Legal Ramifications New Mexico Bus Crash

On Thursday August 30th, a semi-truck blew a tire going Eastbound on I-40 and ended up colliding with a Greyhound Bus that was traveling Westbound on I-40 toward Phoenix, Arizona from Albuquerque, New Mexico. The nature of the crash opens up a wide array of potential legal claims for the innocent victims and their families that suffered life threatening injuries, serious injuries or causalities. 

The wreckage from the crash, which happened in Thoreau, New Mexico was spread out across I-40  in both directions all afternoon and the freeway closed for hours as crews worked to rush the injured to University of New Mexico  Hospital (UNMH) in Albuquerque and hospitals in Gallup, New Mexico.

New stations are  reporting on the nature of the crash, but do not fully understand the legal ramifications. The truck driver and his company, Jag Transportation may be liable for negligently crossing into the on-coming traffic and failing to safely stop his commercial vehicle, improper maintenance or failure to comply with federal trucking regulations. The truck driver and/or his company may be responsible for significant damages from the crash.

In addition to the commercial carrier’s liability for failure to control the vehicle, the tire manufacturer, distributor or retailer may be liable under a product liability claims for a defective tire that may have unreasonably placed the public in danger. This may include a danger arising from unsafe design, destruction, manufacturing  such as bead failure, blowout, tread separation or adhesion problems..

New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) may also be liable for unsafe road conditions on the freeway for the motoring public. Such claims may involve a failure to assign a clear median barrier between traffic lines to  prevent vehicles from colliding. There are many other potentially unsafe conditions NMDOT may be responsible for that lead to the crash

If you have any questions on this incident or similar claims  or would like to speak to a lawyer about potential claims, please give us a call at (505)242-7200. The Davis Kelin Law Firm represents individuals who have been hurt in this type of crash and  families that have lost their loved ones and seeks to hold wrongdoers accountable.