Montrose Personal Injury Lawyers Who Handle Claims Across the Seventh Judicial District

Montrose County cases are heard at the Montrose County Justice Center, 1200 N. Grand Ave., in the Seventh Judicial District.

Montrose Regional Health, 800 S. 3rd St., is listed by the state as a Level III trauma center. It was formerly known as Montrose Memorial Hospital, and older pages still use that name.

The Montrose Police Department takes reports in the city. Numbered routes through Montrose include:

• US 550, Townsend Avenue
• US 50, Main Street
• SH 90

More local information is on our Montrose injury page.

• Motor vehicle claims: three years from accrual, C.R.S. 13-80-101(1)(n).
• Other tort claims generally, including negligence and premises claims: two years, C.R.S. 13-80-102(1)(a).
• Wrongful death: two years, C.R.S. 13-80-102(1)(d). Four years where the defendant committed vehicular homicide and left the scene of the fatal crash, C.R.S. 13-80-102(2).
• Claims against a public entity: written notice within 182 days of discovering the injury, C.R.S. 24-10-109(1), and no lawsuit until the entity denies the claim or ninety days pass, whichever is first (subsection (6)).

The clock usually starts when both the injury and its cause are known, or should have been known through reasonable diligence (C.R.S. 13-80-108(1)). A wrongful death claim accrues on the date of death (subsection (2)).

Minors and others under a legal disability are governed by C.R.S. 13-81-103. Whether a legal representative exists changes the analysis, which is one more reason to check the date early.

Families facing a fatal injury can read more on the Montrose wrongful death page.

The non-economic cap in C.R.S. 13-21-102.5(3)(a)(II) is $1.5 million. It reaches any claim accruing on or after January 1, 2025, and any action filed between January 1, 2025 and January 1, 2026. It rises with inflation from 2028, and the court, not the jury, applies it.

C.R.S. 13-21-102.5 caps non-economic loss only. It does not cap economic damages, and subsection (5) says it does not limit damages for physical impairment or disfigurement.

Different limits apply in three situations. Wrongful death non-economic damages are capped at $2,125,000 for claims accruing on or after January 1, 2025, under C.R.S. 13-21-203(1)(a), and claims against health care providers follow C.R.S. 13-64-302. Claims against a public entity are limited in total, economic and non-economic together, by C.R.S. 24-10-114, whose figures the Secretary of State adjusts every four years.

Punitive damages, which Colorado calls exemplary damages, are available only where the injury was attended by fraud, malice, or willful and wanton conduct (C.R.S. 13-21-102(1)(a)). They are generally limited to the amount of actual damages, cannot be pleaded in the first complaint, and a public entity is generally not liable for them (C.R.S. 24-10-114(4)(a)).

The blog post on settlement value explains how insurers approach these numbers.

Recovery ends at a point. If the injured person's percentage is equal to or greater than the defendant's, the statute bars recovery against that defendant.

Pro rata liability is the Colorado default. C.R.S. 13-21-111.5(1) says no defendant is liable for more than its own percentage of fault, and subsection (3)(b) allows a defendant to name a nonparty at fault within ninety days after the case begins, or longer if the court allows.

For crashes involving someone driving for work, C.R.S. 13-21-111.5(1.5) keeps direct claims against the employer available even after the employer admits vicarious liability. The legislature enacted it to reverse the Colorado Supreme Court's holding in Ferrer v. Okbamicael.

Crashes involving a commercial driver are covered in more depth on the Montrose truck accident page.

1. Get checked by a doctor. Montrose Regional Health on South 3rd Street treats serious injuries from the area, and early records matter.

2. Make sure a report exists. After a crash that usually means the Montrose Police Department; C.R.S. 42-4-1606(1) requires drivers to report crashes involving injury, death, or property damage.

3. Take photos of the scene, the vehicles or hazard, and your injuries.

4. Write down witness names and numbers.

5. Keep a folder for bills, records, and time missed from work.

6. Talk to a lawyer before any recorded statement or settlement discussion.

For more on early calls from insurers, read the insurance adjuster trap.

1. Getting started

   A free call covers what happened, which deadlines apply, and whether we can help.

2. Locking down evidence

   Reports, photos, video, and witness details are collected before they are lost.

3. Following the treatment

   Records and bills are gathered as your care continues.

4. Presenting the claim

   When the injury is understood, the insurer receives a documented demand.

5. Working toward resolution

   Offers are weighed against the evidence, and the choice to settle is yours.

6. Going to court if needed

   A case that does not resolve is filed at the Montrose County Justice Center and prepared for trial. The trial team includes Managing Partner Kevin Cheney, an American Board of Trial Advocates member and Treasurer of the Colorado Trial Lawyers Association for the 2025 to 2026 term.

Past matters appear on our case results page. Past results do not guarantee or predict similar outcomes in future cases. Each case is unique and must be evaluated on its own facts.

• Managing Partner Kevin Cheney belongs to the American Board of Trial Advocates.
• Director of Litigation Tim Galluzzi appeared on the Colorado Super Lawyers Rising Stars list from 2019 to 2026.
• Associate Timothy G. Tarr has been recognized by Best Lawyers from 2023 to 2026.

The attorneys you meet are the attorneys who handle the case, with paralegal support, in English or Spanish.

More about the team and about Kevin Cheney is on the site.