Experienced Pedestrian Accident Lawyers in Albuquerque
If you or someone in your family was hit by a car, truck, or other vehicle while walking in Albuquerque or anywhere in New Mexico, the Gaddy Law Firm is here to help. Our pedestrian accident lawyers represent injured pedestrians and the families of those killed in pedestrian crashes. We do not represent drivers or insurance companies. Our focus is on advocating for the person who was hurt and helping that person pursue the compensation the law allows.
New Mexico has long faced a serious pedestrian-safety problem and has frequently ranked among the states with the highest per-capita pedestrian fatality rates. Recent reports have also shown a significant number of pedestrian deaths statewide, including many in Bernalillo County and Albuquerque. Behind those numbers are people who were walking to work, crossing the street to pick up groceries, or simply out for an evening walk when a driver’s conduct changed their lives. These are not just statistics to us. They are the cases we take and the clients we represent.
FROM CLAIMS TO CLOSE, YOU NEED A GREAT PEDESTRIAN ACCIDENT LAWYER
If you have been injured or a loved one has been killed in a pedestrian accident, you have the right to seek compensation under New Mexico law. We offer a free consultation to review your case and explain your legal options. We work on a contingency fee, which means you pay us nothing unless we recover money for you.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a pedestrian accident in Albuquerque or anywhere in New Mexico, the Gaddy Law Firm is ready to help. We offer a free, no-obligation consultation to review your case and explain your options. We handle pedestrian accident cases on a contingency fee basis, which means there is no cost to you unless we recover compensation on your behalf.
Evidence in pedestrian cases is time-sensitive. Surveillance footage gets erased, witnesses move on, and the insurance company’s team is already building its defense. The sooner you reach out, the sooner we can start protecting your rights and preserving the proof you need.
START YOUR RECOVERY TODAY
Your life can change forever due to a pedestrian accident. A seasoned personal injury attorney will get the results you deserve. The Gaddy Law Firm in Albuquerque, New Mexico, takes a stand for you to make sure the insurance company pays for your losses. For an initial consultation, contact us today.
"Contingency" Means You Don't Pay Until You Win
No amount of money can undo the harm caused by a negligent driver, but the law provides a way to pursue accountability and financial recovery for the losses a pedestrian accident can cause. At the Gaddy Law Firm, we work to recover the compensation our clients are entitled to seek, whether through settlement negotiations or, when necessary, trial. New Mexico law provides important protections for injured pedestrians, and the right legal strategy can help you put those protections to work while you focus on your recovery.
Types of Pedestrian Accident Cases We Handle
Distracted Driving
A driver looking at a phone instead of the road may not see a pedestrian in time to stop, making distraction one of the most common and preventable causes of pedestrian crashes in Albuquerque.
Speeding
Higher speeds give drivers less time to react and increase both the chance of striking a pedestrian and the severity of injuries, which is why evidence of speeding can strongly support a negligence claim.
Failure to Yield at Crosswalks
New Mexico law generally requires drivers to yield to pedestrians in marked or unmarked crosswalks, and a driver who fails to do so may be liable, though the outcome depends on the specific evidence.
Drunk and Impaired Driving
Alcohol and drugs slow reaction time and reduce a driver’s ability to perceive pedestrians, and evidence of impairment may support claims for both compensatory and, in some cases, punitive damages.
Left Turns at Intersections
Left-turning drivers focused on oncoming traffic often fail to check the crosswalk and strike pedestrians they never saw, a crash especially common at intersections without protected left-turn signals.
Poor Lighting and Road Design
Many pedestrian accidents happen after dark on roads lacking adequate lighting, sidewalks, or crosswalks, and unsafe public infrastructure may factor into liability along with the driver’s conduct.
Backing-Up Accidents in Parking Lots & Driveways
Many pedestrian accidents occur off public roads when a driver backs up without checking behind the vehicle, putting children and elderly pedestrians at particular risk.
Hit and Run Crashes
Leaving the scene of an injury crash carries serious criminal penalties in New Mexico, and injured pedestrians may still recover through uninsured motorist coverage or by working with investigators to identify the driver.
Ready to talk? We're Ready to help
Your life can change forever after a pedestrian accident. Don’t let the insurance company dictate what happens to you. Gaddy Law Firm in Albuquerque, New Mexico, takes a stand for you and your future. For an initial consultation, contact us today.
