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Denver skyline. CGH Injury Lawyers represents burn injury survivors across Denver, Colorado.
Denver, Colorado

Denver Burn Injury Lawyers Who Build the Full Recovery Plan

If you or a family member suffered a serious burn in Denver, the initial hospital bill is only a fraction of what your case is worth. We work from our Denver office at 2701 Lawrence St. to document every future surgery, graft revision, and lost wage your burn will cost. No fee unless we win.

No fee unless we win
Call (303) 209-9395 Get my free burn injury case review

It's More Than Money.

Get my free burn injury case review

100% confidential. No fee unless we win.

Our Denver Office CGH Injury Lawyers 2701 Lawrence St., Suite 201 Denver, CO 80205 (303) 209-9395 Se habla espanol
5-star rated on Google Life Care Plans for burn cases ABOTA trial advocate on the team 8 attorneys, bilingual EN / ES
  • The degree of your burn drives both your treatment path and the value of your legal claim. First-degree burns rarely support a standalone case. Third- and fourth-degree burns often require a Life Care Plan that documents the lifetime cost of graft revisions, scar management, and lost earning capacity.
  • Colorado caps non-economic damages such as pain and suffering at $1.5 million for claims accruing on or after January 1, 2025 (C.R.S. 13-21-102.5). Compensation for physical impairment and disfigurement is not capped at all, and economic damages are never capped, which is why accurately documenting every future cost matters so much in a serious Denver burn case.
  • The general deadline to file a burn injury lawsuit in Colorado is two years from the date of injury (C.R.S. 13-80-102). Product liability claims also carry a two-year deadline. Evidence degrades quickly in burn cases, so an early investigation is critical.

If you or a family member suffered a serious burn in Denver, the emergency room bill is only the beginning. CGH Injury Lawyers keeps its office in Denver's RiNo neighborhood at 2701 Lawrence St., minutes from the corridors where many of Denver's worst fire and industrial burn incidents occur. We connect the medical reality of your burn to a full legal claim that accounts for every surgery you will need, the wages you cannot earn, and the human cost of permanent disfigurement. You pay nothing unless we recover for you.

The classification system

Burn injury degrees and what they mean for your Denver claim

The American Burn Association classifies burns into four degrees based on how deep the damage runs. In Denver burn injury cases, the degree is not just a medical fact. It shapes the legal strategy, the experts we retain, and how much your claim is worth.

First-degree burns (superficial)

Damage only the epidermis, the outermost skin layer. Redness, minor swelling, and pain without blistering. These heal in a few days without permanent scarring.

  • Rarely support a standalone claim
  • May be documented as part of a larger pattern of negligence
  • Tell us what happened regardless. The degree is determined by a medical review, not by assumptions.

Second-degree burns (partial-thickness)

Penetrate the epidermis and reach the dermis. Superficial partial-thickness burns blister and heal in two to three weeks. Deep partial-thickness burns damage hair follicles and often leave permanent scars.

  • Treated with wound care, debridement, and sometimes skin grafting at Denver Health
  • Permanent scarring on the face, neck, or hands can support substantial non-economic damages
  • Significant infection risk during healing

Third-degree burns (full-thickness)

Destroy the epidermis and dermis entirely, reaching the fat layer beneath. The burn area may appear white, charred, or leathery. Nerve endings may be destroyed, reducing immediate pain while hiding the severity.

  • Require hospitalization, surgical debridement, and skin grafting
  • Months of rehabilitation to prevent contractures that limit movement
  • Demand a Life Care Plan covering graft revisions, scar management, counseling, and lost earning capacity

Fourth-degree burns (deep full-thickness)

Extend through all skin layers into muscle, tendon, and bone. These are catastrophic injuries. Common causes include prolonged fire exposure, high-voltage electrical contact, and industrial chemical accidents on Denver's I-70 industrial corridor.

  • May require escharotomy, amputation of non-viable tissue, and long-term reconstruction
  • Survival depends on body surface area affected and the speed of trauma care at Denver Health
  • Often lead to wrongful death or permanent disability claims (C.R.S. 13-21-203)
Why burn cases are different

Thermal, chemical, electrical, and scald burns in Denver each tell a different story

The source of the burn shapes both the medical treatment and the legal strategy. A scald from a miscalibrated water heater in a Capitol Hill apartment points to a landlord. An electrical burn on a jobsite near I-25 points to a contractor or equipment manufacturer. A flash fire in a Five Points warehouse points to a third-party beyond your employer.

