concussion injuries
• Traumatic brain injuries
• Whiplash injuries
• Spinal cord injuries
• Back injuries
• Neck injuries
• Burn injuries
• Nerve damage
• Catastrophic injuries
• Wrongful death of a family member

Our car accident lawyers have helped accident victims and families win billions in life-changing monetary awards. We’re here to help you fight for the best possible results for your car accident injuries, too. Whether you've been involved in an accident with an Amazon delivery driver, motorcyclist, or semi-truck, contact our Albuquerque, NM, law office to discuss your case today. Your initial consultation is free.

Can Sharing Responsibility For an Albuquerque Car Accident Affect My Settlement?

New Mexico’s pure comparative negligence law applies to car accident lawsuits. As a result, shared fault for a collision will adversely affect your ability to recover compensation from a third party.

Your financial award will be reduced proportionately to fault. The more blame you share for an Albuquerque car accident, the lower in value your settlement or jury award will be.

Let’s say you’re injured in a car accident at the intersection of Montgomery Boulevard at San Mateo Boulevard in Albuquerque. Your injuries are severe, so your case is estimated to be worth $1 million. However, you’re assigned 10 percent of the blame for the motor vehicle accident because you were speeding. As a result, your maximum take-home award will be limited to $900,000. 

Expect the insurance company to try to blame you for your auto accident. Many times, these victim-blaming strategies aren’t supported by evidence or facts, but rather designed to scare and manipulate crash victims. Our Albuquerque car accident attorneys will be prepared for these tactics. We’ll counter these efforts with facts, evidence, and expert testimony to limit how much - if any - liability is assigned to you.

What Should I Do After a Car Accident in Albuquerque?

Don’t forget that the decisions you make and the steps you take after an Albuquerque car accident can have a huge impact on any future legal claims you decide to pursue.

Keep these suggestions in mind to protect yourself and increase the odds of a significant financial recovery down the line:

• Report your car accident to the Albuquerque Police Department by calling 911
• Stay at the scene or nearby in a safe location until the police and other first responders arrive
• Exchange insurance information with other parties
• Do not apologize for the accident or imply that you accept responsibility for the wreck
• Take pictures of damaged property, injuries, and the scene of the accident, if possible
• Get to the closest emergency room in Albuquerque for prompt medical treatment, even if you don’t think you’ve been badly injured
• Resist the urge to accept an insurance company’s initial settlement offer before you’ve consulted an attorney
• Hire a personal injury attorney in Albuquerque with extensive experience handling car accident litigation to get the car accident report, represent you, and handle your case
• Do not provide a recorded statement to the insurance company without the express approval of your attorney
• Direct all communication to your lawyer and take the time you need to rest, recover, and get back on your feet

A car accident is anything but convenient. Whether you get into a wreck in the middle of the night, over a long weekend, or during rush hour, Singleton Schreiber will be available to offer the assistance you need and deserve. Reach out to our law office for help 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

What If My Car Accident Involved A Commercial Vehicle?

When a car accident involves a truck, bus, or another type of commercial vehicle, things can get much more complicated. Commercial vehicle accidents are often multifaceted, so several parties can share responsibility for a wreck with a smaller passenger car.

Potentially liable parties might include the commercial vehicle operator, a transportation service, a freight broker, a mechanic, an inspector, a freight loader, or a government entity.

At the end of the day, New Mexico’s fault-based rules still apply. Rather than asserting a claim against a motorist, you’ll likely be facing off against a much more powerful trucking service or bus company. These companies tend to carry insurance policies with much higher limits, thanks to the greater threat the larger vehicles can pose to road safety. 

They also tend to have a lot more resources than regular motorists (and their insurance companies) to pour into a defense. Commercial vehicle operators will jump at the opportunity to lead the investigation, control the evidence, and dictate the terms of a financial settlement. 

It’s essential to level the playing field against these powerful adversaries by hiring an experienced car accident attorney in Albuquerque, NM, to represent you. 

At Singleton Schreiber, we’ve earned our reputation as top-tier litigators by taking on multinational corporations, fighting for the rights of injury victims, and winning billions of dollars in the process. Trusting us to handle your car and commercial vehicle accident case can give you the edge you not only need to win, but to maximize your recovery.

What is the Statute of Limitations for New Mexico Car Accident Cases?

New Mexico has a statute of limitation of three years that applies to most car accident cases. You’ll have until the third anniversary of your auto accident (or loved one’s wrongful death) to formally pursue compensation from a liable party.

You lose the right to demand accountability once the statute of limitations runs out. Protect your rights by getting a jump start on your personal injury case. Singleton Schreiber is here to help. Call us to set up a time for a free case evaluation now.

Call the Award-Winning Albuquerque Car Accident Lawyers at Singleton Schreiber Today

Force more meaningful settlement negotiations by enlisting Singleton Schreiber to help you after a car accident in Albuquerque, New Mexico. 

Our Albuquerque car accident lawyers understand that you have one shot at fighting for compensation to cover your medical bills, disability, and anguish. We’ve helped accident victims and families across the nation win billions in life-changing financial awards.

Benefit from our local attorneys and national resources by calling our Albuquerque law office for help today. Your first consultation is free. Call (505) 657-2240 today.

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