What the ER doctor writes is your starting point. What the workers' comp insurer does with that note is try to turn it into a cheaper claim, especially if you're a veteran with old VA records they can point at.

In the next 24 hours: Report the crash to your employer in writing. In New Mexico, the worker generally has only 15 days to give notice of a job injury. If you were driving for work on I-25, US-285, or anywhere around Albuquerque when you hit a deer, that is usually a work injury if you were in the course of your job.

Money-wise, the basic wage-loss rate is usually about two-thirds of your average weekly wage if a doctor takes you completely off work. It is not your full paycheck, and it is subject to the annual state maximum under the New Mexico Workers' Compensation Administration rules. If they offer light duty and your pay drops, you may be looking at partial disability benefits instead of full temporary total disability.

In the next week: Get the crash report, ER records, and work restrictions. In New Mexico, the first fight is often over the doctor. If your employer picked the initial provider, you can usually change after 60 days. If you picked first, they may get that switch right after 60 days instead. That matters because one clinic note saying "can return to light duty" can cut checks fast.

If another driver caused the crash after you swerved or got hit in the mess, you may also have a third-party claim. Workers' comp pays wage and medical benefits; the separate injury claim may cover more.

In the next month: If checks are late, treatment is denied, or they start pushing your VA history to say this was "preexisting," file with the New Mexico Workers' Compensation Administration. The outside deadline to file a formal claim is generally 1 year.

Also know this: your employer in New Mexico cannot legally retaliate just because you filed a workers' comp claim. If they cut hours, fake a "light-duty" job, or start papering your file after the report, that is not random.