Albuquerque has some of the best riding roads in the country — Sandia Crest Road, the Turquoise Trail toward Madrid, the Tramway-Tijeras loop through the Cibola — and some of the most dangerous urban riding conditions in the state. The Albuquerque drivers who hit motorcyclists almost never report seeing the rider. The insurance carriers who defend those drivers almost always blame the rider. If you were injured riding in Albuquerque, you need a lawyer who understands both the technical reality of motorcycle dynamics and the bias your case is going to face.
I’m Alex Flores, Senior Counsel at Singleton Schreiber and a former Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney in Albuquerque. I tried 17 federal jury trials at the federal courthouse downtown before leaving the Department of Justice. I bring that trial preparation to motorcycle cases — including the testimony-driven work of countering the “I didn’t see them” defense that defines almost every motorcycle injury case.
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Where Albuquerque Motorcycle Crashes Happen
- Tramway Boulevard and the Sandia foothills. Heavy weekend rider traffic, scenic curves, and tourists in rentals all converge. Left-turn-in-front-of-a-rider is the most common pattern.
- Sandia Crest Road (NM-536). A premier riding road — and unforgiving when it goes wrong. Single-vehicle crashes caused by gravel, debris, or distracted drivers on the way to the crest are not unusual.
- The Big-I and I-40 east-west. Lane-change collisions involving riders are common in heavy traffic. Drivers do not check the blind spot before merging into a rider.
- Central Avenue from Old Town through Downtown to Nob Hill. Urban surface street with rider-hostile conditions: parked-car door strikes, left-turn-across-rider patterns, distracted pedestrians and rideshare passengers.
- Coors Boulevard and Paseo del Norte. Speeding drivers, frequent lane changes, and a high uninsured rate make these corridors among the worst in the metro for rider injury severity.
The “I Didn’t See Them” Defense
Almost every Albuquerque motorcycle injury case I take involves the same defense: the at-fault driver claims they did not see the motorcycle. Insurance carriers know that juries can be biased against riders — that some prospective jurors assume motorcyclists are risk-takers and weave fault into their analysis whether the facts support it or not. The work of building a motorcycle case is the work of dismantling that bias with hard evidence: scene reconstruction, sight-line analysis, helmet and gear documentation, and direct testimony from the rider and any witnesses.
NM is a pure comparative fault state. Even a rider who is found partially at fault can still recover — the recovery is reduced by the fault percentage. That cuts both ways: insurance carriers aggressively push fault onto riders, and good cases are won by pushing that number as low as the facts allow.
Motorcycle Injury Patterns
Motorcycle injuries are categorically more severe than car-occupant injuries because the rider has no crumple zone, no airbags, and no seatbelt. Common injuries in Albuquerque motorcycle cases include:
- Traumatic brain injury — even with a helmet, depending on impact angle and speed. TBI symptoms often present hours or days after the crash.
- Spinal cord injuries and paralysis — particularly in highway-speed collisions.
- Road rash and full-thickness burns requiring skin grafts and lifetime cosmetic and functional treatment.
- Compound fractures — femur, tibia, clavicle, pelvis — frequently requiring surgical hardware and lengthy rehabilitation.
- Amputation — usually crush injuries to lower limbs.
- PTSD — the psychological aftermath of a serious crash deserves documentation, treatment, and full inclusion in your damages claim.
The NM Law That Decides Your Case
Three-year statute of limitations for personal injury (NMSA § 37-1-8). Three years for wrongful death. Pure comparative fault. State minimum bodily injury liability is $25,000 per person — wholly inadequate for serious motorcycle injuries — which is why your own UM/UIM coverage, including NM’s stacking rule, is often the most important source of recovery. Helmet use is required by law in NM only for riders under 18, but the lack of a helmet does not bar adult recovery — and whether it can even be used to reduce damages is unsettled in New Mexico, so do not let an adjuster treat it as automatic.
Why Alex Flores
I grew up in New Mexico, I know its roads, and I prepare every case as if it will be tried — because the cases that settle for the most are the ones the insurance carrier knows will go to a jury. I served as a Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney in Albuquerque before joining Singleton Schreiber, I tried 17 federal jury trials, and I still serve as a Judge Advocate with the New Mexico Air National Guard. Read more about my background, or see my New Mexico Motorcycle Accident Lawyer and Albuquerque Personal Injury Lawyer hubs.
Frequently Asked Questions: Albuquerque Motorcycle Accidents
Can I recover damages if I wasn’t wearing a helmet?
Yes. NM only requires helmets for riders under 18. For adult riders, the absence of a helmet does not bar recovery — it can be argued to support a comparative-fault percentage on injuries to the head, but not on injuries elsewhere on the body.
What if the driver says they didn’t see me?
This is the most common defense in motorcycle injury cases. It is rarely a true defense — the legal duty is to maintain a proper lookout, including for motorcycles. The driver’s failure to see you is itself evidence of negligence. Scene reconstruction, sight-line analysis, and witness testimony all build that case.
What if I was partly at fault?
NM is a pure comparative fault state. Even if you bear some fault, you can still recover, reduced by your percentage of fault. The fight is over the percentage — insurance carriers aggressively push fault onto riders, and a well-built case pushes back.
What if the driver had no insurance?
Your own Uninsured Motorist coverage applies — and NM is a stacking state, so if you have UM/UIM on multiple vehicles or policies, your effective coverage may be much higher than a single declarations page suggests.
How much does an Albuquerque motorcycle accident lawyer cost?
Contingency fee — no fee unless I recover. Case costs are advanced by the firm and reimbursed from the recovery. Case costs (accident reconstruction, medical experts, life-care planners) are advanced by the firm and reimbursed from the recovery per the fee agreement.
Free Albuquerque Case Review
Call (505) 587-3473 for a free, confidential conversation, or use my contact page.