By cause of burn

  • Thermal burns from fire, flame, and hot surfaces at Denver worksites and residences
  • Scald burns from hot liquids and improperly calibrated water heaters in Denver apartments and restaurants
  • Chemical burns from industrial acids, solvents, and caustic substances along the I-70 industrial corridor
  • Electrical burns from defective wiring, equipment failures, and downed power lines in Denver neighborhoods

The treatment reality

  • Emergency phase: fluid resuscitation, pain management, infection prevention, and airway protection at Denver Health Medical Center
  • Surgical phase: debridement and skin grafting to close deep wounds
  • Rehabilitation phase: physical therapy to prevent contractures, often over months or years
  • Ongoing scar management, graft revisions, and psychological counseling that extends years beyond the initial hospitalization

The hidden cost of a serious Denver burn

Denver insurance adjusters focus on the emergency room bill and the first surgery. They ignore the graft revision you will need years from now, the scar management, the psychological counseling, and the lost earning capacity when scarred hands can no longer perform your trade. In serious burn cases, the initial medical bills tell only a fraction of the full story. That is why we build a Life Care Plan prepared with medical economists, burn surgeons, and vocational experts who calculate the present value of all future care before we negotiate with any insurer.

Local Knowledge

Denver trauma care. Denver courts. Denver corridors.

A Denver burn injury case lives in Denver: the trauma center that treated you, the courthouse where your case may be filed, and the corridors where burn accidents most often happen. Here is the ground we work on every day from our office in RiNo.

Trauma Care

Denver Health Medical Center

Denver Health Medical Center is Denver's Level I trauma center and the primary destination for the most critically burned patients from across the metro. Patients with serious burns from residential fires in Capitol Hill, Cherry Creek, or Wash Park are often routed here for immediate stabilization. Saint Joseph Hospital and Presbyterian/St. Luke's Medical Center treat additional burn patients across the metro. The medical records created at these facilities document the full scope of the injury, including burn depth, total body surface area affected, and the surgical procedures completed, and they form the foundation of any serious Denver burn claim.

Courthouse

Denver District Court, 2nd Judicial District

Personal injury cases that arise within the City and County of Denver are filed in Denver District Court, with civil matters heard at the City and County Building, 1437 Bannock St. Denver civil procedure differs from suburban courts, and the defense firms and adjusters your case faces are specific to this jurisdiction. We file and try Denver District Court cases directly from our Lawrence St. office.

High-Risk Corridors

I-70, I-25, and the Denver Industrial Corridor

The stretch of I-70 running through northeast Denver connects to some of the city's heaviest industrial and commercial operations, where chemical storage, manufacturing, and construction create ongoing burn risk. Workplace burn injuries on this corridor often involve third-party contractors or equipment manufacturers separate from an employer, creating claims that go beyond workers compensation alone. Residential burn incidents occur throughout Denver's densely populated neighborhoods, from LoDo and Five Points to the older apartment stock along Colfax Ave and Federal Blvd.

Who pays for your recovery

Burn injury liability in Denver

Many Denver burns are not accidents. They result from preventable negligence, and Colorado law recognizes several pathways to hold the responsible parties accountable. The right pathway depends on where the burn happened and who caused it.

Premises liability

Under the Colorado Premises Liability Act (C.R.S. 13-21-115), property owners owe a duty of care to lawful visitors. Tenants and customers are invitees who receive the highest duty of care under the statute.

  • Scalding water from miscalibrated water heaters in Denver apartments and rental properties
  • Defective appliances provided by a Denver landlord
  • Missing smoke detectors and outdated electrical systems in older Denver buildings
  • Restaurant burns from kitchen equipment failures that expose employees or customers

Workplace and third-party claims

Workers compensation provides immediate coverage for a job-related burn but limits your total recovery. When a contractor, equipment manufacturer, or other non-employer entity caused the burn, you can file a third-party claim in addition to workers compensation.

  • Full lost wages, not the partial cap under workers comp
  • Non-economic damages for pain, suffering, and disfigurement unavailable from workers comp alone
  • Third-party claims against contractors whose work on Denver construction sites caused the burn

Product liability

Colorado follows strict liability for defective products. You do not have to prove the manufacturer was negligent, only that the product was defective, the defect caused your burn, and you used the product as intended.

  • Space heaters, stoves, and pressure cookers sold at Denver retailers
  • Lithium-ion batteries and industrial machinery used at Denver facilities
  • Manufacturer, distributor, and retailer may all share liability under the same claim

What if you were partly at fault for the burn?

