Pueblo, Colorado

Pueblo Uninsured Motorist Lawyers Who Make Your Own Insurer Pay What It Owes

When the driver who hit you on Interstate 25 through the city, at the United States Highway 50B interchange, or on Pueblo Boulevard had no insurance, fled the scene, or carried limits too low to cover your injuries, the claim usually has to come from your own auto policy. We represent Pueblo crash victims in UM and UIM claims against their own carriers. Serving Pueblo County from our Denver office. No fee unless we win.

No fee unless we win

Call (303) 209-9395 Get my free UM/UIM case review

It's More Than Money.

Serving Pueblo from our Denver Office CGH Injury Lawyers 2701 Lawrence St., Suite 201 Denver, CO 80205 (303) 209-9395 Se habla espanol

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Colorado law requires every auto insurer in the state to offer UM/UIM coverage equal to your bodily injury liability limits, and any rejection must be in writing by the named insured (C.R.S. 10-4-609). If you never made a valid written rejection, you may still have this coverage now.
UM coverage pays when the at-fault driver had no insurance, fled the scene, or was a phantom vehicle. UIM pays the gap when the other driver had a limit too low to cover your losses. Under C.R.S. 10-4-609(4), buying UM automatically gives you UIM.
Because you are filing against your own insurer, the same tactics used on third-party claimants get pointed at you: slow responses, low first offers, and recorded-statement traps. Knowing that going in changes how the claim plays out.
At CGH Injury Lawyers, we represent Pueblo crash victims in UM and UIM claims against their own carriers, serving Pueblo County from our Denver office at 2701 Lawrence St., Suite 201. We pull every declarations page, confirm your coverage and any stacking, document the medical record, and prepare every case for trial or arbitration at the Pueblo Combined Court.

Free first consultation. No fee unless we win. Call (303) 209-9395.

C.R.S. 10-4-609: what the statute requires

Every Colorado auto insurer must offer UM/UIM coverage equal to the bodily injury liability limits you buy. You can reject it, but only in writing by the named insured (C.R.S. 10-4-609).
Under C.R.S. 10-4-609(4), purchasing UM coverage automatically includes UIM coverage. They come bundled together by operation of law.
A 2007 amendment to C.R.S. 10-4-609, effective January 1, 2008, removed the provision that had let insurers reduce UIM by whatever the at-fault driver's carrier paid. Under C.R.S. 10-4-609(1)(c), the coverage sits in addition to the liability recovery and cannot be reduced by a setoff from other coverage. Whether limits from more than one vehicle or policy can be combined is a separate, fact-specific question that depends on the declarations pages, how premiums were charged, and the policy language.
A rejection that does not meet the statute's requirements is potentially invalid, which means coverage you thought you did not have may still exist. We review the rejection language before assuming there is no policy to draw from.

The four triggers: when UM/UIM applies

The at-fault driver had no liability insurance. Your UM coverage becomes the only practical recovery path when the other driver cannot pay.
Hit-and-run. The driver fled before you got a plate, or before you could identify them. Colorado treats an unidentified fleeing driver as uninsured for UM purposes.
Phantom vehicle. A driver cut you off or ran you off the road without contact. Colorado allows UM recovery in some phantom-vehicle cases, but corroborating evidence such as a witness or video is typically needed.
Underinsured driver. The other driver had coverage, but their policy limit was lower than your documented losses. Their insurer pays its available limit, and your UIM claim covers the remaining gap up to your own UIM limit.

The filing deadline and comparative fault

Colorado UM/UIM claims are governed by C.R.S. 13-80-107.5, the statute the Colorado Supreme Court applied in Pham v. State Farm, 2013 CO 17. The deadline turns on the procedural history of the underlying claim. Your policy may also impose a shorter contractual notice deadline. Missing that notice can give the insurer a defense, so it must be identified early.

Colorado follows a modified comparative negligence rule with a 50 percent bar (C.R.S. 13-21-111). If you are found less than 50 percent at fault, you recover damages reduced by your percentage of fault. If you are 50 percent or more at fault, you recover nothing. Adjusters can push your fault share higher on a UM/UIM claim, which reduces the payout, so challenging that assessment is central to protecting your recovery.

