Car Accidents Your Injury, Our Fight

Santa Fe Car Accident Lawyer

When you’re driving around Santa Fe, you’re likely focused on staying in your lane, traveling at the speed limit, and keeping your mind on being alert. If someone else on the road doesn’t take these precautions, they may cause an accident that injures you. Dealing with injuries and damages is difficult. Getting phone calls from the insurance company about settling your case can make everything even more stressful. You don’t have to go through this on your own. Our Santa Fe car accident lawyer can help you with your claim.

At Buckingham & Vega Law Firm, we understand how devastating the injuries and losses following a car wreck can be. You deserve compensation that will allow you to recover from your injuries and cover the expenses of the accident. Our attorneys are ready to fight for you.

Call us (505) 388-0066 or fill out the form to tell us about your potential case and a personal injury lawyer will get back to you as quickly as possible.

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New Mexico Car Accident Laws

Understanding New Mexico traffic and personal injury laws is important after a collision. Several laws may directly impact your claim.

Fault-Based Insurance System

New Mexico follows a fault-based insurance system. This means the driver responsible for causing the accident is financially liable for damages. Injured victims may pursue compensation through:

The at-fault driver’s insurance company
Their own insurance coverage
A personal injury lawsuit

Comparative Negligence Rule

New Mexico uses a pure comparative negligence system. Even if you were partially at fault for the accident, you may still recover compensation. However, your recovery will be reduced by your percentage of fault.

For example, if you are awarded $100,000 but found 20% responsible, you could still recover $80,000.

Statute of Limitations

In most cases, New Mexico law gives injured victims three years from the date of the accident to file a personal injury lawsuit. Missing this deadline could prevent you from recovering compensation.

Minimum Insurance Requirements

Drivers in New Mexico are required to carry minimum liability insurance coverage, including:

$25,000 for bodily injury per person
$50,000 for bodily injury per accident
$10,000 for property damage

Unfortunately, many drivers carry only minimum coverage, which may not fully compensate victims after serious accidents.

Car Crash Hotspots in Santa Fe

Santa Fe experiences heavy tourist traffic, commuter congestion, and hazardous driving conditions throughout the year. Certain roads and intersections are known for a higher number of collisions.

Common accident hotspots in Santa Fe include:

Cerrillos Road
St. Francis Drive
Interstate 25
Rodeo Road intersections
Airport Road
Agua Fria Street
Old Pecos Trail
Downtown Santa Fe traffic corridors

Congested intersections, construction zones, distracted driving, and sudden weather changes can all contribute to crashes in these areas.

Common Causes of Car Accidents

As your Santa Fe, NM car accident lawyer begins investigating your case, we’ll review the evidence to find the responsible party. They could have been negligent in one of the following ways:

Drunk Driving. Inebriated drivers are more likely to lose control of their vehicle and cause an accident. They could exit their lane, drive the wrong way on a street, and may not be able to recognize and track moving objects ahead of them.
Reckless Driving. These drivers may go above the speed limit, follow other cars too closely, pass on the right while weaving through traffic, and may not use their turn signals when changing lanes or exiting a lane. When a driver is reckless, they put everyone on the road in danger.
Distracted Driving. Drivers who are focused on another object or task while behind the wheel are considered distracted. They may not realize they’re leaving their lane or that traffic has stopped. They could be in a collision before they realize something happened.
Defective Auto Parts. A driver may not have been negligent when their accident occurred. They could have a malfunctioning auto part that made them lose control of the car and cause a wreck. The manufacturing company could be held accountable.
Driver Error. A driver who doesn’t check blind spots, turn on headlights, or overcorrects steering are all possible mistakes that could lead to an accident.

Our car accident attorneys have experience in analyzing car accident scenes, police reports, and other evidence to put together what happened and why. Once we know who was responsible for your accident, we can look at the injuries you sustained and how they will affect your life.

What Car Collision Injuries Can Occur?

Depending on the severity of the crash, the injuries can range from needing minor medical attention to potentially lasting for the rest of one’s life. Some injuries that can happen because of an auto wreck include:

Traumatic brain injuries
Spinal cord injuries
Broken bones
Whiplash
Lacerations
Burn injuries
Loss of limb

Common Types of Car Accidents

Car accidents can happen in many different ways, and some types of collisions are more likely to cause severe injuries.

Rear-End Collisions: Rear-end crashes often occur in stop-and-go traffic or when drivers are distracted.
Head-On Collisions: Head-on accidents are among the deadliest types of crashes due to the force of impact.
T-Bone Accidents: Side-impact collisions commonly occur at intersections and can cause catastrophic injuries.
Multi-Vehicle Pileups: Chain-reaction accidents involving multiple vehicles can make liability more complicated.
Rollover Accidents: SUVs and trucks are particularly vulnerable to rollover crashes.
Hit-and-Run Accidents: Some negligent drivers flee the scene after causing a collision, leaving victims struggling to recover damages.
Motorcycle and Truck Collisions: Accidents involving motorcycles or commercial trucks often result in severe injuries because of the size and weight differences between vehicles.

