Drunk Driving Car Accidents in Albuquerque

Choosing to get behind the wheel of a vehicle after consuming alcohol, drugs, or certain prescription medication is a dangerous decision. It jeopardizes the safety of others on the road and can lead to terrible collisions. Injury or death from drunk driving car accidents in Albuquerque can establish civil liability for the resulting damages. Our car accident attorneys help clients pursue these claims against liable drunk drivers to recover compensation instrumental to recovery after an accident. Learn more about drunk driving laws and how our team could represent you or a loved one in an injury lawsuit.

Violating Drunk Driving Laws Can Establish Liability

New Mexico Statute 66-8-102 makes it illegal for a person to drive a vehicle while under the influence of intoxicating liquor. This law also prohibits driving while under the influence of a drug that makes a person incapable of safely operating a vehicle. A violation of state drunk driving laws can offer direct evidence of a driver’s fault in causing an accident that results in injury or death.

However, an experienced lawyer may still need to show how a driver’s intoxication caused the car accident in Albuquerque, depending on the details of a case. For example, a lawyer may be able to establish a connection between the driver’s intoxication and another traffic violation that caused the collision. An alternative argument may be that the driver’s intoxication reduced their ability to react, which caused an otherwise avoidable accident.

Filing a Lawsuit for Injury and Death After a Drunk Driving Car Accident

Drunk drivers may be partially, if not fully, liable for the damages they cause to another because of their illegal driving and wrongful acts. A lawyer could file a civil lawsuit against the driver to recover compensation for a person’s injury or wrongful death. The compensation available in a case will depend on the severity of a person’s injury and other circumstances. However, common damages to claim in a case will include medical care costs, any lost wages, a person’s pain and suffering, and other losses. A wrongful death case may incur additional compensable losses to surviving family members as well as costs for funeral and burial expenses.

Beyond an intoxicated driver’s liability, additional parties may also have fault for a drunk driving car crash in Albuquerque. For example, a drunk driver’s employer may be at fault if the accident occurred within the scope of employment or if the employer was negligent in hiring a driver with a history of drunk driving. The person or business that furnished the intoxicating liquor to a drunk driver may also have liability in limited situations if they were aware of the person’s intoxication before serving them alcohol. However, New Mexico statute limits this type of third-party liability to $50,000 for bodily injury or death

Schedule a Drunk Driving Car Accident Case Review with an Albuquerque Attorney

The deadline to file a personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit is three years. The filing period begins to run on the date of the collision in the case of a drunk driving car accident in Albuquerque. Get the help of an experienced lawyer today by meeting with our local team about your rights after suffering harm in an accident. Schedule a free case review today.