High-Risk Corridors

Interstate 25 and the United States Highway 50B interchange

The interchange where two highways meet is a work zone right now. The Colorado Department of Transportation is rebuilding the Interstate 25 and United States Highway 50B interchange, covering Interstate 25 from mile point 99.7 to 101.4 and United States Highway 50B from mile point 315.9 to 316.6. The department began the work in December 2024, schedules completion for early summer 2027, and describes the finished layout as a diverging diamond interchange.

Until then, drivers move through shifted lanes, temporary ramps, and changed sight lines at highway speed. In July 2026 the department shifted southbound Interstate 25 traffic between 29th Street and Mineral Palace Park to start the western half of the new structure. A driver who causes a crash in that environment and keeps going is often never identified, which is the fact pattern UM coverage exists to answer.

Trauma Care

The trauma facilities the state list carries in Pueblo

UCHealth Parkview Medical Center, at 400 West 16th Street, appears on the published trauma facility listing of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment at Level III. CommonSpirit St. Mary-Corwin Hospital, at 1008 Minnequa Avenue, appears on the same listing at Level III, and its own emergency department page describes it as a Level III trauma center as designated by the State of Colorado, with a 24-hour emergency room. Two separate bodies sit behind that word: the state health department designates trauma levels in Colorado, while the American College of Surgeons verifies trauma centers separately.

Nothing in Pueblo County sits higher on that list, and the nearest facility the state list carries at Level I is in Colorado Springs, so a serious injury can generate records in more than one county. We collect the complete chain, because the medical file carries the weight of your claim from the first demand through trial.

Courthouse

Pueblo County District Court (10th Judicial District)

Personal injury cases arising in Pueblo County may be filed in the Pueblo County District Court, part of the 10th Judicial District, which the Colorado Judicial Branch places at the Pueblo Combined Court, 501 North Elizabeth Street, Pueblo, CO 81003. Pueblo is the county seat, and the Judicial Branch also refers to the courthouse as the Dennis Maes Judicial Building.

A claim that does not resolve through negotiation or arbitration can end up in that courtroom. The defendant in a UM/UIM suit is your own insurer rather than the driver who hit you, and Colorado's venue rule allows more than one proper county, so the filing county is a strategic decision. We handle cases filed in the 10th Judicial District, serving our Pueblo clients from our Denver office.

Boulevard and Median Risk

Pueblo Boulevard and the interstate north of the city

Pueblo Boulevard is State Highway 45, and the Colorado Department of Transportation studied safety on two of its segments, from Palmer Avenue to Avis Avenue and from Vinewood Lane to Goodnight Avenue. The department lists that study as completed, describes the concerns as relating to the center lane configuration, and names goals that included reducing crash severity and number and extending turn bays to meet current demand. Left-turn conflicts on an arterial are a common way a driver with no policy ends up in front of you.

North of the city the risk changes shape. The department announced cable rail installation on Interstate 25 between mile point 108.5 and mile point 114.1, describing the cable rail as a barrier preventing vehicles from crossing the median into oncoming lanes. A crossover collision with a driver carrying nothing is exactly the loss your own policy is written to absorb.

The Statute

C.R.S. 10-4-609

Colorado requires your insurer to offer UM/UIM coverage equal to your liability limits. We know the statute, the stacking rules, and how to read a rejection form for flaws an adjuster is not going to point out.

Bad Faith on the Table

When your insurer stalls, we have a remedy.

When an insurer unreasonably delays or denies a valid UM/UIM claim, Colorado gives you a separate statutory bad-faith cause of action under C.R.S. 10-3-1115 and 10-3-1116. We document insurer conduct from day one so that a lowball offer or unexplained delay shifts the negotiation dynamic.

Honest Case Review

We decline cases we cannot stand behind.

Not every crash produces a UM/UIM claim worth pursuing. If your fact pattern does not support one, we will tell you that in the free review rather than sign you up and let the case stall. When the law supports your claim, we fight hard.

