When a family member dies because of someone else's negligence on an Arapahoe County road, a Centennial commercial property, or a job site near E-470, Colorado law gives you the right to pursue compensation for lost income, funeral costs, and the loss of their companionship. We serve Centennial and Arapahoe County families from our Denver office and prepare every case for trial. You pay nothing unless we win.
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When a death in Centennial or the surrounding Arapahoe County communities is caused by another party's negligence, the Colorado Wrongful Death Act lets surviving family members pursue civil compensation, separate from any criminal case and regardless of how the at-fault party is charged.
CGH Injury Lawyers represents Centennial and Arapahoe County families from our Denver office at 2701 Lawrence St, Suite 201. We handle the standing analysis, the damages calculation, the insurer negotiations, and trial when an at-fault party refuses to be fair, with no upfront fees and a free, confidential consultation.
Why Centennial wrongful death cases are different
Losing a family member is devastating, and the legal system cannot reverse the loss. The Wrongful Death Act exists for a narrower purpose: to hold a negligent party accountable and to secure the financial stability a Centennial family needs to move forward. It covers funeral costs, replaces lost future income, and recognizes the loss of companionship.
Who has the right to file
Colorado law sets a strict order of who may bring a wrongful death lawsuit in Arapahoe County District Court and when. Getting this hierarchy right is essential, because filing out of turn can put a Centennial family's entire recovery at risk.
During the first year after the death, only the surviving spouse has the right to file a wrongful death claim in Arapahoe County. This exclusive standing exists even when there are adult children or parents who are also grieving. The spouse may choose to include other heirs, such as children, in the claim.
If the surviving spouse does not file within the first year, or there is no surviving spouse, the right passes to the deceased's children. In the second year, both the surviving spouse and the children may file in Arapahoe County District Court.
If there is no surviving spouse and no surviving children, the right to file a Centennial wrongful death claim passes to the deceased's parents.
Under HB 24-1472, siblings now have standing, but only when the deceased left no surviving spouse, no surviving children, and no surviving parents. This change closed a gap that previously left some single Centennial adults without recourse.
Because standing is time-sensitive and unforgiving, Centennial families should confirm who holds the right to file before the first year runs. We help you identify the correct claimant early, from our Denver office, so a procedural misstep never costs you the claim.
A strategic choice for Centennial families
Colorado offers a mechanism called solatium under C.R.S. 13-21-203.5. It lets a surviving spouse, and in some cases parents, elect a fixed statutory sum for grief and loss of companionship instead of proving those losses in front of an Arapahoe County jury.
Compensation
Colorado divides wrongful death damages into two categories. The distinction matters for Centennial families, because a statutory cap applies to one category and not the other.
Economic damages are not subject to a statutory cap. For Centennial families who lost a primary earner, these damages often form the largest part of the claim. Non-economic damages in a Colorado wrongful death case are capped at $2.125 million for claims accruing on or after January 1, 2025 (C.R.S. 13-21-203), with inflation adjustments starting in 2028, and the cap disappears entirely if the death resulted from a felonious killing. Lower caps apply to older claims and to medical malpractice deaths, so the date and type of claim matter. When a death results from gross negligence or willful and wanton conduct, punitive damages may also be available. We calculate the full value of every category before we ever talk settlement.
Two different Centennial claims
A single fatal incident in the Centennial area often gives rise to two separate legal claims. They serve different purposes and distribute funds differently, and they are frequently filed together in Arapahoe County District Court.
For the Centennial survivors
Brought by surviving family members to recover the losses they personally experienced, such as lost financial support and loss of companionship. The beneficiaries are the spouse, children, or parents, as defined by the First Year Rule.
For the estate
Brought on behalf of the deceased's estate to recover losses the deceased suffered before passing, such as pre-death medical bills at Swedish Medical Center, lost wages between the injury and death, and the pain they endured. Proceeds are distributed under the will, or under Colorado intestacy law if there is no will.
Consider a Centennial commuter struck by an impaired driver on I-25 near the Arapahoe Road interchange who survives for four days at Swedish Medical Center before passing away. The pain endured during those four days belongs to the survival action. The loss of the next two decades of income belongs to the wrongful death claim. Filed together in Arapahoe County District Court, the two claims pursue full recovery for both the family and the estate.
Cases we handle in Arapahoe County
Wrongful death claims arise whenever negligence, recklessness, or intentional misconduct causes a fatal outcome. These are the contexts we see most often in the Centennial area.