Colorado uses a modified comparative negligence rule (C.R.S. 13-21-111). You can recover damages as long as you were less than 50 percent at fault, and your recovery is reduced by your share of fault. If you left a burner unattended but your Denver landlord failed to install a required smoke detector, you may still recover the majority of your damages. If you are found to be 50 percent or more at fault, you recover nothing. Insurance adjusters routinely inflate the injured person's fault to reduce payouts, and an attorney can challenge those assessments before they stick.

Why CGH

Why Denver burn survivors choose CGH Injury Lawyers

A real Denver office, trial-ready attorneys, Life Care Plan expertise, and no fee unless we win. We do not publish burn settlement figures, because every burn injury is different and a number on a page tells you nothing about your specific case. What we offer is the work.

Life Care Plans

Beyond the first surgery.

We partner with medical economists, burn surgeons, and vocational experts to calculate the present value of every graft revision, scar treatment, and lost wage your injury will cost over a lifetime.

Real Denver Office

Not a P.O. box.

Our office at 2701 Lawrence St., Suite 201 in RiNo is where your attorney works. You can walk in, review your medical records and the claim file, and meet the team handling your Denver burn case in person.

Uncapped Categories

Disfigurement and impairment are not capped.

Colorado's non-economic cap does not apply to physical impairment or disfigurement damages. We structure every burn claim to fully pursue those uncapped categories.

Multiple Defendants

Landlord, employer, manufacturer. We find them all.

Denver burn cases often involve more than one responsible party. We identify every source of liability before the first demand letter goes out.

Trial-Ready

8 attorneys, prepared for Denver District Court.

Managing Partner Kevin Cheney is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates and has tried over 25 cases to verdict. When attorneys are genuinely ready to try a case in Denver District Court, insurers and defense teams respond differently to a burn claim demand.

Bilingual

Hablamos espanol.

Spanish-speaking staff and attorneys serve Denver's Spanish-speaking community in burn cases and all other personal injury matters.

No Win, No Fee

Contingency only.

You pay nothing out of pocket for legal fees. We advance expert costs, medical record expenses, and case costs, and collect only from a settlement or verdict.

Compensation

What compensation can you recover after a Denver burn injury?

Colorado law lets burn survivors recover two broad categories of damages: economic losses you can document with bills and records, and non-economic losses for the human cost of disfigurement, pain, and loss of function. The categories available depend on the liability theory and the degree of your burn.

Economic damages (not capped)

  • Emergency care, surgical debridement, and hospitalization at Denver Health or Saint Joseph
  • Skin grafts and reconstructive surgery, including future revisions years down the road
  • Long-term wound care, scar management, and physical therapy
  • Lost wages and lost earning capacity when burns affect hands, arms, or other working body parts
  • Home modifications and assistive equipment required by permanent disability

Non-economic damages

  • Pain and suffering
  • Permanent scarring and disfigurement (NOT subject to Colorado's non-economic cap under C.R.S. 13-21-102.5(5))
  • Emotional distress and psychological trauma, including PTSD common in severe burn survivors
  • Physical impairment limiting daily activity and function (also NOT subject to the cap)
  • Loss of enjoyment of life and loss of consortium for a spouse or family

Colorado caps non-economic damages such as pain and suffering at $1.5 million for claims accruing on or after January 1, 2025 (C.R.S. 13-21-102.5), with inflation adjustments starting in 2028. Two categories are not capped at all: compensatory damages for physical impairment or disfigurement, which in a severe Denver burn case often make up the largest part of the recovery, and economic damages such as medical bills and lost wages. This is precisely why a detailed Life Care Plan documenting every future cost is the centerpiece of a serious burn claim. Denver adjusters will not volunteer to account for graft revisions you need five years from now. We force them to.

How we handle your case

Building your Denver burn injury claim

We connect the medical facts of your burn to a legal strategy that reflects the true, lifetime cost of your injury. Every Denver burn case we handle moves through five stages, and we prepare each one as if it will be tried in Denver District Court.

  1. Free case evaluation

    We review how the burn happened, explain your rights under Colorado law, and answer your questions at no cost and no obligation. You can come to our Lawrence St. office or we can meet you where it is easier.

  2. Investigation and evidence

    We preserve the defective product or physical hazard, gather maintenance records, fire marshal reports, and code-violation notices from Denver Fire and building authorities, and retain fire-origin and burn-care experts before evidence disappears.

  3. Build the Life Care Plan

    We partner with medical economists, burn surgeons, and vocational experts to calculate the present value of every graft revision, scar care appointment, psychological counseling session, and lost earning opportunity your injury will produce across a lifetime.

  4. Demand and negotiation

    We present the full, documented cost of your Denver burn injury to every responsible insurer or defendant and negotiate from a position of trial readiness, not from the first offer we receive.

