Albuquerque Train Accident Attorney

Train accidents can cause life-changing injuries. From multiple bone fractures to a back injury and chronic pain, you may feel the effects of a train crash for months or even years. Discovering who may be responsible for your accident could lead to financial compensation for your damages.

If you or a loved one suffered serious injuries due to a train accident, please contact the Albuquerque accident attorneys at The Fine Law Firm immediately to discuss your case. Our Albuquerque train accident lawyers have secured multimillion-dollar settlements for past clients. We can review your case, discuss its merits, and explain your legal options. Call (505) 889-FINE today.

Why Choose Us?

The Fine Law Firm has a reputation for excellence in the state of New Mexico. We have acquired referrals from judges and adjusters and gained recognition from organizations such as Super Lawyers and Martindale-Hubbell for our services. Clients trust our firm because:

• We have over 100 years of combined experience practicing vehicle accident law.
• You directly communicate with an attorney, not a paralegal or secretary.
• We work on a contingency-fee basis. Zero upfront costs, and no fees at all if we don’t win your case.

Our attorneys care about clients. After a serious train accident and personal injuries, we know how to walk clients through the insurance claims process. We can help clients get maximum results for their cases in Albuquerque.

Why Do You Need a Train Accident Lawyer?

Train company insurers often try to take advantage of claimants – especially claimants without lawyers. Trying to conduct insurance negotiations or other legal processes on your own, while nursing serious injuries, could lead to the insurer taking advantage of you. Hiring a lawyer, on the other hand, gives you the resources, insights, and knowledge to protect your rights as a victim. Train accidents are complex. Optimize your odds of financial recovery by retaining an experienced train accident attorney in Albuquerque.

Common Causes of Train Accidents

Train accidents in New Mexico are often caused by negligence, or someone’s failure to act with proper care. The company responsible for the train’s operation, for example, may fail to properly staff or maintain its trains. This could lead to dangerous circumstances that increase the odds of a devastating train accident, such as careless train conductors or equipment failures.

Common issues behind train accidents in New Mexico include:

• Railroad defects, such as broken or misaligned tracks
• Operator or engineer errors
• Careless or reckless train conductors
• Poor train maintenance
• Failure to properly inspect and repair tracks and trains
• Dangerous railroad construction zones
• Train equipment failures or malfunctions
• Signal failures
• Communication failures and scheduling errors
• Vehicle-train collisions
• Train-to-train collisions
• Train car detachments
• Collisions with wildlife

At The Fine Law Firm, we can carry out a comprehensive investigation into the train accident that injured you or took a loved one’s life to search for signs of negligence. We will help you preserve and gather evidence to prove your claim against one or more parties and establish fault. Our law firm can support your case through evidence such as train accident reconstruction, expert testimony, photographs and videos, witness statements, medical records, and documents kept by the train company.

What Are Common Injuries Related to Albuquerque Train Accidents?

Train accidents can inflict severe to catastrophic injuries on those involved. Train passengers and people outside of the train – such as motor vehicle drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians – can suffer serious injuries if a train collides with something or veers off its tracks. Train accidents are often large-scale disasters that involve multiple victims. In 2022, there were 954 railroad deaths in the U.S. – the highest number since 2007.

Types of injuries that may arise from a train accident include:

• Amputations
• Back and spine injuries
• Broken bones
• Burn injuries
• Head and traumatic brain injuries
• Internal injuries and organ damage
• Lacerations and contusions
• Muscle and ligament damage
• Paralysis or nerve damage
• Scarring or disfigurement
• Soft-tissue injuries
• Whiplash and other neck injuries
• Wrongful death

If you or a loved one suffered any type of injury in an Albuquerque train accident, the attorneys at The Fine Law Firm can help you seek justice. Our personal injury attorneys have years of experience representing accident victims with a wide variety of injuries. We know how to achieve the outcomes our clients need when results matter most, such as in cases involving permanent injury and disability.

Steps to Take After a Train Accident in Albuquerque

If you get involved in a train accident in Albuquerque, try to stay calm and remember the steps to take to protect yourself and preserve your legal rights. Put your safety and health first. Then, contact an attorney as soon as possible for assistance with the legal process.

