Car accident victims in San Juan County can turn to Buckingham Barrera Vega Law Firm for trusted legal representation. A Farmington car accident lawyer from our law office will be your uncompromising advocate when you are seeking compensation for medical bills, lost wages, and other damages.
To discuss how we can help you recover financial stability after a Farmington motor vehicle collision, call to set up a free consultation on your schedule. There is no fee or obligation to learn about your legal options.
How Can a Farmington Car Accident Lawyer Help You Recover After Injury?
Filing a car accident claim can be a much more difficult and involved process than many people realize. Even with our decades of training and experience in car accident law, the road to successfully obtaining the compensation you deserve is never an easy one.
Insurance companies are rarely willing to offer a full and fair settlement amount unless pressed to do so. A for-profit business like an auto insurance company has its own priorities—and those priorities do not include your accident injuries.
But as your Farmington car accident lawyer, your recovery is the thing we care about most. Serving as your legal representative, we will work hard to make sure you get what you are entitled to under the law. To help you recover, we will:
- Handle insurance company communications for you
- File your Farmington car accident claim within state deadlines
- Gather evidence needed to support your right to maximum compensation
- Calculate the full value of all losses you suffered
- Negotiate a fair settlement
- Be fully prepared to take your case to court if necessary
- Take care of legal matters so you can heal and recover in peace
What Are the Top Causes of Car Accidents in Farmington, NM?
In Farmington, NM, as in the rest of Unites States, driver error continues to be the leading cause of car accident injuries and fatalities. The vast majority of the motor vehicle collisions that happen on our roadways are entirely preventable. That’s why we, as car accident attorneys, fight persistently to get justice for people whose lives were devastated by a crash that never should have happened in the first place.
Some of the most common causes of car accidents in San Juan County include:
- Driver inattention or distracted driving
- Failure to yield right of way
- Speeding or driving too fast for conditions
- Violating traffic laws and regulations
- Running a red light or failing to stop at a stop sign
- Drunk driving
- Driving under the influence of illegal or prescription drugs (including marijuana)
- Reckless driving
- Aggressive driving
- Vehicle defects and mechanical malfunctions
- Failure to look before merging, turning, or changing lanes
What Are the Most Common Car Accident Injuries?
The severity of your crash injuries will depend on several factors—primarily, the speed of the vehicles at the time of impact, the sizes of the vehicles, the angle of collision, and whether you were wearing a seatbelt.
In our experience, people most often seek the help of car accident lawyers when they have sustained serious injuries, or catastrophic injuries that prevent them from leading the life they used to lead. But even if you suffer minor injuries in an auto crash, the healing process can be lengthy and expensive. When that cost is compounded by rental vehicle and car repair costs, time taken off work, and other factors, the bills accumulate quickly.
Here are just a few of the injuries the Farmington car accident attorneys at our law firm help victims recover compensation for:
- Cuts, lacerations, and abrasions
- Severe contusions
- Soft tissue injuries
- Emotional trauma like PTSD
- Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs)
- Whiplash, concussions, and other head and neck injuries
- Broken bones
- Spinal cord injuries and paralysis
- Puncture wounds
- Internal organ damage
- Amputation
Types of Compensation in a New Mexico Car Accident Case
The impact a car accident has on your life is never insignificant. When a Farmington car accident lawyer from Buckingham Barrera Vega Law Firm calculates your compensation, we take into consideration not only your immediate expenses, but also all the losses (both economic and noneconomic) you will incur throughout the rest of your life. When applicable, we are able to win punitive damages to make our local roads safer for everyone.
Let’s look at the types of damages that may be available in a New Mexico car accident claim.
Economic Damages
These are the financial losses you suffer after accident injuries. They may be:
- Medical bills
- Hospitalization and medical intervention costs
- Physical therapy and prescription medications
- Lost wages from time off work
- Diminished earning capacity if you are no longer able to hold your previous employment
- Lost benefits, such as health insurance or PTO
- Cost of repairing or replacing your vehicle
- Rental car fees
- Other incidental living expenses
Noneconomic Damages
Not every loss comes with a price tag. Some losses are harder to calculate but are every bit as real, such as:
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional anguish
- Depression and mental health injuries
- Permanent disability
- Loss of enjoyment of life
Punitive Damages
If the behavior that caused your accident was willfully wanton or egregiously harmful—such as drinking and driving—you may be entitled to punitive damages. You are only eligible for punitive damages if you have already been awarded compensatory damages (economic and noneconomic). Punitive damages seek to prevent the defendant and others from ever participating in the same actions that caused your injuries.
When you meet with an auto accident attorney from our law firm for your free consultation, we will go over what types of damages you may be qualified to seek through your Farmington personal injury claim or car accident lawsuit.
How Is Fault Determined After a Motor Vehicle Accident?
One of the most important aspects of any car accident case is determining liability. This means looking at the accident to see how it happened and who is liable. Our car accident lawyers have a great deal of experience in this area. To help your case achieve a favorable outcome, we will painstakingly investigate the evidence that can prove your claim. This may be:
- Police reports
- Physician’s reports and test results
- Photos of the accident scene
- Traffic or surveillance camera footage
- Videos taken on cell phones
- Cell phone records of the other driver’s phone use
- GPS data
- Eyewitness accounts
- Testimony from expert witnesses like traffic reconstruction experts
New Mexico Car Accident Statistics
The New Mexico Department of Transportation publishes an Annual Traffic Crash Report. The following statistics are taken from the state’s most recent crash report.
On an average day in New Mexico:
- A motor vehicle crash occurs every 14 minutes
- 234 people are involved in car accidents
- 42 people suffer injuries
- A person is killed
People die every day in our state because of motorist negligence. For over five years, New Mexico fatality rates have been higher than the national average.
After beginning our New Mexico personal injury law practice in Albuquerque, we have expanded across most parts of the state because we believe there is a real need for conscientious, committed car accident litigation where we live.
What To Do After a Farmington Car Accident
We’ve outlined a few simple steps you can take if you are involved in a collision. Memorizing these steps can help you remain calm and take safe, practical actions in the event of an emergency.
- Move the vehicles out of the way of traffic
- Check each involved party for injuries
- Do not attempt to move a person who appears seriously injured
- Call the police and/or emergency medical services
- Exchange contact and insurance information with the other driver
- Take pictures of the accident scene, including all surrounding conditions
- Don’t leave before assistance arrives
- Help fill out the police report and obtain a copy for your records
- Take down the contact information of any willing eyewitnesses
- Schedule an appointment with your doctor for a full check-up
- Call a Farmington car accident attorney
Buckingham Barrera Vega Is the New Mexico Law Firm That Fights for Local People
As part of the San Juan County community, we have a duty to use our legal expertise to help our friends and neighbors who have been unjustly harmed. We offer free consultations to those exploring their legal options. You need to know that we are the right fit for you as much as your case is right for us.
Contact Buckingham Barrera Vega Law Firm today. Our car accident attorneys are ready to answer your questions.
