Car accidents impact thousands of people in Denver and throughout Colorado every year. The Colorado Department of Transportation reported nearly 600 deaths and almost 3,200 serious injuries from motor vehicle accidents statewide in one recent year. The Denver area is particularly prone to car crashes. Statistics show Denver County had the third-highest number of fatalities and highest number of serious injuries among all Colorado counties during that same period.
While most traffic collisions are called accidents, most crashes aren’t accidental at all. In almost all cases, wrecks happen due to the negligent actions of another party. Under Colorado law, accident victims can pursue compensation from the responsible party through a personal injury claim.
The car accident lawyers at Geiger Legal Group, LLC, can help you put your life back together after a serious crash in Colorado. Our attorneys have more than 40 years of legal experience representing injured people. When you put your case in our hands, you can trust us to do everything possible to obtain the car accident compensation you deserve.
Let’s get started today. Call or contact us now for a free consultation with a Colorado car accident lawyer.
Driving Laws in Colorado
Most Colorado driving laws are similar to what you’d find in other states. However, it’s important to be familiar with Colorado’s auto insurance laws if you’re ever involved in a crash.
Until 2003, Colorado was a no-fault state for car accident claims. This meant that unless someone suffered major injuries in a crash, they generally could not file an insurance claim or personal injury lawsuit against whoever injured them. Instead, drivers filed a claim with their own insurance companies and used their no-fault benefits to cover their medical bills, lost wages, and other expenses.
Now, Colorado uses a fault-based system. Motorists who suffer injuries in a crash are free to seek financial compensation from the at-fault party(s), provided they have strong evidence to back up their claim.
Determining fault for a collision isn’t always straightforward. In cases where multiple parties share the blame for a crash, the state’s modified comparative negligence law dictates how compensation may be awarded to accident victims. As long as you are less than 50 percent responsible for the car accident that injured you, compensation is still possible. However, the amount of compensation you receive will be reduced by your percentage of fault.
It’s critical to be assigned a fair portion of fault after an auto accident. That’s because if you are assigned 50 percent or more responsible of the blame for the wreck, you lose your right to compensation altogether. For this reason, it’s wise to contact a Colorado car accident attorney as soon as possible. A lawyer can gather persuasive evidence to reduce or eliminate your liability for the crash.
Types of Car Accidents
All kinds of auto accidents can cause serious and catastrophic injuries. Some of the most common types of Colorado car accidents include:
- Head-on collisions – While head-on collisions occur less frequently than other types of crashes, their consequences can be devastating. These accidents usually involve vehicles traveling at high speeds, which increases the force of impact and the severity of any injuries or property damage. Some common causes of head-on accidents include impaired driving, speeding or aggressive driving, distracted driving, and bad weather.
- Rear-end collisions – Data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) shows that nearly one-third of all car crashes in a recent year were rear-end collisions. Rear-end accidents are frequently the result of distracted driving, drunk driving, tailgating, and driving too fast for road conditions.
- Sideswipes – A sideswipe accident occurs when one vehicle collides with the side of another vehicle traveling beside it in the same or opposite direction. A side-impact crash can cause both drivers to lose control and veer into other vehicles or nearby objects. Common causes of sideswipe collisions include speeding, unsafe lane changes, failure to check blind spots, and distracted driving.
- T-bone accident – These crashes happen when the front or rear of one car slams into the side of another vehicle. A T-bone accident gets its name because of the “T” shape formed when the vehicles collide. These collisions are hazardous because cars offer less side protection to occupants. T-bone collisions are often caused by red-light running or failure to yield at an intersection.
No matter what type of crash injured you, it’s vital to talk with a Denver car accident attorney as soon as possible. The sooner a lawyer gets started on your case, the better. Your legal team can begin investigating your car accident case, reviewing the police report and other evidence, and developing a legal strategy that demands maximum compensation from the at-fault party.
Site by