Las Cruces Legal Blog

The parents of 12-year-old Eliza Almuina recently appeared before the Albuquerque city council and spoke about making roads safer in the area. Tragically, their daughter was using a crosswalk in front of her school when she was struck and killed by a driver who said he did not see the girl or her friend as they tried to cross Louisiana Boulevard. Almanzar & Youngers, P.A., is representing the child's mother in her capacity as Personal Representative for the Wrongful Death Estate of Eliza Justine Almuina.

New Mexico is one of the more restrictive states when it comes to legal fireworks sold to the public. However, there are still many firework-related injuries that occur each year, particularly in the month surrounding the July 4^th holiday.

These injuries happen in neighborhoods, at family gatherings or even when professionals are working. You need only look at the injuries recently suffered by firefighters at a fireworks storage facility at the Roswell International Air Center to know how dangerous they can be.

On March 1, a Tesla Model 3 was headed down a divided highway in Florida. The driver turned on the Autopilot system, which uses computers, cameras and long-range radar to avoid crashes. Almost as soon as the driver turned on the Autopilot and took his hands off the wheel, he crashed into a semi-truck. The car went under the trailer and killed the 50-year-old driver.

The crash is still under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). However, the agency confirmed initial data that the Autopilot feature was turned on just 10 seconds before the crash. Also, the car was going 68 mph in a 55-mph zone. And, the driver's hands were not on the steering wheel at the time leading up to the crash.

From collision avoidance systems to autonomous vehicles, the technology to reduce motor vehicle crashes is already on the market. In the best new cars, drivers are warned about everything from drifting out of their lane to approaching an obstacle. In many cases, the car can respond to an imminent collision more quickly and skillfully than the best driver. And the technology continues to improve.

Unfortunately, the technology isn't standard on all new cars -- at least, not yet. And what if you're not in the market for a new car? Do you have to wait for the technology to gradually become available in the used car market? Luckily, much of the technology is available on the aftermarket. You can have an advanced driver assistance technology system installed in your existing car for around $1,000.