Rio Rancho Car Accident Lawyer

Car Accidents in Rio Rancho, New Mexico

When you or a loved one suffers a severe car accident that is not your fault, you need the help of an experienced Rio Rancho car accident attorney like those at The Fine Law Firm. Our car accident attorneys are committed to serving fellow residents of New Mexico and care about your physical, mental, and financial recovery.

What to Do After A Car Accident in New Mexico

No one is ever truly prepared for a car accident. The shock and pain of sudden impact can leave a victim frightened, hurt, and disoriented. But by keeping in mind certain key steps to take immediately after an accident, you can improve your chances for recovery from your injuries as well as a successful case for personal injury later to relieve the financial burdens related to your accident when someone else is at fault.

First, if your car is operable, move it out of traffic to the shoulder of the road. If you’re able to move without pain, exit the vehicle while staying carefully away from traffic. If there’s any smoke, fire, or burning odor, move as far away from the vehicle as you safely can before calling 911 to report your accident.

Check for other injured parties and await medical attention from paramedics and firefighters. Allow paramedics to care for you and transport you to a hospital for any emergency treatment and a thorough evaluation with careful documentation.

Sometimes the adrenaline after an accident masks the pain of injuries. Do not tell the police or paramedics that you feel fine after an accident. It’s not the time to be brave or to talk to anyone about your injuries other than a paramedic or a doctor. Be sure to report any aches, pains, or injuries to protect yourself medically and financially.

If you aren’t transported to a hospital, see a doctor as soon as possible to document any injuries you received in the crash.

Never admit to any fault in an accident. If you’re physically able, use your phone to take pictures of the scene and involved vehicles.
Next, file a police report. Even if you feel the fault in your accident is obvious, a written police report is essential in proving a personal injury case after a car accident in New Mexico. Carefully review the report to check for any inaccuracies.

Finally, gather contact information for all involved parties, including any witnesses at the scene. Contact an experienced attorney like the lawyers at The Fine Law Firm before you speak to anyone, including insurance adjusters, about your accident.

The Fine Law Firm is:

• Locally owned and operated for over four decades
• Nationally recognized and rated
• Successful in securing compensation for clients in 99% of claims

Our attorneys will go to trial to defend your legal rights. Schedule your consultation today and find out if your car accident claim is valid. Let us take the challenges and frustrations out of pursuing your legal claim off of your shoulders.

 

The Importance of Choosing a Reputable Law Firm

When it comes to ensuring that you receive the compensation you’re due for your medical expenses, loss of income, and pain and suffering, nothing is more important than choosing a reputable law firm with years of experience and a proven success rate in personal injury. A reputable law firm with high standards of professionalism and efficiency as well compassion for your suffering is essential for relieving the burden of handling your case. A skilled lawyer has access to many helpful resources and can ensure that your claim is filed correctly and within the time limits to improve your chances of getting the settlement you deserve or winning your legal claim for personal injury.

How a Rio Rancho Car Accident Attorney Can Help You

Car accidents may cause you physical, emotional, and mental pain. Additionally, they may burden you with mounting medical expenses and other unpaid bills. The New Mexico car accident attorneys at The Fine Law Firm will examine all aspects of your claim to calculate your current and future compensation needs for accident recovery.

Our experienced Rio Rancho car accident attorneys will build your case for compensation by:

• Investigating the facts of your case in detail
• Identifying and pursuing all liable parties
• Employing experts and specialists when needed to estimate the financial and medical impact of the car accident on your life
• Communicating with insurance companies on your behalf
• Negotiating with insurance adjusters to recover the compensation you deserve
• If needed, take your claim to court before a judge and jury

Call The Fine Law Firm and find out how we are different from other firms. When we fight for you, insurance companies take notice. Our fees are reasonable, and we only get paid if you win.

What’s Involved in Investigating Your Case?

A legal team like the skilled attorneys at the Fine Law Firm are critical in collecting and organizing evidence in a personal injury case. This typically involves gathering police reports and medical reports, basic fact-finding, interviewing witnesses, examining any security camera footage, and documenting the evidence. All of this helps to forensically reconstruct the accident and diagram the accident scene. Some investigations also involve researching the title history of involved vehicles and background investigations of involved drivers to identify the liable party or parties in your case.

In some circumstances, experts and specialists may help in evaluating the future financial needs and medical requirements related to your accident to determine the impact on your life in monetary damages.

The thoroughness of investigation is what makes or breaks a personal injury case, first in preparing to negotiate a settlement, and in the case that a settlement isn’t reached, the investigation is critical for strengthening your case in court.

Understanding the Negotiation and Demand Process

Once your personal injury attorneys have investigated your case and examined the evidence, they begin the challenge of negotiating for a fair settlement. Because insurance companies are in the business of making profits, their goal is to minimize the amount of money they pay out or denying a claim outright. Your legal team will contact the insurance firm and arrange all of the necessary communications and meetings to serve as a buffer between you and the insurance entities who don’t have your best interests at heart.

