Call Now
505.900.0000
At Begum & Cowen Injury & Accident Lawyers, our Albuquerque truck accident lawyers have a long and successful record of helping people injured in tractor-trailer accidents. Our attorneys know how complex they can be and the severity of the injuries they can inflict. Our truck accident attorneys and staff will help you through this challenging time when you’re physically, emotionally, and financially suffering. When you give us responsibility for your legal and insurance claims, we will deal with these issues so that you can focus on recovery and your family.
Call our firm to get the New Mexico truck collision attorney you can trust. Call 505-900-0000 or contact us online to schedule a free case assessment. We’ll answer your questions, tell you how New Mexico law may apply in your case, and discuss your best options to obtain compensation at no risk or obligation to you. We won’t charge you up-front fees and only get paid when you recover compensation.
“Great group of people to work with—very efficient and professional. Alex has put together a great Team!”
Because of the size of commercial vehicles, truck accident victims are often more seriously injured than those in car accidents. And because of the nature of the trucking business, there may be several parties who may be responsible, each with their own insurance company. Your case may involve different parties that made mistakes, committed negligence, and are liable. You may be compensated for property damage, medical costs, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other losses.
There are many potential types of accidents when a car is involved in a truck crash. They depend on how fast the vehicles were going, the angle, and where they hit each other. Some Albuquerque tractor-trailer accidents include:
A semi-truck is very different from a car, so it must be driven very differently. While a car may weigh two tons, a fully-loaded 18-wheeler could weigh 40 tons and be about 50 feet long. Like other vehicle accidents, driver error is the top cause of accidents.
Some issues that can lead to a truck accident include:
Because of the truck’s significant weight, far more energy is directed into a passenger vehicle in a collision. That energy can crush or tear apart a car, causing severe and even fatal injuries.
Truck accident injuries we see include:
In addition to the severe injuries that may be caused, commercial truck accident cases are complex because:
Some of those parties are:
After being injured, you and your family may face astronomical expenses. Medical and rehabilitation costs could be tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars. If you can’t work, you’ll lose income and possibly your job. Your pay may be the difference between your family living comfortably or facing financial disaster. If you’re severely disabled in a truck accident over a lifetime, you may face millions of dollars in costs and lost income.
Given how you and your family may be impacted, don’t try to settle your case alone. Get legal help from an Albuquerque truck accident lawyer to recover the compensation you’re owed.
Begum & Cowen Injury & Accident Lawyers will fight for you to recover your:
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration requires drivers, trucking companies, and related entities to carry sizeable insurance policies. The coverage can range from hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars.
Working with these insurers is a challenge because they want to protect profits by limiting claims. They are massive companies that try to use every insurance-related law and practice to their advantage. Companies become more motivated to fight claims when they’re worth a substantial amount of money.
Insurers are very sophisticated, and they know what they’re doing. When people try to negotiate a settlement alone, they are at a severe disadvantage. They know your case’s actual value, the law, and how to negotiate.
It’s essential to work with a local truck accident attorney in Albuquerque. The Begum & Cowen Injury & Accident Lawyers are experienced in handling complicated cases, and we often go up against demanding insurance companies. Our clients have obtained millions of dollars for thousands of clients. We won’t consider a truck accident settlement unless it fairly compensates you for your losses and is the best outcome for your case.
You may be in shock after an accident, but you must try to remain calm and think clearly. If you’re seriously injured and don’t feel you can drive from the scene, get an ambulance. If you can manage it, here are suggestions on what to do after the accident:
You should also schedule a free consultation with a New Mexico truck accident attorney. If you feel we’re the right lawyers for you, and we feel we can help you with your case, we can handle the claim from there.
Don’t put your interests in jeopardy by negotiating with the truck driver’s insurer. They want it settled as quickly and cheaply as possible Dealing with an insurer is a job for an experienced lawyer.
At Begum & Cowen Injury & Accident Lawyers, we support our clients with solid legal representation and assistance at all phases of their personal injury claim. Each case is unique, but we diligently work for all our clients.
From the moment you retain our firm, we will:
According to the New Mexico Department of Transportation, Albuquerque had 7,915 truck crashes from 2014 to 2018, or 29% of the state’s total. The city with the second-highest number, Las Cruces, only had 6%. Bernalillo County had 30% of all truck accidents, followed by Dona Ana County at 9%. Nearly half of the accidents happen on two-lane roads and when the truck is going straight.
The most dangerous areas are where commercial trucks and passenger vehicles mix. That includes interstate highways, state highways, and major roads. These trucks supply grocery stores, major retailers, restaurants, factories, and warehouses, so there can be accidents where the trucks get in and out of these areas. There can also be a lot of conflict on highway entrances and exits as well as in intersections.
Albuquerque by far exceeds all other New Mexico cities for truck accidents from 2014 to 2018, according to the state’s Department of Transportation. During that time, Albuquerque had:
KOAT and KRQU provide traffic and weather information on their websites, so you can try to avoid areas with the most traffic. You may also want to avoid driving in severe weather, as slick roads and poor visibility make truck accidents more likely. You can get a copy of a truck accident report through the City of Albuquerque website.
of all fatal truck accident victims are the occupants of other vehicles.
