Northglenn Bicycle Accident Lawyers for Cyclists Hit by Drivers

Whether you had a driver's rights

Colorado's rule is short. A person riding "a bicycle, electrical-assisted bicycle, or electric scooter has all of the rights and duties applicable to the driver of any other vehicle under this article 4" (C.R.S. 42-4-1412(1)). If anyone treats you as less entitled to the road than a car, that statute is where the response starts.

How close the driver passed

Under C.R.S. 42-4-1003, a driver passing a rider going the same way "shall allow the bicyclist at least a three-foot separation." The gap is measured from the car's mirrors and other projections to the left side of the rider, and it applies "at all times" during the pass. A sideswipe, or a near miss that knocked you down, can put this rule at the center of your claim.

What happened at the stop sign

Colorado's Safety Stop, C.R.S. 42-4-1412.5, covers riders age 15 and over, plus younger riders "accompanied by an adult." At a stop sign, a covered rider may roll through at a reasonable speed after yielding to traffic and pedestrians and has to stop only when safety requires it. Ten miles per hour is the usual ceiling, though a municipality can post a figure as high as 20.

Red lights work differently. A covered rider must come to a stop and yield and only then proceed straight ahead or turn right. Left turns against a red light are limited to one-way streets.

So a claim that you "didn't stop" doesn't settle anything by itself. Your age, whether an adult was with you, your speed, and whether a stop was needed for safety all come into it.

How fault gets divided

Colorado reduces your damages "in proportion to the amount of negligence attributable to" you (C.R.S. 13-21-111). Picture a $100,000 claim where you're found 25 percent responsible: you'd be looking at $75,000.

There's a limit. If your negligence "is equal to or greater than the negligence of the person against whom recovery is sought," the court enters judgment for the defendant. With only you and one driver involved, a 50-50 split means no recovery. Cases with several parties can come out differently, which is worth reviewing with a lawyer.

Your helmet and gear

Questions about your helmet or what you were wearing are really questions about fault. In Colorado, riding without a helmet doesn't automatically bar a claim. It can still be argued as part of your share of fault, and how much it matters depends on your injuries and the facts.

Whether a public entity is involved

A road defect, a signal problem, or a blocked sight line can bring a public entity into the picture. When that happens, the claim follows the Governmental Immunity Act, which has its notice deadline and its own damages limits. Both are covered below.

Claims against a driver

You generally have three years to file suit over a crash involving a car, truck or other motor vehicle (C.R.S. 13-80-101(1)(n)).

Claims against a public entity

If a city, a county or another government body covered by the Governmental Immunity Act may be responsible, written notice is due "within one hundred eighty-two days after the date of the discovery of the injury" (C.R.S. 24-10-109(1)). The statute adds: "Failure of compliance shall forever bar any such action." That deadline is tied to the claim you bring, so it applies whenever you pursue a public entity or one of its employees. If a road or trail condition played any part in your crash, raise it early.

Government-claim ceilings

C.R.S. 24-10-114(1) sets base limits, which the Secretary of State adjusts for inflation every four years. The certified limit for claims accruing on or after January 1, 2026 and before January 1, 2030 is $505,000 for injury to one person in a single occurrence and $1,421,000 when two or more people are injured, with no single person recovering more than $505,000. A claim that accrued between 2022 and 2025 is governed by the prior $424,000 per-person limit. An entity may also adopt a higher limit by resolution.

A public entity also can't be ordered to pay punitive or exemplary damages, or damages for outrageous conduct. The Act allows one narrow exception (C.R.S. 24-10-114(4)(a)).

Call 911 so police and paramedics come to you, and ask for the report number before you leave.

Go to an emergency department or your doctor the same day, and describe exactly how the crash happened.

Photograph the vehicle, its plate, your bike, the road surface, and any traffic signs nearby.

Write down names and phone numbers for the driver and anyone who saw the crash.

Keep a simple log of symptoms, appointments, and missed work.

Leave your bike, helmet, and clothes unrepaired and unwashed.

Hold off on a recorded statement to the driver's insurer until you've spoken with a lawyer. You're not required to give one.