Interstate 25 runs through Centennial with a major interchange at Arapahoe Road that CDOT has identified as a historically high-accident corridor. E-470, the 47-mile toll road crossing Arapahoe County, and C-470 near the Lone Tree and Centennial boundary generate significant crash exposure for commuters and commercial drivers. Fatal crashes on these corridors often involve commercial carriers whose insurance structures require early investigation.
State Highway 83, Parker Road, descends into Centennial where it interchanges with Arapahoe Road. A CDOT safety study identifies narrow shoulders, numerous access points, steep side slopes, wildlife crossings, and high traffic growth as documented crash-contributing factors. State Highway 88, Arapahoe Road, crosses Centennial with three lanes in each direction. Pedestrian and cyclist deaths on these corridors often involve commercial delivery drivers or distracted motorists.
Centennial's continued residential and commercial development generates significant construction activity. Fatal falls, struck-by incidents, and trench collapses on Centennial-area job sites may give rise to both a workers' compensation death benefit claim and a separate third-party wrongful death action against a general contractor or equipment manufacturer.
Deaths caused by unsafe conditions on Centennial commercial and residential properties, including inadequate security at retail centers near Arapahoe Road, pool drownings at apartment complexes, and slip hazards on icy parking lots and walkways during Colorado winters.
Surgical errors, misdiagnosis, and medication mistakes at facilities serving Centennial residents can be fatal. Medical malpractice wrongful death claims are governed by a separate damages schedule under C.R.S. 13-21-203(1)(b), with caps that differ from general wrongful death claims, including a rising schedule that reached $555,000 in 2025 and $810,000 in 2026.
When a fatal crash involves an RTD bus or another government-operated vehicle, the claim is subject to the Colorado Governmental Immunity Act. CGIA claims require a written notice of claim within 182 days of discovery of the injury (C.R.S. 24-10-109) and are capped at $505,000 per person and $1,421,000 per occurrence for claims accruing on or after January 1, 2026 (C.R.S. 24-10-114).
What if my loved one shared some fault?
Insurers in Centennial wrongful death cases routinely try to inflate the deceased's share of fault to reduce or eliminate the recovery. Colorado's modified comparative negligence statute (C.R.S. 13-21-111) sets the rule.
Centennial ground we work on
Every wrongful death case is built on the specific people, roads, facilities, and courts involved. The case lives in Centennial: the road where the crash happened, the hospital that treated your family member, and the courthouse where the case is filed. Here is the ground we work on.
Courthouse
A Centennial wrongful death lawsuit is filed in Arapahoe County District Court at the Arapahoe County Justice Center, 7325 S. Potomac St., Centennial, CO 80112, in the Eighteenth Judicial District. Local procedure, the Arapahoe County jury pool, and the defense firms you face in the Eighteenth Judicial District differ from the courts where many statewide firms primarily practice. We file and litigate in Arapahoe County District Court directly, without referring your case to outside local counsel.
Trauma Care
Serious Centennial injuries are often taken to HCA HealthONE Swedish (Swedish Medical Center) at 501 E. Hampden Ave., Englewood, CO 80113, a state-designated Level I trauma and burn center. AdventHealth Littleton at 7700 S. Broadway, Littleton, CO 80122 is an American College of Surgeons verified and state-designated Level II Trauma Center. Medical records from both facilities document the full scope of injuries, the treatment timeline, and the costs that form the core of your wrongful death and survival action damages claims in Arapahoe County District Court.
High-Volume Roads
Interstate 25 runs through and adjacent to Centennial with a major interchange at Arapahoe Road documented by CDOT as a historically high-accident corridor. State Highway 83, Parker Road, descends into Centennial where it interchanges with Arapahoe Road, with CDOT-documented narrow shoulders, steep side slopes, and high traffic growth as crash-contributing factors. State Highway 88, Arapahoe Road, crosses Centennial with three lanes in each direction. E-470, the 47-mile toll road crossing Arapahoe County, and C-470 which terminates at I-25 near the Lone Tree and Centennial boundary, round out a road network that generates significant crash exposure for commuters, commercial drivers, and motorcyclists alike.
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After a Centennial recovery
When a settlement or verdict is reached in Arapahoe County, Colorado law requires a fair division among eligible survivors, but the statute does not set fixed percentages. That makes thoughtful handling of distribution important for Centennial families.
