If you or a family member received burn treatment at UNM Hospital in Albuquerque, your medical records document the full severity of your injuries. Those records are critical evidence in a New Mexico burn injury claim. New Mexico's 3-year statute of limitations under N.M. Stat. § 37-1-8 means acting promptly is essential.
The University of New Mexico Hospital Burn Unit is New Mexico's only ABA-verified burn center, serving the state's entire population plus burn victims transferred from across the Four Corners region — Arizona, Colorado, Utah, and New Mexico. Located within UNM Health Sciences Center in Albuquerque — New Mexico's only Level I Trauma Center — the burn unit handles the full spectrum of burn injuries from acute stabilization through skin grafting, wound management, and reconstructive care. As the state's sole specialized burn facility, it receives patients from remote rural areas, tribal lands, military installations, and industrial worksites throughout the high desert Southwest.
New Mexico's economy is shaped by oil and gas extraction in the Permian and San Juan basins, mining operations throughout the state, federal research facilities including Sandia National Laboratories and Los Alamos, and significant military installations. These industries create a distinctive pattern of high-severity burn injuries — particularly chemical burns, electrical arc flash injuries, and explosion-related burns — that arrive at UNM from across a vast geographic area.
New Mexico's industrial and federal economy creates significant burn risk across several sectors. Key regional burn hazards include:
New Mexico workers' compensation provides the exclusive remedy against your direct employer for workplace burn injuries — benefits cover medical treatment and disability without requiring proof of negligence. New Mexico law fully preserves your right to file third-party claims against contractors, equipment manufacturers, chemical suppliers, and property owners whose negligence contributed to your burn. New Mexico follows a pure comparative fault system — you can recover even if you were partially at fault, with damages reduced proportionally by your percentage of fault.
The New Mexico statute of limitations for personal injury claims is 3 years under N.M. Stat. § 37-1-8. Claims against the State of New Mexico or its agencies require a Notice of Tort Claim within 90 days under the New Mexico Tort Claims Act. Missing these deadlines permanently bars your right to compensation.
UNM burn unit records document injury severity in clinical terms that directly support legal damages. Your records may include:
Yes, in many cases. New Mexico workers' comp is the exclusive remedy against your direct employer, but it does not bar claims against the well operator, the general contractor, a subcontractor, the equipment manufacturer, or the chemical supplier whose negligence contributed to your injury. Oil field burn injuries in New Mexico frequently involve multiple parties on a well pad — identifying all potentially liable parties early is critical. New Mexico's pure comparative fault system means your recovery is not barred even if you had some fault in the incident.
Claims against the federal government for burn injuries are governed by the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA). You must file an administrative claim with the relevant federal agency (e.g., DOE for national lab contractors, DoD for military installation contractors) within 2 years of the injury. The FTCA has specific procedural requirements that differ significantly from state tort law. Federal contractors may be separately liable under New Mexico tort law even when the federal government itself is immune. Get a legal evaluation immediately — FTCA deadlines are strict and unforgiving.
Three years from the date of injury under N.M. Stat. § 37-1-8 for personal injury claims against private defendants. Claims against state or local government entities require a Notice of Tort Claim within 90 days under N.M. Stat. § 41-4-16. Claims against the federal government require an administrative FTCA claim within 2 years. Workers' compensation claims should be reported to your employer immediately and formally filed without delay. Missing any of these deadlines can permanently bar your rights — do not wait to get a free case evaluation.
Get a free case review from a burn injury attorney familiar with New Mexico law.
New Mexico has a 3-year statute of limitations and a 90-day notice requirement for public entity claims. Don't wait — get your free case review today.
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