Auto Accidents that Require Legal Representation
Car accidents are certainly not all the same. You generally hear about fender benders on the interstate in the mornings during your commute. Unfortunately accidents do happen, but when car accidents happen as a result of reckless and negligent behavior, you may have a legal case.
While there are no guarantees to compensation, after an auto accident you’ll want to contact an Albuquerque auto accident lawyer to review your case. If your accident was a result of recklessness, you may have a legal case. Here are some examples of reckless or negligent behavior that can cause car accidents:
Speeding
While most people never admit to it, virtually everyone has sped at some point in time while driving. A “harmless” five miles over the speed limit may not seem like a big deal, but this reckless behavior can have serious consequences if it causes an auto accident. If you were injured in an accident that was determined to be the result of speeding and reckless driving, contact an Albuquerque or Santa Fe personal injury attorney. They can review your case and may be able to seek compensation for any injuries sustained due to this reckless driving.
Cell Phones
Cell phone distractions are becoming commonplace in American society. It seems everyone is always talking or texting while driving. Any use of a cell phone without a hands free device is illegal in Albuquerque and Santa Fe and is negligent behavior. While fender benders during rush hour happen, if they are the result of someone being distracted by their cell phone, this reckless behavior may be cause to seek legal representation. If you were injured in a car accident by someone using their cell phone in Albuquerque or Santa Fe, personal injury lawyers can represent you in the event of possible legal action against the reckless driver.
Driving Under the Influence
Unfortunately, driving under the influence is an epidemic in New Mexico. Despite tough DUI laws, these accidents happen frequently and with tragic results. Albuquerque and Santa Fe personal injury attorneys can represent you if you’ve been injured as a result of a DUI car accident. DUI is one of the most extreme examples of recklessness and negligence and if you’ve been injured in one of these accidents, a personal injury attorney can review your case and may be able to seek legal compensation on your behalf for medical bills and pain and suffering.
No single auto accident is like any other. With some accidents, there is no legal recourse because some auto accidents are just that. But if further investigation reveals the accident was a result of someone else’s recklessness and negligence, an Albuquerque auto accident lawyer can represent your interest and try to win compensation for your injuries, medical bills, and pain and suffering.
Steps To Take Following a Car Accident
An unfortunate reality in life is that everyone, at some point, is involved in an auto accident. Those first moments after an accident are crucial to your health and well-being. Unfortunately, after an accident everyone involved is probably not thinking as clearly as they should. This blog post will provide a basic list of steps you should take after an auto accident.
After being involved in an accident, your adrenaline will be racing and your nerves will be frayed. The following tips are some common sense tips, but also wise advice to keep in mind following an accident:
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Safety First
: Stop your vehicle. If at all possible, move your vehicle out of traffic lanes and to the side of the road. When your vehicle is secure, check for injuries among yourself and passengers. If you or any passengers are injured, do not move. Dial 911 immediately and wait for an ambulance. If you are uninjured and it is safe to do so, check on the other driver(s) and again dial 911 if there are any injuries.
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Exchange Information
: You’ll want to call the police for a police report, but before they arrive, you’ll also want to exchange information with the other driver. Albuquerque and Santa Fe car accident attorneys may recommend you exchange the following information: full name, address, phone number, insurance information (including company, policy number, and expiration date), driver’s license number, license plate number, and the make, model, and year of the other person’s vehicle.
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Take Notes
: If later you must contact an Albuquerque personal injury attorney as a result of your accident, you’ll want pictures, notes, and contact information for witnesses. This can help an attorney determine what kind of case you may have by being able to look at some of the initial evidence.
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Inform Your Insurance Company:
Your insurance company will look at your accident claim and communicate with the other driver’s insurance company. Insurance companies will generally offer you a sum of money for repairs and medical expenses. Before you settle, contact an Albuquerque or Santa Fe personal injury lawyer to review the facts of your case and ensure you’re getting a fair settlement to help you get your life back on track.
The actions you take after an auto accident are crucial. You want to ensure your safety and get immediate medical attention for any injuries. After the accident, it can take time to get your life back on track and you may need the assistance of a Santa Fe or Albuquerque personal injury lawyer to help you seek any possible compensation you may be entitled to.
