Should I use my own insurance or file workers comp after a Farmington jobsite crash?

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The worst mistake people make is using their own health insurance first because the boss says it's easier. If you were hurt doing your job, file workers' comp. In New Mexico, letting the claim start as &#34;personal insurance&#34; can give the employer and insurer room to argue later that it was not work-related. In the next 24 hours: Tell your employer in writing that you were hurt on the job. In New Mexico, injured workers generally must give notice within 15 days of the accident or of learning the injury is work-related. Text or email is better than a hallway conversation. Get medical care and clearly say the injury happened at work. If this was a storm-related vehicle crash, hydroplaning incident, or sudden-stop injury near Farmington during monsoon season, say that too. Save photos, names of witnesses, and any incident report. Do not give a recorded statement to an insurance adjuster just because they sound friendly. That call is often about locking you into details before you know the full extent of a meniscus tear, back injury, or head injury. In the next week: Ask whether your employer reported the injury to the New Mexico Workers' Compensation Administration. If they stall, deny, or push you to use private insurance, contact the WCA yourself. New Mexico law also bars retaliation for claiming workers' comp benefits. Keep every document: ER notes, urgent care discharge papers, missed-time records, and mileage to treatment. If your employer says &#34;we'll pay cash&#34; or &#34;don't make it a comp claim,&#34; treat that as a warning sign. In the next month: Watch for delay tactics: &#34;we're still investigating,&#34; repeated requests for the same forms, or denials claiming it was a preexisting problem. Keep treatment going and follow restrictions. If a non-employer caused the crash - like another driver on a flooded road - there may also be a separate claim against that driver's auto policy. New Mexico's minimum liability limits are only 25/50/10, and that low $10,000 property-damage limit shows how quickly minimum coverage gets used up.