Most car accidents do not cause life-threatening emergencies, so if two cars collide, your biggest worry is usually which driver is at fault for the accident, because this determines which driver’s insurance policy will pay for the medical bills and vehicle damage resulting from the accident. The at-fault driver’s insurance premiums also increase as a result of the accident. New Mexico is a comparative fault state, which means that the insurance companies might divide responsibility for the accident equally or unequally between the two drivers, or even assign part of the fault to another party, such as the owner of the vehicle, if the person driving one of the vehicles did not own it.
What happens with single-vehicle accidents, such as when a car strikes a pedestrian or a stationary structure? The driver is usually at fault, but sometimes other parties can also be responsible. For example, if the accident resulted from a vehicular malfunction caused by a manufacturer’s defect, you might be able to file a product liability claim. Likewise, dram shop liability laws might apply if the driver drank alcohol at a bar before driving. If you have been injured in a single-vehicle accident, contact a Santa Fe car accident lawyer.
Another Tesla Gone Rogue?
The days of in-person shopping may have been long gone by the summer of 2025, such that suburban strip malls were no longer a place to hang out. Despite this, UPS stores will always have a customer base, since when people need to ship packages in person, that is where they go. Therefore, one day in June 2025, when a Tesla crashed through the storefront plate glass window of a UPS Store in the suburbs of Albuquerque, there were multiple people inside, and five of them suffered injuries serious enough to require medical treatment, although none of the injuries were life-threatening. Bystanders called 911, and first responders transported four people to the hospital, but a fifth refused ambulance transport. The car went so far into the store that only its back tires and back bumper were still on the sidewalk.
The driver of the Tesla was not injured. Police said that she was not under the influence of alcohol. As of the publication of the most recent news reports, no cause has been revealed for the accident. It could have been a mistake by the driver or a defect in the vehicle. There have been several high-profile cases of Tesla vehicles behaving in unpredictable ways, such as spontaneously losing their wheels or their batteries overheating to extremely high temperatures. If the accident resulted from a defect in the vehicle, the injured people can file a product liability claim.
Contact Slate Stern About Car Accident Lawsuits
Slate Stern is a personal injury lawyer who represents plaintiffs injured in car accidents involving a single vehicle in New Mexico. Contact Slate Stern in Santa Fe, New Mexico, or call (505) 814-1517 to discuss your case.
Sources
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/five-injured-driver-crashes-downtown-035900839.html
Photo by Dylan Calluy on Unsplash