SUV Rollover Information
Due to their rugged construction, size and versatility, SUVs are often a popular choice for families and adventure seekers across the country. Unfortunately, many have a false sense of security in such vehicles—not realizing that SUVs are more likely than any other vehicle to be involved in serious rollover accidents.
While rollovers are the least common type of auto accident, they are responsible for about thirty percent of all traffic fatalities. That means, when rollovers happen they are most likely to be deadly. (more…)
Common Symptoms of Brain Injury
Brain injury occurs whenever the brain sustains trauma through direct force (i.e., making contact with an object) or indirect force (i.e., whiplash). Since traumatic brain injury can vary in degree and in the symptoms that it presents, diagnosis can be difficult.
Commons symptoms of traumatic brain injury include things like: (more…)
What to do When You’ve been Involved in a Slip and Fall Accident
Falling is a normal part of living in a world with gravity and accounts for millions of injuries every year. When a person is injured in a slip or trip and fall accident on someone else’s property, he or she may be entitled to seek damages. Common damages that injured slip and fall victims may seek to recover include: (more…)
When to Hire a Car Accident Attorney
Car accidents are a daily occurrence in the U.S. and affect millions of Americans every year. While minor fender benders or accidents resulting in damages less than $500 probably do not warrant the help of a car accident attorney to recover losses, you will want to think about utilizing the expertise of an accident lawyer if you are offered little or no compensation for your damages, if your damages are significant, or if you have been part of a personal injury accident. (more…)
When You’re involved in a Car Accident with an Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist
While most states require a minimum amount of liability insurance to be carried by motorists, the Insurance Research Council’s most recent report of uninsured motorists (2001) estimates that 14 percent of the motorists in the U.S. do not carry auto accident insurance. That means that if you are involved in a car accident, there is a 1 in 7 chance that the at-fault driver is uninsured. And this does not take into account the extreme disparity between states which may make your chances of being involved in an accident with an uninsured motorist much more likely in one state than another. (more…)
Understanding Statutes of Limitations
We live in a world of deadlines. We need to pay our bills, submit offers and complete work by certain dates or we forfeit our right to receive the benefit of accomplishing these tasks on time. Sometimes a late response can cost us additional money and sometimes a late response can cost us an opportunity. While deadlines tend to cause stress in our day-to-day lives, without deadlines we would see very little closure in our lives. Regardless of whether a deadline is met or missed, deadlines provide us with an opportunity to move on in life. The same is true when you are involved in an accident. (more…)
Understanding Products Liability
Products liability is a claim that can be filed against any party involved in making a defective product available to the public (i.e. manufacturer, wholesaler, retailer). When a product causes injury, the manufacturers and/or suppliers of that product can be held responsible for those injuries. Product liability claims are usually based on defects in design, manufacturing and marketing. (more…)
Understanding Comparative (Fault) Negligence Liability
When you are involved in an accident, whether it be a car accident, boating accident, motorcycle accident or personal injury accident (to name a few), there is not always a clear party who is solely responsible for causing the accident. While one person may have been the primary contributor to the cause of an accident, the accident may have been prevented if the other person had not been otherwise distracted or negligent as well. (more…)
What to do When You are in a Motorcycle Accident
There’s nothing quite like the freedom you experience when riding a motorcycle. Feeling the wind in your face and experiencing the open road with little between you and the elements is thrilling, indeed. However, that freedom can be taken away in a matter of moments if you are involved in a motorcycle accident. In fact, motorcycle accidents have a much higher risk of being fatal than any other type of auto accident. It is important to know that your risk of being involved in a motorcycle accident is greatly reduced if you wear safety gear and take defensive driving lessons. However, with motorcycle accidents on the rise, no matter what precautions you take to operate your motorcycle safely, you are always at risk of being injured or killed by other motorists on the road. (more…)
How to Choose a Car Accident Lawyer
When you have been involved in a car accident it is important to know how to choose an attorney. Very different results can occur in your case based on your choice of attorney. Therefore, when choosing an accident attorney you will want to spend some time researching who will be the best representative for your car accident claim. (more…)
