Law Office of Matthew Vance, P.C., Personal Injury Law Blog

The United States District Court for the District of New Mexico recently denied a motion to remand to state court a New Mexico premises liability case based on damages from a slip and fall. An injured child, who was seven years old at the time of the accident giving rise to the lawsuit, was alleged…

The United States District Court for the District of New Mexico recently denied a motion to dismiss brought on behalf of an insurance company that sought the dismissal of a class action complaint. The class action complaint sought recovery of damages against an insurance company based on several theories of liability, including the sale of…

The Court of Appeals of New Mexico recently entered a ruling concerning the obligation of insurance companies to pay punitive damages. In its ruling, the Court of Appeals reversed a judgment entered by the trial court in favor of an insured car owner that provided the insurance company had to pay him $20,000 in punitive…

In early January 2018, the continental United States experienced record-breaking weather conditions. Snow came down in parts of the country that usually enjoy mild winters, including Florida, where, reportedly, the cold caused iguanas to lose their grips and fall out of trees. Inclement weather and the hazards it poses to health and safety can be…

The Albuquerque Journal ran an article recently about the outcome of courtroom monitoring in New Mexico drunk driving cases, which led to reporting to the New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT). The monitoring of 1,106 cases across six New Mexico counties was part of an initiative by Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). The initiative has…

New Mexico residents share the roads with commercial vehicles, including trucks. Among concerns are accidents caused by truck driver fatigue. There are resources available to educate truck drivers, who are often under pressure to drive longer hours by their employers. Technology in the shipping and trucking industries is rapidly advancing. Tesla debuted in November 2017…

Drinking while intoxicated by alcohol reduces the ability of a driver to control a moving vehicle and judge distances, speeds, and movements of other vehicles on the road. Under New Mexico’s DWI laws, it is illegal for drivers who are 21 years old and older to drive with a breath or blood alcohol concentration of…

Bicycling is popular in New Mexico. Under state law, drivers are expected to share the roads with bicyclists and to be on the lookout. Sometimes drivers of cars and other large vehicles are not respectful of bicyclists. Whether or not a bicyclist has taken safety precautions, New Mexico bike crashes and other accidents caused by…

Recoveries of monetary damages can be had in New Mexico by way of financial compensation for injuries sustained in accidents in moving vehicles. Injuries can be worse when people are not wearing seat belts. Currently, New Mexico law does not require school buses to be equipped with seat belts. A New Mexico school bus accident…

Accident victims who successfully prove liability, or legal fault, in a New Mexico truck accident case may be awarded several types of damages. Compensatory damages are a common type of damages, which includes lost wages, costs of medical care, and emotional pain and suffering. Compensatory damages serve the purpose of placing the accident victim in…