Disputes can arise between siblings over percentages, or between stepchildren and a stepparent. We often help Centennial families reach a consensus proposal before the Arapahoe County District Court hearing, which honors everyone's loss and avoids the added pain of a contested public proceeding.
Built for trial
CGH Injury Lawyers is a Colorado trial firm, founded in 2016 as Cheney Galluzzi and Howard. We serve Centennial and Arapahoe County clients from our Denver office and prepare every wrongful death case as if it will go before an Arapahoe County jury, then negotiate from that strength. An insurer that knows we are ready for trial treats a family very differently.
Frequently asked questions
Colorado follows a strict hierarchy. In the first year after the death, only the surviving spouse may file a wrongful death claim in Arapahoe County District Court. In the second year, both the surviving spouse and the children may file. Parents may file only if there is no surviving spouse or children. Under HB 24-1472, siblings have standing only if the deceased left no surviving spouse, no children, and no parents. Our Centennial wrongful death attorneys can help you confirm whether you hold the right to file before the deadline passes.
The general deadline is two years from the date of death (C.R.S. 13-80-102). Strict exceptions apply. A claim against a government entity, such as a public agency operating near Centennial or an RTD vehicle, requires a formal written notice of claim within 182 days after you discover the injury under the Colorado Governmental Immunity Act (C.R.S. 24-10-109). Missing that notice deadline bars the claim entirely. Because the standing hierarchy is also time-sensitive, Centennial families should consult an attorney as soon as possible.
Under Colorado's modified comparative fault rule (C.R.S. 13-21-111), surviving Centennial families can still recover as long as the deceased was less than 50 percent at fault. The total award is reduced by the percentage of fault attributed to the deceased. If the deceased was 50 percent or more at fault, the family is barred from recovery entirely. Insurers often inflate fault percentages on I-25 and Arapahoe Road crashes. We challenge those assessments with accident reconstruction experts and CDOT records from the Centennial-area corridor.
Solatium (C.R.S. 13-21-203.5) is a fixed statutory payment a surviving spouse, and in some cases parents, can elect for grief and loss of companionship instead of proving those losses in front of an Arapahoe County jury. The current certified amount is $135,990 for claims accruing on or after January 1, 2024, and there will be no further adjustments to this figure. Centennial families often choose solatium as a privacy shield, because it avoids the invasive discovery that a traditional non-economic damages claim can invite. Electing solatium does not reduce economic damages, which remain recoverable and uncapped.
Economic damages, such as lost income, funeral costs, and medical bills incurred at Swedish Medical Center or AdventHealth Littleton, are not capped. Non-economic damages, such as grief and loss of companionship, are capped at $2.125 million for wrongful death claims accruing on or after January 1, 2025 (C.R.S. 13-21-203), with the cap disappearing entirely if the death resulted from a felonious killing. Medical malpractice wrongful death claims are subject to a separate, lower cap schedule. The cap that applies depends on when the fatal act or omission occurred, and we confirm the correct figure for every Centennial family we represent.
Claims against a government entity are governed by the Colorado Governmental Immunity Act. You must file a written notice of claim within 182 days after you discover the injury (C.R.S. 24-10-109), and this deadline is a jurisdictional prerequisite, meaning missing it permanently bars the claim. CGIA wrongful death recoveries are also capped at $505,000 per person and $1,421,000 per occurrence for claims accruing on or after January 1, 2026 (C.R.S. 24-10-114). Contact us immediately if a government vehicle may have been involved in the Centennial-area crash.
CGH Injury Lawyers serves Centennial and Arapahoe County clients from our Denver office at 2701 Lawrence St, Suite 201, Denver, CO 80205. We file and litigate in Arapahoe County District Court directly, attend hearings at the Arapahoe County Justice Center at 7325 S. Potomac St. in Centennial, and travel throughout Arapahoe County to meet with families when needed. You do not need an office on Arapahoe Road to get experienced, locally-focused wrongful death representation.
A wrongful death claim is brought by surviving Centennial family members for the losses they personally experienced, such as lost income and loss of companionship. A survival action is brought on behalf of the deceased's estate for losses the deceased suffered before passing, such as pre-death medical bills at Swedish Medical Center, lost wages between the injury and death, and their pain and suffering. Both claims are frequently filed together in Arapahoe County District Court to pursue full recovery for the family and the estate.
It's More Than Money.
Free consultation. No fee unless we win. Serving Centennial and Arapahoe County in English and Spanish from our Denver office.
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