The vast majority of personal injury cases settle before going to court. The lawyers at the Fine Law Firm are skilled at creating a demand letter stating all of the circumstances of the accident, outlining your injuries, explaining in detail the reasons the other party is at fault in the accident, and carefully enumerating the damages you’ve incurred as a result of the accident including your medical expenses, pain and suffering, and in some cases loss of enjoyment of life. Loss of enjoyment of life is claim available in New Mexico referring to long-lasting loss of quality of life due to devastating injuries in a car accident.

An insurance company almost never agrees up front to the monetary demand. Instead, they typically offer counterarguments to attempt to deny or minimize the claim for a variety of reasons. Negotiations will continue back and forth until both parties arrive at an acceptable agreement. While over 95 percent of cases settle out of court, your attorneys will proceed to the next step of filing a lawsuit in the event that they’re unable to reach a settlement agreement.

Common Causes of Car Accidents

Sadly, most car accidents are due to driver negligence. Driver negligence may include:

• Impaired driving
• Distracted driving
• Failing to yield
• Tailgating
• Violating traffic laws
• Drowsy driving
• Speeding
• Reckless driving
• Road rage
• Poorly maintained vehicles
• Unsecured loads

Sometimes, dangerous roads or mechanical failure are responsible for car accidents. When dangerous roads cause car accidents, financial responsibility may lie with a government entity. A parts manufacturer may incur liability for an accident resulting from a defective vehicle part.

Types of Car Accident Injuries

The best-known car accident injury is whiplash. This is the sudden movement of the head and neck in a back and forth in a whip-like motion. Whiplash may last a few days or even weeks. Other potential car accident injuries are:

• Concussions and traumatic brain injuries
• Spinal cord injuries
• Loss of limbs
• Arm and leg injuries
• Broken bones
• Damage to internal organs
• Eye injuries
• Chest injuries
• Torn ligaments
• Paralysis

Many of these injuries need multiple, costly medical treatments, like physical therapy and rehabilitation. Others cause lifelong injuries and chronic pain.

Possible Long-Term Health and Emotional Effects Of a Car Accident

In order to estimate future medical expenses, loss of income, and pain and suffering it’s important to recognize the long-term health and emotional effects of car accidents. It’s essential to undergo a complete medical evaluation and long-term treatment plans when necessary. In some cases, injury victims have lingering or permanent negative health impacts even after receiving prompt medical care. Some injuries are often associated with long-term negative physical effects including:

• Back and spinal cord injuries
• Neck injuries
• Head injuries and traumatic brain injury (TBI)
• Burns
• Amputations
• Compound fractures

All of these injuries are commonly associated with long-term impacts on health, medical expenses, and quality of life with greater chances of loss of income, increased pain and suffering, and loss of enjoyment of life. Some lasting effects of the above injuries include loss of cognitive function, paralysis, scarring, and decreased mobility.

When making an estimate of damages from ongoing effects after an accident, it’s also important to consider negative emotional impacts such as post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD is a common and unfortunate outcome after a traumatic car accident. Other emotional ramifications include:

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Insomnia
• Sexual dysfunction
• Anger management issues
• Irrational fears

While proving current and past medical expenses and financial damages is a matter of collecting evidence and documentation, it’s more difficult to project ahead to estimate future damages associated with physical and emotional effects. An experienced attorney may hire experts to calculate and assess likely future losses in your specific case.

Compensation for Car Accidents

Car accident compensation falls in one of two categories, economic or non-economic. Economic damages are calculable damages and include items like:

• Hospitalization
• Rehabilitation
• Prescription drugs
• Surgery
• Lost wages
• Loss of future income

Non-economic damages are more challenging to place a monetary value on and may include:

• Pain and suffering
• Mental and emotional trauma
• Loss of consortium
• Loss of quality of life
• Wrongful death expenses

Understanding Wrongful Death Damages After a Car Accident

Losing a loved one in a car accident is among the worst and most unexpected traumas you can experience. While seeking a wrongful death action won’t bring a loved one back, it can ease the financial burden so you can focus on your family and your grief, as well as serving as way to achieve justice when the negligent driver faces no criminal charges. A surviving spouse, adult child, adult sibling, or personal representative of a deceased person, such as a named executer in the decedent’s will, are legally able to file a wrongful death claim after a car accident in New Mexico within 3 years of the accident. Damages may include:

• Medical expenses
• Funeral expenses
• Loss of the deceased financial contribution to the household
• Loss of companionship, care, and guidance
• Mental anguish
• Pain and suffering
• Punitive damages (a source of justice when a legal case can’t be prosecuted)

Compassionate, experienced attorneys like the lawyers at the Fine Law Firm in Rio Rancho can help you file a wrongful death claim and relieve the burden so you can focus on your loss and your family during a terribly difficult time.

Get Experienced Legal Guidance

There are deadlines to file a car accident claim and recover for your injuries in New Mexico. Call and speak with The Fine Law Firm today to schedule your appointment with a knowledgeable car accident attorney. It is essential to know your legal rights and possibilities for compensation, so contact us today in Rio Rancho!