Even with precautions, driving always carries the risk that another driver will not do the same. Whether the at-fault driver was not following the rules of the road, was under the influence, or was distracted, New Mexico laws protect you when you suffer injuries caused by another person’s negligence.
Our Santa Fe car accident injury lawyer at Grano Law Offices, P.C. will assert your rights and hold negligent parties accountable for their actions through an insurance settlement or civil court award. Marc A. Grano has over two decades of experience protecting injury victims in a bad situation.
Get Your Free Case Strategy Session
We have years of experience representing individuals and families with injurious auto collision claims throughout northern & central New Mexico. If you were injured or lost a family member after a motor vehicle accident, get the answers you want in the aftermath during a Free Case Strategy Session with our Santa Fe car accident injury attorney at (505) 426-8711 (virtual visits available).
Fight Back Against Personal Injuries Caused by Negligent Drivers
Auto crashes can occur in several ways and involve one or many parties. If another driver hits you and denies responsibility, you must prove their negligence. Negligence is a legal term that describes reckless or careless acts by another person that result in an accident causing injuries. Our personal injury legal team will become invaluable during this process.
Grano Law Offices, P.C. represents injured people and families after a car accident involving:
- Driving under the influence
- Rear-end collisions
- Reckless driving
- Side-impact collisions
- Sideswipe accidents
- Rollovers
- Jackknifes
- Runaway vehicles
- Head-on collisions
- Multi-car collisions
- Distracted driving accidents
- Other types of negligence
As an experienced and unrelenting Santa Fe vehicle crash lawyer will take your recovery and case seriously. Our legal team will do what it takes to get the compensation you deserve from the insurance company or other liable third parties.
Insurers Will Also Consider Pure Comparative Negligence
New Mexico follows a “pure comparative negligence” concept under NMSA § 41-3A-1. Pure comparative negligence only requires people to pay for injuries they caused. Therefore, if the insurer can prove that they think you were at fault, they can reduce your settlement.
For example, let’s say you awarded $100,000 for your injuries but were found to be 30 percent at fault, then you can only receive 70 percent of your total award, or, in this case, $70,000.
Our Santa Fe car accident injury lawyer will investigate and protect your case from undue accusations of harm. From expert testimony to physical evidence, count on Grano Law Offices, P.C. to tell your side of the story with facts.
Let Grano Law Offices, P.C. Fight for You
How Our Santa Fe Car Accident Lawyer Will Help
When trying to recover after a vehicle collision, filing an insurance claim and investigating your case without the help of a Santa Fe auto crash attorney is challenging. From submitting a demand letter to meeting your case’s deadlines, you can rely upon Grano Law Offices, P.C. to stand by your side throughout the claims process.
If you choose our legal team, our commitment to you or your loved ones does not stop managing your claim. Not only do we want to make your experience as stress-free as possible, but we will also travel to you in case you are too injured to meet at my Las Vegas, New Mexico office.
Other services that we will provide may include the following investigation techniques:
- Collecting police and accident scene reports
- Questioning eyewitnesses
- Developing an accident scene reconstruction
- Preserving photographic and video evidence
- Analyzing medical reports and bills
- Contacting expert witnesses to strengthen your case theory
- Negotiating with the insurer on your behalf
When you hire Marc, you will be reassured that an entire firm behind you supports your case. Grano Law Offices, P.C. has the technology, network, certification, and experience you want when hiring legal representation.
A Fair and Full Settlement for Your Santa Fe Car Accident
A typical insurance tactic is to provide injury claimants with an offer covering the most apparent accident-related costs. However, these awards do not necessarily compensate you equitably since many personal injury accidents result in more losses than meets the eye. Insurance companies also know that you need money ASAP if you are missing time at work, so they might encourage you to settle for a lesser amount.
Working with our personal injury lawyer will give you peace of mind knowing that this will not happen to your case. Marc Grano will comprehensively assess your claim to discover what other losses you experienced that the insurance company missed.
Every case that comes through our office is unique. However, Grano Law Offices, P.C. has secured the following awards for past clients, including:
- Current medical costs
- Future medical care
- Lost wages and income
- Lost future earning capacity
- Physical pain and suffering
- Mental anguish
- Emotional distress
- Lost enjoyment of life
- Wrongful death awards (for surviving family)
- Punitive damages
- And more
When you face the aftermath of an auto collision, whether on Cerillos Road or I-25, you likely have numerous questions about how to handle your case. If this is you, please do not hesitate to reach out to a Santa Fe car accident attorney to answer your questions. Grano Law Offices, P.C. invites you to reach out to us when you do not know where else to turn.