New Mexico Pedestrian Laws That Affect Your Case
Drivers must yield to pedestrians in crosswalks
Under NMSA 66-7-334, when traffic signals are not in place or not operating, a driver must yield the right of way to a pedestrian crossing within a crosswalk, slowing down or stopping as needed. This applies to both marked crosswalks (painted lines) and unmarked crosswalks (the natural extension of a sidewalk across an intersection). If a driver runs through a crosswalk and hits a pedestrian, that statutory violation may support a negligence per se theory or serve as strong evidence of negligence, depending on how the court applies the law to the facts of the case.
Drivers cannot pass a vehicle stopped for a pedestrian
The same statute generally prohibits a driver approaching from behind from overtaking and passing a vehicle that has stopped at a crosswalk to let a pedestrian cross. The rule is intended to prevent situations in which the passing driver and the pedestrian cannot see each other until the last moment. A violation can create a dangerous condition and may be significant evidence in a pedestrian-injury case.
All drivers owe pedestrians a duty of due care
Beyond the crosswalk rules, New Mexico law requires every driver to exercise due care to avoid hitting a pedestrian. That can include sounding the horn when reasonably necessary and using added caution around children or anyone who appears unable to perceive danger, such as a visually impaired person using a white cane. This duty applies beyond marked crosswalks. When the evidence shows a driver saw or reasonably should have seen a pedestrian and failed to take reasonable steps to avoid a collision, that evidence can support a negligence claim.
Drivers must stop and render aid after striking a pedestrian
New Mexico law generally requires a driver involved in a collision with an injured pedestrian to stop, provide identifying information, and render reasonable assistance, including seeking emergency medical help when appropriate. Leaving the scene can expose a driver to criminal penalties. In a civil case, the failure to stop may also be relevant evidence, depending on the facts and the court’s evidentiary rulings.
How a Pedestrian Accident Attorney Helps YOU
Investigating the Crash and Preserving Evidence.
After a pedestrian crash, the evidence that proves what really happened can vanish fast. Surveillance footage from nearby businesses often gets recorded over in a matter of days or weeks. Traffic camera footage may have to be requested from the city before it’s purged. Skid marks fade, road conditions change, and witnesses start to forget. So we move fast. We work to lock down every piece of evidence we can: the police crash report, surveillance and traffic camera footage, photos of the scene, the road conditions, the lighting, and when it helps, an accident reconstruction expert who can analyze the physical evidence and show exactly how the collision happened. Was the driver on their phone? We can subpoena their phone records to prove it. Do we suspect they’d been drinking? We go after toxicology results and any bar or restaurant receipts we can find.
Identifying Potentially Liable Parties and Available Insurance.
Here’s something a lot of people don’t realize: the driver isn’t always the only one responsible. Depending on the facts, there may be claims against an employer, the owner of the vehicle, or in some cases another person or company whose conduct helped cause the crash. We also dig into every insurance policy that might apply, which can include the driver’s liability policy, an employer or commercial policy, and when it’s available, your own uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage. Finding every claim and every dollar of available coverage is one of the most important things we do on a serious pedestrian-injury case.
What if the Insurance Company Tries to Blame Me?
They almost always do. Insurance companies defending these claims will try to pin as much fault on you as they possibly can. They’ll say you were jaywalking, that you stepped into traffic out of nowhere, that you were wearing dark clothing, that you were staring at your phone, that you should have crossed somewhere else. Why? Because the more fault they put on you, the less they have to pay. We fight back with evidence. We show that the driver was speeding, texting, impaired, or just not paying attention. We bring in the road conditions, the crosswalks (or the fact that there weren’t any), the lighting, and anything else that proves the driver carries the greater share of the blame. And we make the law crystal clear to the jury, because a lot of jurors don’t know that a driver owes a duty of care to pedestrians even outside of a crosswalk.
Proving the Full Value of Your Damages.
A serious pedestrian injury can change your life, and proving the full extent of the harm takes a lot more than stacking up your medical bills. We work with your doctors to map out the medical care, and the costs, you’re going to need down the road. We bring in economists to calculate what you’ve lost in earning power. We work with mental health professionals to document the emotional toll. For clients living with a permanent injury, we may use life care planners to lay out the long-term cost of that disability, and we may put together day-in-the-life videos that show a jury exactly how the accident has changed your daily life. Our job is to make sure nothing gets left out, so that whatever you recover, by settlement or by verdict, actually covers what this has cost you.
Being Your Advocate Through a Difficult Time.
A serious pedestrian accident can turn your whole life upside down. Beyond the legal strategy, having a lawyer means having someone in your corner for all the practical headaches that come with a bad injury. We help coordinate your records, answer the insurance questions, deal with the paperwork, and keep you updated as your case moves along. We’ll tell you straight where things stand, what’s coming next, and what your case is really worth, the strengths and the risks both. You handle your recovery. We’ll handle the legal side. Let us help.