Stacking Review

Multiple vehicles may mean multiple limits.

Whether limits from more than one vehicle or policy can be combined depends on the declarations pages, how premiums were charged, and the policy language. We pull every declarations page and every endorsement to find available limits before any demand goes out.

Trial-Ready

ABOTA member. Pueblo County is not a problem.

Managing Partner Kevin Cheney is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) and has served as Treasurer of the Colorado Trial Lawyers Association. Timothy G. Tarr has been recognized in The Best Lawyers in America for Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs since 2023. Carriers pay attention to which firms are prepared to try a case in the Pueblo County District Court.

Bilingual

Hablamos espanol.

Spanish-speaking staff and attorneys serve the Spanish-speaking community in Pueblo. Language is never a barrier to a free case review.

No Win, No Fee

Contingency only.

You pay nothing out of pocket for legal fees. We advance costs and collect only from a settlement, verdict, or arbitration award.

Get medical care immediately

If your injuries are serious, emergency transport may take you to UCHealth Parkview Medical Center, a Level III trauma center on the state list, or on to a higher-designation center in Colorado Springs. Seek care even if you feel okay at the scene. Adrenaline masks injury, and a gap in medical treatment gives the insurer a pre-existing-condition argument.
Call law enforcement

A police report confirming the other driver fled the scene, had no insurance, or could not be identified is essential to a hit-and-run or uninsured UM claim. The Pueblo Police Department states that crashes filed through the State of Colorado reporting website will not be investigated by the department and that no citations will be issued, which matters when the other driver's insurance status is the entire claim. It also states that its records cover the city limits only, and directs requests for incidents in Pueblo County or Pueblo West to the Pueblo County Sheriff's Office.
Document everything at the scene

Photograph the damage, your injuries, and the crash location. Note nearby businesses with exterior cameras, dashcam footage from other vehicles, and the names of any witnesses. Retention periods vary widely from one business to the next, so identify anything that can corroborate what happened before you leave the scene.
Notify your own insurer promptly

Your UM/UIM policy may contain a contractual notice requirement shorter than the statutory deadline. Report the crash to your own carrier promptly, but do not give a recorded statement or accept any offer before speaking with us. The insurer may frame the recorded statement as routine, but it can lock you into answers before your medical picture is complete.
Pull your declarations page

Find your auto insurance declarations page. It shows your UM/UIM limits, whether you have more than one vehicle on the policy, and any endorsements. If you live in a household with other insured vehicles, stacking may be available. Bring that document to the free case review and we will map every dollar of available coverage.
Call us before the adjuster calls again

Once we are on the case, we handle all insurer communication. We confirm the at-fault driver's uninsured or underinsured status, secure the police report and any available footage, develop the full medical record before any demand goes out, and document every instance of insurer delay or lowballing for the bad-faith record. Call (303) 209-9395.

Economic damages (not limited by Colorado's non-economic cap)

Emergency care at UCHealth Parkview Medical Center, surgery, and follow-up treatment
Future medical costs and rehabilitation
Lost wages and lost earning capacity
Out-of-pocket expenses tied to the crash and recovery

Non-economic damages

Pain and suffering
Emotional distress
Loss of enjoyment of life
Physical impairment and disfigurement, which Colorado treats as a separate category that the non-economic damages cap does not limit (C.R.S. 13-21-102.5(5))

For civil actions filed on or after January 1, 2025, Colorado caps non-economic damages such as pain and suffering at $1.5 million under C.R.S. 13-21-102.5, with inflation adjustments beginning January 1, 2028. Lower caps apply to actions filed before that date, so which cap governs is fact-specific. Economic damages such as medical bills, future care, and lost wages are not limited by that cap, though any UM/UIM recovery is still bounded by the limits on the policy you are claiming under.

Compensation for physical impairment or disfigurement is also not limited by that cap (C.R.S. 13-21-102.5(5)), which matters in serious-injury UM/UIM cases. We structure the demand to reach every available category, including bad-faith penalties when insurer conduct warrants it.

