Hit by a Drunk Driver in New Mexico?

Drunk driving is a plague on our society. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there are about 43,000 people killed in fatal car accidents each year in the United States.

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Albuquerque Injury Lawyers handling nursing home abuse, malpractice, medical malpractice, car accident, trucking accident, wrongful death and many other injury cases.

If You Are Injured By A Drunk Driver, It Is Critical To Know Your Rights And How To Get Help.

Drivers with a blood-alcohol content of 0.08 or higher – the legal limit of intoxication in New Mexico – were involved in 116, or 30 percent of fatal crashes.

Roughly 40 percent of all fatal crashes in New Mexico are alcohol-related. In addition to fatal accidents, about 2.9 million people are injured each year in the USA. On average, someone is killed by a drunk driver in the United States every forty minutes. To date, over 7,500 people have been killed from being hit by a drunk driver.

So far in 2017, in New Mexico alone, there have been 110 fatal crashes that were attributed to drunk drivers.

Of course, one death or accident that is alcohol-related is one too many.

In New Mexico, drunk drivers are required to pay for all the damages caused by their reckless behavior.

This includes medical bills, the pain caused by their conduct, emotional distress, lost wages, and other types of compensatory damages.  Not only is the drunk driver required to pay for the all of the injuries they caused, but they may also have to pay punitive damages.  Punitive damages were created to punish the drunk driver through essentially fining them as a criminal punishment, but they also help to deter others from drinking and driving in the future.  The amount of punitive damages awarded reflects the importance deterring others from drinking and driving.

Unfortunately, many drunk drivers are irresponsible and do not have enough insurance or money to cover the damage they have caused.  When this happens, your own insurance company may cover medical bills, pain and suffering, and the punitive damages that drunk driver is responsible to pay.  New Mexico law on uninsured and underinsured motorist insurance has changed significantly in the past few years.  These changes help people injured by drunk drivers recover the damages they deserve.

Who Is Responsible For Your Drunk Driving Related Injury?

In some cases, the bar, restaurant, or liquor store that over-served drunk driver and then let that drunk driver get into their car may also be held responsible for their actions.  The New Mexico Dram Act permits those injured by drunk drivers who were over-served by the bar, restaurant or liquor stores.  Just as punitive damages help deter drunk drivers, holding a bar, restaurant or liquor store responsible for placing profit ahead of people deters other companies from allowing their customers to drink and drive.

At the Davis Law Firm, we are dedicated to helping you recover all your damages caused by a drunk driver and helping take drunk drivers off of the street.  So, if you or a family member was hit by a drunk driver, please call so that we may help protect your rights.