If you or somebody you care about has been injured in a pedestrian accident caused by the actions of another driver and New Mexico, you should be able to recover compensation for your losses. Unfortunately, pedestrian accident injuries can leave victims suffering from significant injuries that have long-lasting consequences. It is not uncommon are those involved in these incidents to need extensive medical care and ongoing assistance as they recover. Here, our Albuquerque pedestrian accident lawyers want to discuss the various types of compensation typically available after a New Mexico pedestrian accident occurs.
Pedestrian Accidents Are a Problem in New Mexico
According to data available from the New Mexico Department of Transportation, there were 638 total pedestrians involved in collisions across the state during the latest reporting year. Out of these incidents, there were 83 pedestrian fatalities and hundreds of injuries. Pedestrians have very little protection from the force of the vehicle slamming into them, and it is not uncommon for survivors to sustain significant injuries, including broken or dislocated bones, traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord trauma, internal organ damage, and more.
The Compensation Available for These Incidents
There may be various types of compensation available to pedestrian accident victims in New Mexico. In most cases, this will include both economic and non-economic damages.
- Economic damages. This is also referred to as special damages and focuses on the types of losses that are relatively calculable after a pedestrian accident occurs. This includes, but is not limited to, the following:
- All pedestrian crash medical expenses
- Physical therapy or rehabilitation
- Prescription medications or medical devices
- Lost income
- General household out-of-pocket expenses
- Property damage expenses
- Non-economic damages. This is also referred to as general damages, and this type of compensation is going to be more immeasurable than the economic losses mentioned above. We say immeasurable because there are no bills or receipts that can be gathered and added up to reach a total for pedestrian accident victims:
- Physical pain and suffering
- Emotional and psychological pain and suffering
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Loss of consortium for a spouse or family members
The total amount of compensation available to pedestrian accident victims in New Mexico will vary depending on the facts and circumstances surrounding each particular situation. For pedestrian crashes that result in severe injuries, victims will likely be able to recover higher amounts of compensation. Some of the other factors that can influence how much compensation is available in these situations include how long it takes for a pedestrian crash victim to recover, the level of a victim’s pain and suffering, and the extent of any property damage.
Working With a New Mexico Pedestrian Accident Lawyer
If you or somebody you love has been injured in a pedestrian accident caused by the careless or negligent actions of another driver in New Mexico, you need to work with a skilled Albuquerque injury attorney as soon as possible. An attorney will be able to handle every aspect of your claim, and they will work with trusted medical and economic experts to properly calculate total expected losses. You deserve to recover full compensation, and your best chance of doing so will be working with an attorney that has extensive experience handling complex injury claims.