"The injuries are pre-existing"

Blanket medical authorizations reaching back many years are a common insurer request, and they can be used to argue your injuries predate the crash. We manage the scope of medical releases and work with your treating providers to document what was caused by the crash versus what existed before it.
"You were partly at fault"

Colorado's modified comparative negligence rule bars recovery if you are 50 percent or more at fault (C.R.S. 13-21-111). Adjusters can push your fault share toward the 50 percent bar, which would reduce a UM/UIM payment and eliminate it entirely at 50 percent or more. We build the liability record from the crash report, physical evidence, and witness accounts to challenge any inflated fault allocation.
"You validly rejected UM/UIM coverage"

A rejection must be in writing by the named insured to be valid under C.R.S. 10-4-609. Rejections that fail the statute's requirements can be found invalid. We review every rejection document before accepting that no UM/UIM coverage exists.
"The other driver actually had insurance"

Drivers sometimes carry expired cards, have coverage lapses, or drive vehicles insured by someone else. We independently verify the at-fault driver's insurance status through law enforcement records and direct insurer inquiry, not just the other driver's word at the scene.
Delay as a strategy

Slow document requests, file reassignments, and silence after a demand are common. When delay becomes unreasonable, Colorado's statutory bad-faith remedy under C.R.S. 10-3-1115 and 10-3-1116 becomes available. We document the timeline of insurer conduct from first notice forward so that pattern is on record.

In a UM/UIM claim, you are negotiating with your own auto carrier. Every dollar it pays comes off its books. The conflict is structural, not personal.
You may have cooperation duties under your policy, including reporting the crash promptly and providing documentation. What cooperation actually requires depends on the policy language, and reading that language carefully matters before you agree to a recorded statement or accept a fault label in the first call.
When an insurer unreasonably delays or denies a valid claim, Colorado gives you a separate cause of action under C.R.S. 10-3-1115 and 10-3-1116. A documented bad-faith record is one of the few things that reliably moves a carrier off a low number.
Most UM/UIM disputes resolve through negotiation or arbitration, which some policies require before a lawsuit can be filed. We know both tracks and use the one that fits your case best.

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What is the difference between UM and UIM coverage in Colorado?

Uninsured motorist (UM) coverage pays when the at-fault driver had no insurance, fled the scene, or was a phantom vehicle. Underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage pays the gap when the at-fault driver had insurance but their policy limit was lower than your documented losses. Both come from your own auto policy, and under C.R.S. 10-4-609(4), buying UM automatically includes UIM. A crash on Interstate 25 through Pueblo with an uninsured driver triggers your UM coverage, not the other driver's.

Does Colorado law require me to have UM/UIM coverage?

Colorado law does not require you to buy UM/UIM coverage, but every auto insurer in the state must offer it equal to your bodily injury liability limits under C.R.S. 10-4-609. A rejection must be in writing by the named insured to be valid. Rejections that fail the statute's requirements can be found invalid. So even if you remember declining this coverage, it is worth confirming, and we read the rejection language on file before accepting that no policy applies.

The driver who hit me on Interstate 25 in Pueblo fled the scene. Do I still have a claim?

Yes. A hit-and-run driver is treated as uninsured under Colorado UM coverage. Report the crash immediately to law enforcement and to your own insurer. The Pueblo Police Department lists hit-and-run investigations among the duties of its Traffic Section, and businesses and private security systems along the corridor may hold footage that is overwritten on a short retention cycle. Do not wait to notify your insurer, because your policy may contain a notice deadline shorter than the statutory filing deadline.

How long do I have to file a UM/UIM claim after a Pueblo crash?

Colorado UM/UIM claims are governed by C.R.S. 13-80-107.5, the statute the Colorado Supreme Court applied in Pham v. State Farm, 2013 CO 17. The deadline turns on the procedural history of the underlying claim, and your individual policy may impose a shorter contractual notice deadline. Missing that contractual notice can give the insurer a defense. Because the timing is fact-specific, contact a lawyer early after a crash on any Pueblo County road.

Can I stack UM/UIM coverage across multiple vehicles in Colorado?