What Compensation is Available After a Car Accident?

When your Santa Fe car accident lawyer is fighting for you to recover the compensation you deserve, we’ll take both your financial and non-financial damages into account. The main types of damages include the following:

Medical Expenses. Your past medical bills and any future medical bills you’ll incur as you’re getting treatment or going through the recovery process will be included in your compensation. This is why it’s vital to understand the extent of your injuries—this may not be apparent in the hours after the crash.
Lost Wages. You will likely need to miss work to recover from your injuries. However, worrying about other financial responsibilities and the days of lost pay can make people want to return to work too early, risking re-injury. Our lawyers will calculate how much work you’ll miss and seek damages for those wages so you are able to recover with peace of mind.
Property Damage. If your car was damaged in the accident, you may wonder about what it will take to repair it and if you can afford it. This accident wasn’t your fault. Our lawyers will seek repair costs in your compensation.
Pain and Suffering. Living with injuries can cause considerable pain and suffering. While there isn’t a bill attached to this, your attorneys will look into how long you’ll need to deal with these injuries and seek compensation for that time.
Mental Anguish. The trauma of the accident, having a permanent disability, or scarring or disfigurement can all cause emotional anguish.
Loss of Enjoyment of Life. Your injuries can prevent you from living your life as you did before the accident. This is also another non-financial damage you can recover in your compensation.

If the other party exhibited gross negligence in your accident, your lawyer may seek punitive damages as well. These work differently than the damages above, as those are meant to cover your injuries and other damages. Punitive damages exist to punish the liable party. Our team will seek evidence to show that they acted with willful or wanton conduct and that contributed to your severe injuries.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much is my car accident case worth?

The value of a car accident claim depends on several factors, including the severity of your injuries, medical costs, lost wages, and the impact on your daily life.

What if the other driver is uninsured?

You may still have options through your uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage or by pursuing legal action directly against the responsible party.

Do I need a lawyer after a minor accident?

Even minor accidents can result in hidden injuries and insurance disputes. Speaking with an attorney can help protect your rights.

How long does a car accident settlement take?

Some claims settle within months, while more complex cases involving severe injuries or disputed liability may take longer.

What if I was partially at fault?

Under New Mexico’s comparative negligence law, you may still recover compensation even if you share some responsibility for the crash.

How much does it cost to hire a car accident attorney?

Most personal injury lawyers work on a contingency fee basis, meaning you pay nothing upfront and attorney fees are only collected if compensation is recovered.

Contact Our Santa Fe Car Accident attorney Today

Recovering from a car accident can be overwhelming, especially when you are dealing with painful injuries, medical bills, and insurance adjusters. You do not have to face the process alone. At Buckingham & Vega Law Firm, we are dedicated to helping accident victims pursue the compensation they deserve after serious collisions.

Contact Buckingham & Vega Law Firm today to get started with our Santa Fe car accident lawyer.

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Mr. Buckingham won our case after two other law firms said it would be impossible to win. He knew the medicine better than the experts in the case. I guess the fact that he’s also a doctor was a great help.

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Mr. Buckingham flew to the East Coast several times & understood how a correct gall bladder surgery is supposed to be done better than the surgeon. He was very knowledgeable & precise.

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When I first contacted Mr.Vega, I knew he was different because he listened to me with compassion. Mr. Vega and his team gave me hope and most important they gave my son a better life.

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They fought for my injured baby and made sure we would be taken care of for the rest of our lives. I highly recommend this law firm.

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We turned to him when we had nowhere else to go. Turns out it was the best decision we could have ever made. They represented us in a difficult case and made those responsible accountable for their actions.

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Record-Setting $72 Million Birth Injury
The Buckingham & Vega team obtained a $72 million verdict in a birth injury case when an OB/ GYN failed to properly monitor the mom during pregnancy.
$16 Million Truck Accident
Buckingham & Vega obtained a $16 million settlement in a truck accident case. The truck driver was speeding and inattentive (texting) and crashed into the rear of a pickup truck stopped at a stoplight.
$14 Million Dram Shop Liability
Our team obtained a $14 million dram shop verdict on behalf of a client who was injured due to negligence.
$13 Million Truck Accident
Our team secured a $13 million settlement in a truck accident case. An eighteen-wheeler made an unsafe turn in front of a car driven by a grandmother and her family. The grandmother was killed and the family suffered severe injuries.
$13 Million Work Injury
Buckingham & Vega represented an oilfield worker who was killed when their company failed to properly train its employees on how to safely move waste bins. Our client was killed when he became trapped between two bins.
$12 Million Birth Injury
The attorneys at Buckingham & Vega obtained a $12 million birth injury settlement.

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