New Mexico semi truck accidents can cause devastating injuries. On such semi truck accident recently occurred in New Mexico on I-40 at the line between Guadalupe County and Torrance County near Clines Corners.
The semi truck accident occurred when a tandem semi truck operated by Fed-Ex hit a family moving from California to Texas. Most devastating, the semi crash resulted in the death of two people, a woman and her eight month old grandson.
The semi truck accident brings to light a common question that people ask a lawyer, “Is there any more that can be recovered from a semi truck driver than a driver of a passenger vehicle.” The answer, many times, is “yes”.
First, New Mexico insurance law requires that any commercial vehicle, including semi trucks, must carry a higher minimum level of insurance. While a passenger vehicle must be insured for $25,000, a commercial vehicle, such as a FedEx semitruck, must have $1 million in insurance. In addition, there are a couple questions that come to mind regarding this particular accident. Considering it occurred at 11:30 PM, it raises the question of whether driver fatigue contributed to the semi accident. New Mexico semi truck regulations place strict guidelines on how many hours a semi truck can be driven and how many hours the operator must sleep. Often times these truck regulations are ignored and drivers operate under heavy medication or narcotics to stay awake at the wheel, albeit at an altered state.
Another fact that this tragic semi truck accident brings to light is that it is neccessary for the accident victims to take immediate action to preserve the case. Crucial pieces of information such as recording devices and logs must be preserved so that the evidence can be carefully analyzed. Failure to act quickly to preserve these items may result in their destruction.
In the event that any New Mexico semi-truck regulations were ignored, or the driver caused the accident beyond mere negligence, there could be exposure to substantial punitive damages for which it is likely FedEx has viable assets. Although no amount is enough to reverse such an accident, it is nonetheless important to make sure rights are protected.