A genuinely distinctive dual-track formula
New Mexico courts have put this plainly: a minor's lawsuit for personal injuries is not barred until one year after the minor reaches the age of majority, or until three years after the accident, whichever computation of time gives the injured minor the most time to act. Rather than picking one fixed formula, New Mexico runs both calculations and lets whichever is longer actually control.
How this plays out for a very young child
Consider a child injured at age 2. The three-years-from-injury calculation would expire at age 5 — far too early for a toddler to realistically pursue a claim on their own. Because New Mexico's rule lets the more generous calculation control, the age-based path instead applies: one year past the age of majority, effectively giving the child until age 19 to bring the claim through a representative or on their own once they're old enough.
How this plays out for an older teenager
Now consider a minor injured at age 17, just before turning 18. The age-based calculation would only add a single extra year beyond majority, expiring at 19 — just two years after the injury. Because the three-years-from-injury calculation here gives more time, extending to age 20, that calculation controls instead.
Why this genuinely matters
This dual-track structure means there's no single, universal "minor's deadline" in New Mexico — the actual controlling date depends entirely on the child's specific age at the time of injury. A family assuming a flat rule, borrowed from general knowledge of how other states handle minors, could easily miscalculate either direction. Confirming the actual controlling date for a specific child's age and injury date is a genuinely important early step in any New Mexico claim involving a minor.
Other ways New Mexico's clock can pause
Separately from minor tolling, New Mexico law pauses the statute of limitations in a few other real situations. Under NMSA § 37-1-10, if a person was legally incapacitated when their cause of action accrued, the time limit begins only once they regain legal capacity. Under NMSA § 37-1-9, the clock may also be tolled if the defendant leaves New Mexico or otherwise goes into hiding, since that can genuinely prevent the injured person from accomplishing timely service of a lawsuit.