  5. Litigation and trial in Denver District Court

    Most cases settle. When an insurer refuses a fair resolution, we file in Denver District Court, 2nd Judicial District, and present your case to a Denver jury. Our trial record, not our promises, is what makes the difference at the bargaining table.

I wish I could leave more than 5 stars!
Grace M., 5-star CGH Injury Lawyers client review
Questions

Denver burn injury, frequently asked questions

How long do I have to file a burn injury lawsuit in Denver?

The general deadline for a personal injury lawsuit in Colorado is two years from the date of injury (C.R.S. 13-80-102). For burns caused by a defective product, product liability claims carry the same two-year period (C.R.S. 13-80-106). If the burn happened at a property operated by a government entity in Denver, a formal written notice of claim must be filed within 182 days after you discover the injury under the Colorado Governmental Immunity Act (C.R.S. 24-10-109), and missing that notice bars the claim entirely. Evidence in burn cases, including the physical hazard, the defective product, and witness memory, degrades quickly. Contact an attorney well before any deadline so the investigation can begin while the evidence still exists.

Are burn injury damages capped in Colorado?

Colorado caps non-economic damages such as pain and suffering at $1.5 million for claims accruing on or after January 1, 2025, under C.R.S. 13-21-102.5, with inflation adjustments starting in 2028. Two categories are not capped at all: compensatory damages for physical impairment or disfigurement, and economic damages such as medical bills, lost wages, and the future costs documented in a Life Care Plan. In a serious Denver burn case, the uncapped categories often make up the largest part of the recovery, which is why the Life Care Plan is so critical to building the full value of a claim.

What if I was partly at fault for the burn?

Colorado follows a modified comparative negligence rule (C.R.S. 13-21-111). You can recover damages as long as your share of fault is less than 50 percent, and your award is reduced by your percentage of fault. If you are found to be 50 percent or more at fault, you recover nothing. Denver insurance adjusters routinely overstate an injured person's responsibility to reduce their exposure. If there is any shared-fault argument in your case, having experienced counsel to challenge that assessment is especially important before you accept any offer.

Can I sue my employer for a workplace burn in Denver?

Generally no. Colorado's workers compensation system is the exclusive remedy against your employer for a job-related injury, meaning you cannot sue your employer directly for negligence. You can, however, pursue third-party claims against equipment manufacturers, contractors, building owners, or other non-employer entities whose negligence contributed to your burn. Those third-party claims can reach full lost wages and non-economic damages that workers comp does not cover. If your Denver workplace burn involved anyone other than your direct employer, a third-party investigation is a critical first step.

Where would a Denver burn injury lawsuit be filed?

Personal injury cases arising within the City and County of Denver are filed in Denver District Court, the 2nd Judicial District, with civil matters heard at the City and County Building, 1437 Bannock St. Most burn claims resolve before a lawsuit is ever filed, but where your case would be litigated affects the local rules, the jury pool, and which defense firms and adjusters you face. We handle Denver District Court cases directly from our Lawrence St. office in RiNo.

What is a Life Care Plan and why does my Denver burn case need one?

A Life Care Plan is a documented projection, prepared by medical economists, burn surgeons, and vocational experts, of the total lifetime cost of your burn injury. It calculates the present value of every future surgery, graft revision, scar management appointment, physical therapy session, psychological counseling session, and lost earning opportunity your injury will produce. Denver insurance adjusters will offer a settlement based on your current bills. They will not volunteer the cost of the graft revision you need five years from now. A Life Care Plan forces them to account for the full medical and financial reality of your injury before any settlement is finalized.

Which hospitals treat serious burn injuries in Denver?

Denver Health Medical Center, located near I-25 in central Denver, is the city's Level I trauma center and the primary facility for the most critically burned patients. Saint Joseph Hospital and Presbyterian/St. Luke's Medical Center also treat burn patients across the Denver metro. The medical records from these facilities, including burn depth assessments, surgical reports, and photographs taken during treatment, form the foundation of any serious Denver burn injury claim. Keep every discharge document, follow-up appointment record, and medical bill you receive from any of these facilities.

What should I do right after a burn injury in Denver?

Get emergency medical care first. Denver Health Medical Center handles the most severe cases. Photograph your injuries and the scene of the burn, including the hazard, the product, or the area that caused it. Preserve any defective appliance or product exactly as it is. Report the incident to the property owner or your employer, and keep a copy of that report. Avoid giving recorded statements to any insurance adjuster before speaking with an attorney. Do not accept any settlement offer before an attorney reviews it, because early settlements almost never account for future surgeries and long-term care. You can reach our Denver office at (303) 209-9395.

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