Hurt your spine in a crash? Talk with a lawyer who focuses on serious injury cases.

A spinal column injury is harm to the bones, discs, or ligaments of the back or neck. If a car crash, truck crash, or fall in New Mexico caused your injury, a spinal column injury lawyer can review how it happened and what your claim may include. This page explains the claim, the evidence that matters, and how El Gringo Law can help you choose your next step.

What a Spinal Column Injury Claim Covers

A spinal column injury claim seeks payment for harm to the bones, discs, and ligaments that surround your spinal cord. The spinal cord is the nerve bundle running inside that column. Fractured vertebrae, herniated discs, and ligament tears are all column injuries. Some of them also damage the cord.

That difference matters. MedlinePlus explains that a spinal cord injury can cause paralysis and sensory or functional loss below the level of injury. A herniated disc or cracked vertebra can cause severe pain without cord damage. Your medical records show which structures were hurt, and those records shape how the claim is documented and valued.

This page covers claims from car accidents, trucking accidents, and premises liability incidents. If your injury involves nerve or cord damage, our spinal cord injury information goes into that issue more closely.

Common Ways Spinal Column Injuries Happen in New Mexico

The most common causes are vehicle crashes and falls on unsafe property. Each cause raises different questions about fault and proof.

• Rear-end and intersection crashes. New Mexico law says a driver shall not follow another vehicle more closely than is reasonable and prudent (§ 66-7-318).
• Truck crashes. Crashes with large commercial vehicles often involve more force, which can produce more serious spinal damage.
• Falls on unsafe property. Wet floors, broken stairs, and hidden hazards can cause a fall. Under UJI 13-1318 NMRA, an owner or occupant can be charged with knowledge of a condition that a reasonable inspection would have revealed.
• Severe impacts. Some crashes cause fractures that need surgery or long rehabilitation. These can fall under catastrophic injury claims.

Symptoms can start right away or days later. Early medical evaluation protects your health and your claim.

Damages: What a Claim Can Include

A spinal column injury claim can seek compensation for the losses the injury caused. The value depends on the facts, the evidence, and the medical record. Common categories include:

• Past and future medical costs, such as imaging, visits with treating doctors, physical therapy, injections, and surgery.
• Lost wages and lost ability to earn in the future.
• Pain, suffering, and loss of enjoyment of life.
• Care at home, mobility aids, or home changes, when your medical record supports them.
• Loss of consortium.

Every case is different. Past results do not predict a similar outcome.

Why Symptoms After a Crash Need Prompt Documentation

Prompt medical care and steady follow-up build the record your claim depends on. Back or neck pain, numbness, tingling, or weakness can start hours or days after a collision. A delayed symptom still belongs in your claim when you report it and get it checked.

Gaps in treatment give the other side an argument that something else caused the injury. Keep every appointment, and tell your provider about every symptom, even small ones.

Useful records include:

• Emergency room or urgent care notes from the first visit
• Imaging reports, such as X-rays, CT scans, and MRI results
• Treatment plans, physical therapy notes, and medication records
• Work restrictions from your doctor
• A daily journal of pain, sleep, and tasks you can no longer do

Crash reports matter too. New Mexico requires a driver in a crash resulting in bodily injury or death, or property damage to an apparent extent of $500 or more, to immediately give notice to police, a sheriff, or state police, depending on location (§ 66-7-206).

How the Process Works With El Gringo Law

The process begins with a free, confidential first consultation with no obligation to continue. Each step after that depends on the facts of your injury.

1. First consultation. We review how the crash or fall happened and what symptoms you have.
2. Records. We gather medical records, crash or incident reports, and insurance information.
3. Investigation. We look at who may be responsible, such as another driver, a trucking company, or a property owner.
4. Damages. We build the medical and financial picture with your providers’ records and communicate with the insurer.
5. Resolution. We negotiate and, if needed, file suit. Timelines vary from case to case.

Deadlines matter. Filing deadlines can be short, and claims against a government entity follow shorter deadlines and notice rules. Ask about the deadline for your claim at the first consultation.

Fault also matters. Under New Mexico’s pure comparative negligence approach, an injured person’s share of fault lowers the damages they can recover but does not bar recovery. Generally, a defendant pays only its own share of fault, except as otherwise provided by law, such as where a defendant acted with intent to inflict injury or damage (joint and several liability applies in full), or is vicariously liable for another’s acts or strictly liable for a defective product (joint liability applies only to the portion of total liability attributed to those persons) (§ 41-3A-1).

In trucking cases, federal rules limit driving time. Under 49 C.F.R. § 395.3, a driver may not drive without first taking 10 consecutive hours off duty, may not drive after a period of 14 consecutive hours after coming on duty following 10 consecutive hours off duty, and may drive a total of 11 hours during the period specified in that 14-hour limit. After certain crashes, the employer must test surviving drivers for alcohol and drugs as soon as practicable (49 C.F.R. § 382.303).

Why Work With El Gringo Law

El Gringo Law handles injury cases across New Mexico, including car accidents, trucking accidents, premises liability, catastrophic injuries, and spinal cord injuries. The firm also takes negligent security, wrongful death, sexual assault, amputation, and burn injury cases.

• Responsible lawyer. Josh Wood, licensed in New Mexico and Arizona, is the responsible lawyer for this page.
• Team support. Our team includes assistants and office staff who help gather records and handle paperwork. They are staff, not lawyers.
• Service area. The firm represents injured people in Albuquerque, Bernalillo County, Sandoval County, Rio Rancho, Santa Fe, Las Cruces, Taos, and Farmington.

Frequently Asked Questions

Short answers to the questions people ask most often about spinal column injury claims.

Talk With a Lawyer About Your Spine Injury Today

If back or neck pain started after a crash or fall in New Mexico, your next decision may involve a claim. Reach out now so your medical timeline and crash facts can be reviewed while they are still fresh. Contact El Gringo Law through the contact form, by phone, or by chat. Josh Wood is the responsible lawyer for this page.