If you can, take the following steps after a train accident:

1. Check yourself and others for injuries. If anyone is badly hurt, render aid to the best of your ability.
2. Make sure you or someone else calls 911 to report the train accident. If anyone is injured, request paramedics.
3. Get medical care for your injuries right away. Do not wait to go to a hospital or see a doctor, even if you initially feel fine.Keep up with your doctor’s treatment plan while you heal from your injuries.
4. Talk to the police when they arrive at the scene and give them your version of events for the record. Write down your police report number.
5. Document the name of the train company, the number of the train car, the location of the crash, the date and time, and the names of everyone involved.
6. Contact the train company to report the accident. The Rio Metro Regional Transit, which runs the New Mexico Rail Runner Express, can be contacted at (866) 795-RAIL.
7. File an injury claim with the insurance provider of the train company.
8. Do not rush into a fast insurance settlement. The initial offer may not adequately compensate you for your losses.
9. Do not give the insurance company a recorded statement about the train accident or your injuries.
10. Contact an attorney in Albuquerque who accepts train accident cases to discuss your rights.

You can contact the attorneys at The Fine Law Firm any time after being involved in a harmful train accident in Albuquerque for helpful advice and guidance. We will go to work on your case immediately, making sure that you receive the medical care you need while we hold someone accountable for the train accident on your behalf.

Who Can I Pursue for Compensation?

Identifying the at-fault party is one of the first steps in obtaining compensation for your personal injuries. In a train accident, the at-fault party could be the train company (e.g., a scenic train ride company, Rail Runner Express, zoo trains, Amtrak, etc.). The company may bear fault for an accident if it was negligent in some way.

Examples include:

• If the company failed to inspect or repair train cars.
• If the company hired incompetent train conductors or other workers.
• If the company waited too long to remedy a hazard, such as a wet floor.

The train company could also be vicariously at fault for the actions or negligence of its employees. Third parties, such as other train passengers and outside drivers, may also bear fault for your accident. A lawyer can investigate your train accident and determine the identity of the at-fault party on your behalf.

What Damages Can I Recover?

The New Mexico civil justice system gives train crash victims the right to seek recovery for several economic and non-economic damages. A successful personal injury claim could result in payment for these damages:

• Past and future medical bills
• Lost wages
• Pain and suffering
• Mental anguish
• Property damage
• Lost quality of life

If you lost a loved one in a train accident, your family could be eligible for additional wrongful death damages in Albuquerque, such as restitution for reasonable funeral and burial costs. The more severe your injuries, the more money your case is likely worth. A consultation with a train accident lawyer can help determine the value of your specific case.

Economic Damages

Economic damages are awarded to a plaintiff to reimburse him or her – make the plaintiff whole again – after suffering financial losses due to an accident. In a train accident case, economic or monetary damages can include health care costs, therapy and rehabilitation, losses of income, property repairs, legal costs, and out-of-pocket expenses. Economic damages are generally calculated by adding together all of the plaintiff’s bills and expenses related to the accident.

Noneconomic Damages

Noneconomic damages are awarded to a plaintiff for nonmonetary losses resulting from an accident or injury. This type of award compensates the victim for the physical, emotional and mental impacts of an injury. Examples include pain and suffering, emotional distress, mental anguish, psychological damage, post-traumatic stress disorder, inconvenience, loss of enjoyment of life, and loss of consortium.

Noneconomic damages are generally harder to quantify than economic damages since they are based on the personal and intangible ways in which an accident has affected the plaintiff rather than documentation such as financial statements. An insurance company or jury will have its own methods for calculating noneconomic damages. Your lawyer can help you estimate these damages so you can demand a fair amount from an insurance company.

How Long Do I Have to File a Train Accident Claim in Albuquerque?

It is important not to wait to file a personal injury claim or lawsuit after sustaining an injury in a train accident in Albuquerque. New Mexico has a law called the statute of limitations (New Mexico Statutes Section 37-1-8), which places a three-year deadline on these cases, with some exceptions. A property damage claim can be brought within four years.

If you do not file your injury claim within three years of the train accident – or three years from the date of injury discovery, in a case involving delayed injuries – the courts will most likely bar you from seeking compensation from a train company or another defendant. Contact an attorney in Albuquerque as soon as possible to avoid missing your filing deadline.

Contact Us Today

If you suffered serious injuries in a train accident in New Mexico, contact the Albuquerque personal injury lawyers at The Fine Law Firm. We have years of experience, careful attention to detail, and a commitment to justice that can benefit your case. Discuss your injuries, damages, and legal opportunities with one of our lead lawyers, at no cost or obligation. Call (505) 889-FINE to speak to an attorney today.