One of the worst things that can happen on the roads is for a driver or pedestrian to be hurt by a large truck. The injuries caused in these situations tend to be much more severe than other crashes due to the size and weight of the vehicles and the sheer force of the impact. Highway accidents tend to be devastating due to high speeds and the possibility of the truck turning or flipping over. If life changing injuries are the result, the victim’s truck accident attorney needs to be thorough to build a case that will result in significant compensation for any related losses and the costs of treatment.
It is important for anyone who has been injured in such a situation to understand the process of bringing a case and an overview of what the Albuquerque truck accident attorney will accomplish. The expertise of a lawyer and their skills are some of the most important parts of a successful truck accident lawsuit.
The main remedy for a civil truck accident lawsuit is for the victim to receive compensation that reflects the serious nature of their losses. Albuquerque truck accident attorneys do this by collecting evidence that proves the value of all losses, as well as crafting legal arguments that show why the defendant company or driver should be responsible for paying. In the case of truck accident cases, there are some specific doctrines and rules that must be applied correctly to ensure the best chance at receiving the maximum compensation allowed by law.
At the start of this process is the initial consultation and gathering of evidence. Once the client and their lawyer have agreed on representation, the lawsuit will be filed in the appropriate local court system. After the copy of the lawsuit is served on the defendant, they get a chance to respond to the allegations and exchange information through discovery. At some point once both sides have enough evidence and information from this process, it is likely that the case can be settled. The lawsuit will end once a final agreement is signed by all parties and the victim is paid appropriately.
When considering a truck accident lawsuit, it is possible that there may have been an accident involving a semi truck, pickup truck, commercial vehicles such as utility vans, or construction vehicles. The vehicles also may have parts, cargo, or debris that come loose on a roadway and become extremely dangerous. In all of these situations, the company that owns and operates the vehicle will likely be responsible, and they can be made to pay out damages whether the damage was due to the vehicle itself or other related problems.
Begum & Cowen Injury & Accident Lawyers is able to meet with anyone who was harmed by any of these vehicles. At the meeting, the specifics of the incident can be discussed.
Truck accidents implicate a different set of rules than most other standard motor vehicle accidents. There are doctrines in civil lawsuits that dictate that the employer is strictly liable for the actions of the trucker, as long as the driver was engaged in their standard employment practices such as driving while making a delivery. The employer is also likely to have special high risk insurance and commercial policies that are capable of covering thousands or millions of dollars worth of damage caused during the incident. The average truck accident lawsuit costs in the hundreds of thousands of dollars for a business, which is why special liability coverage is mandated by law.
It is important for anyone who has been harmed to choose an Albuquerque truck accident attorney with specific knowledge of this aspect of truck accident law.
A significant aspect of investigating a truck crash deals with the driver’s credentials and requirements. Not only must the vehicle itself meet certain standards for size, weight, and secured cargo before the transportation can begin, the driver needs to be properly trained and prepared as well.
The main requirement for a driver is a commercial license. This requires special knowledge and road tests, and additional training may be required if there are endorsements for items such as hazardous materials. Each state has specific requirements for how the driver must earn these credentials, and their qualifications may vary slightly depending on the specific line of work in commercial driving.
Drivers also cannot drive while fatigued, intoxicated, or in violation of hours of service rules. Unfortunately, substance abuse has become a regular problem in the trucking industry, and this kind of behavior is uncovered over the course of many accident investigations.
There are required break times and rest periods for drivers set by state and federal law as well. As a general rule, drivers have an absolute limit on the total number of hours they can be operating their vehicle each day, plus they need to stop at certain intervals to rest. These records are kept in logbooks that need to be available for inspection by various government agencies.
Any failure to meet these special requirements can be used as evidence of negligence in a lawsuit.
Albuquerque truck accident lawyers have experience dealing with requirements for hazardous materials. This is a large concern with truck accident cases because hazardous materials can contaminate a roadway, the environment, and cause life changing injuries. There are costs associated with special cleanup crews that need to be called to the scene after the crash as well. The trucker and their employer may be fined by the government as well if they were transporting such items without proper authorization from the relevant government agency.
The way that a victim will be compensated for their truck accident case is through a settlement agreement that pays for most or all of their losses. The main job of the truck accident attorney in Albuquerque is to negotiate on their client’s behalf at this point in the litigation. This includes damages for lost income, time away from work, medical treatment, hospital bills, pain and suffering, and the victim’s reduced future earning capacity. If the driver or their employer engaged in any kind of reckless or egregious behavior, it is also possible that punitive damages can be awarded to the victim to punish them.
Begum & Cowen Injury & Accident Lawyers is a firm staffed by experienced Albuquerque truck accident lawyers. They have successfully handled all aspects of these kinds of cases, and you can get in touch with them to start the process to make a truck driver or their employer pay for losses.