Combining UM/UIM limits across multiple vehicles or policies is fact-specific, not automatic. A 2007 amendment to C.R.S. 10-4-609, effective January 1, 2008, removed the provision that had let insurers reduce UIM by what the at-fault carrier paid. Under C.R.S. 10-4-609(1)(c), the coverage cannot be reduced by a setoff from other coverage. Whether combining applies to your case depends on the declarations pages, how premiums were charged, and the policy language.

I was on my bike when an uninsured driver hit me. Does UM coverage apply?

It can. UM/UIM coverage generally follows the insured person rather than the vehicle, so a policyholder or covered household member struck while cycling or walking may be able to claim under their own auto policy, depending on its terms. Riders and walkers hit on Pueblo streets often assume they have no claim at all because no car of theirs was involved. Bring the declarations page to the free review and we will read the definitions that decide it.

Where would my Pueblo UM/UIM lawsuit be filed?

Personal injury cases arising in Pueblo County may be filed in the Pueblo County District Court, part of the 10th Judicial District, at the Pueblo Combined Court, 501 North Elizabeth Street, Pueblo, CO 81003. The defendant in a UM/UIM suit is your own insurer rather than the driver who hit you. Some UM/UIM policies require arbitration before a lawsuit can be filed. At CGH Injury Lawyers, we handle both tracks from our Denver office at 2701 Lawrence St., Suite 201.

How does Colorado's comparative fault rule affect my UM/UIM recovery?

Colorado follows a modified comparative negligence rule with a 50 percent bar (C.R.S. 13-21-111). If you are found less than 50 percent at fault, you can recover damages, but your award is reduced by your percentage of fault. If you are 50 percent or more at fault, you recover nothing. Adjusters can push your fault share higher, which reduces a UM/UIM payout. We build the liability record from the crash report, physical evidence, and witnesses to challenge any inflated fault allocation made by your own insurer.

Pueblo

Practice Area

Denver Money Pages

Firm

It's More Than Money.

An uninsured driver hurt you in Pueblo. We make your own carrier pay what the policy owes.

Free consultation for Pueblo crash victims. No fee unless we win. Serving Pueblo County from Denver. Call (303) 209-9395.

Call (303) 209-9395 Get my free UM/UIM case review

Prefer to read first? See how Colorado UM/UIM law works statewide.

CGH Injury Lawyers · 2701 Lawrence St., Suite 201, Denver, CO 80205

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Pueblo Uninsured Motorist Lawyers Who Make Your Own Insurer Pay What It Owes

Colorado UM/UIM law decoded for Pueblo crash victims

C.R.S. 10-4-609: what the statute requires

The four triggers: when UM/UIM applies

The filing deadline and comparative fault

Where Pueblo UM/UIM crashes happen, and where your case goes

Interstate 25 and the United States Highway 50B interchange

The trauma facilities the state list carries in Pueblo

Pueblo County District Court (10th Judicial District)

Pueblo Boulevard and the interstate north of the city

Why Pueblo victims choose CGH Injury Lawyers for UM/UIM claims

C.R.S. 10-4-609

When your insurer stalls, we have a remedy.

We decline cases we cannot stand behind.

Multiple vehicles may mean multiple limits.

ABOTA member. Pueblo County is not a problem.

Hablamos espanol.

Contingency only.

What to do after an uninsured or hit-and-run crash in Pueblo

Get medical care immediately

Call law enforcement

Document everything at the scene

Notify your own insurer promptly

Pull your declarations page

Call us before the adjuster calls again

What compensation can Pueblo UM/UIM victims recover?

Economic damages (not limited by Colorado's non-economic cap)

Non-economic damages

Defenses Pueblo UM/UIM insurers use, and how we answer them

"The injuries are pre-existing"

"You were partly at fault"

"You validly rejected UM/UIM coverage"

"The other driver actually had insurance"

Delay as a strategy

Why filing against your own insurer is different

Pueblo UM/UIM claims: frequently asked questions

Related pages

An uninsured driver hurt you in Pueblo. We make your own carrier pay what the policy owes.