What to Expect When You are in a Car Accident
Of the almost six million car accidents that have occurred every year for the past five years in the U.S., approximately three million of those traffic accidents result in personal injuries every year (USDOT). With such a high number of accidents occurring each year, it is not unlikely that every American will experience at least one auto accident in their lifetime. Therefore, it is important to know what to do when you are involved in an accident. (more…)
Emergency Kit for Every Car
Since it is impossible to know when or if disaster will strike while you’re on the road, it is important to be prepared for emergency situations before they happen. Below are several items you should consider including in an emergency car kit so that you can be prepared for the unexpected. (more…)
When You’re the Victim of a Drunk Driving Accident
According to the CDC, alcohol-related crashes in the U.S. cost approximately 51 billion dollars every year and the Office for Victims of Crimes estimates that 30 percent of Americans will be involved in an alcohol-related accident at some point in their lifetime. Drunk driving has affected countless numbers of lives and are tried differently than traffic accidents where alcohol is not involved. Therefore, it is not only important to know what to do when you are involved in a car accident (see What to Expect When You’re in a Car Accident and How to Preserve Evidence after a Car Accident), but it is essential to seek legal advice to learn about your rights when your life is affected by a drunk driver. (more…)
Crashworthiness
We depend on automobiles every day—to get us to work, to get our children to school and to take us on the many adventures we dream about in life. While we may take care to select a reliable vehicle to help us get around everyday, our vehicles may not be as trustworthy as we think. If you are involved in an accident where you sustain injuries due to the failure of your vehicle’s safety features to function properly, you may be able to sue the manufacturer for crashworthiness. (more…)
When You are Involved in a Cell Phone Related Car Accident
According to the Human Factors quarterly journal, “Cell phone distraction causes 2,600 deaths and 330,000 injuries in the United States every year” (2005). The same study reported that motorists who are engaged in cell phone conversations while driving are less capable than drunk drivers with blood alcohol levels exceeding .08. These statistics are frightening considering how pervasive cell phones are in our society. With a greater awareness of the potential cell phones have to distract drivers, many states, and even cities, are adopting laws that limit or restrict the use of cell phones while driving. It is important to be aware of these laws while travelling in other states and visiting other cities so you do not inadvertently break the law. Even in states and cities where there are no restrictions on cell phone use by motorists, limiting cell phone use while driving will make you a more attentive driver, ready to react when the unexpected occurs. (more…)
When to File a Boating Accident Report (BAR)
Boating accidents affect thousands of people every year in the U.S. with the majority of boating accidents caused by carelessness, operator inattention, excessive speed and operator inexperience (USCG). In 2005, accidents like these amounted to almost 39 million dollars worth of property damage and approximately 3,500 injuries (USCG). While these numbers are significant, it is important to note that these statistics only represent boating accidents that were reported. While federal law requires boating operators to file accident reports with the nearest state boating authority 33 CFR 173.55 (2001), the U.S. Coast Guard found that only five to ten percent of non-fatal boating accidents are actually reported. With this in mind, it is important to know when you need to file a Boating Accident Report (BAR) as failing to do so is a misdemeanor in some states. (more…)
Understanding Attorney Fees
When you are involved in an accident, often times you are immediately thrust into the legal scene. You are bombarded with all kinds of new information and need to know how to make decisions that are in your best interest. Understanding the different types of attorney fees will help you know what to expect when you hire an accident lawyer and enable you to navigate the legal waters more smoothly. (more…)
How to Preserve Evidence after a Car Accident
After experiencing a traumatic event like a car accident, the last thing on your mind is taking pictures of the scene and recording detailed notes about the accident. While you may be in a state of shock and want nothing more than to get home after a car accident, it is imperative that you take measures to preserve evidence at the scene of the accident. After going through such an emotional and damaging event, you may think that you will never forget the details of the accident; however, if you need the assistance of a car accident lawyer to take your case to court, you will want to rely on hard evidence obtained from the accident scene if you want to receive appropriate compensation for your damages. (more…)