Santa Fe FAQs: Car Accident Injuries
Do you offer free case evaluations?
Yes, every Santa Fe car accident victim can get a Free Case Strategy Session with attorney Marc A. Grano at no cost and with no obligation by calling (505) 426-8711, 24/7/365. If you decide to hire us, you pay zero upfront fees because we handle car accident cases on a contingency basis, which means we do not get paid unless you win. To see how that works before you call, read our guide on how much a personal injury lawyer in New Mexico charges.
Learn more about getting a DWI/DUI dismissed in New Mexico.
Why should I hire you for my car accident case?
You should hire Grano Law Offices, P.C. because you will work directly with attorney Marc A. Grano, a former New Mexico state prosecutor and U.S. Army JAG officer with more than 25 years of experience in New Mexico courtrooms. Insurance companies use adjusters, claim-valuation software, and defense lawyers to pay you as little as possible, so we prepare every case as if it’s going to trial and gather the evidence needed to prove a car accident injury, from police reports and eyewitness statements to scene reconstruction and expert testimony.
What happens during a free case strategy session?
Marc A. Grano listens to exactly what happened, reviews any available information, including the crash report, photos, medical records, and any letters or calls from insurance adjusters, and explains your legal options and deadlines in plain language. You will leave with a clear next step and no obligation to hire us, and it helps to bring any items on our checklist of 16 crucial files for proving a New Mexico injury claim that you have.
What should I do after a car accident in Santa Fe?
Check for injuries, call 911, stay at the scene, and report the crash right away to the Santa Fe Police Department (or the Santa Fe County Sheriff or New Mexico State Police outside city limits) if anyone is hurt or property damage appears to be $500 or more, as NMSA § 66-7-206 requires. If possible, photograph the vehicles, your injuries, and the scene; exchange names, addresses, and vehicle registration information; and collect witness contact information.
Within five days, make sure a written crash report reaches the New Mexico Department of Transportation under NMSA § 66-7-207, see a doctor even if you feel fine, and talk to a lawyer before giving any recorded statement. Our step-by-step guide on what to do after a car accident in New Mexico walks you through each step.
Should I use an AI tool or hire a real Santa Fe car accident lawyer for my claim?
Hire a real Santa Fe car accident lawyer: an AI tool can explain general concepts, but it can misstate New Mexico law, and it cannot investigate your crash, preserve evidence, negotiate with an adjuster, or file your lawsuit before the deadline.
Here is the thing: what you type into a chatbot is not protected by attorney-client privilege the way a conversation with your lawyer is, and insurers already use claim-valuation algorithms to keep payouts low, so answering one algorithm with another leaves you at a disadvantage.
Use AI for background reading if you like, but before you sign anything or give a recorded statement, read about why AI is no replacement for your personal injury lawyer and get a Free Case Strategy Session with Marc.
Is New Mexico a no-fault accident state?
No, New Mexico is not a no-fault state; it is an at-fault (tort) state, which means the driver who caused the crash, and that driver’s liability insurer, is responsible for the injuries and losses they caused. Every New Mexico driver must carry at least $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident in bodily injury liability coverage, plus $10,000 for property damage, under the state’s Mandatory Financial Responsibility Act.
You can still recover if you were partly to blame, because New Mexico’s pure comparative negligence rule, adopted in Scott v. Rizzo (1981), reduces your award by your share of fault rather than barring it. Learn more in Is New Mexico an At-Fault Insurance State?
Is it worth suing for pain and suffering?
Often, yes: pain and suffering is frequently the largest part of a serious Santa Fe car accident claim, and New Mexico does not cap these noneconomic damages in claims against private drivers and companies, unlike claims against government entities, which the Tort Claims Act limits.
Whether it’s worth pursuing in your case depends on the evidence, such as consistent medical treatment, records of how the injury limits your work and daily life, and testimony from people who see the change, and most claims settle without trial once the insurer knows you’re prepared to file. Insurers’ first offers routinely discount pain and suffering, so we look at the whole case and not just the medical bills.
How long do you have to report a car accident in New Mexico?
In New Mexico, you must immediately report a crash involving injury, death, or apparent property damage of $500 or more to the police, and a written report must be forwarded to the New Mexico Department of Transportation within five days. Your insurance policy sets its own separate deadline for notifying your insurer, so check your policy and report the crash as soon as you safely can.
Reporting deadlines are different from filing deadlines: you generally have three years to file an injury lawsuit under NMSA § 37-1-8, but only 90 days to give written notice if a government vehicle or government-maintained road was involved per NMSA § 41-4-16. Read What Is New Mexico’s Car Accident Statute of Limitations? for the full timeline.
