What Injury Pays the Most for a Car Accident in Denver? What Really Drives the Number

This page provides general information only and does not constitute legal advice. Reading this page does not create an attorney-client relationship. Laws vary by jurisdiction and change frequently. Always consult a licensed attorney for advice specific to your situation.

Which Car Accident Injuries Usually Lead to the Largest Claims?

Injuries that tend to lead to the largest claims are those that have lifelong effects. That can include a traumatic brain injury, a spinal cord injury, an amputation, or a severe burn with scarring.

The reason for this is how damages are measured. Colorado’s jury instructions tell jurors to consider losses the injured person “has had to the present time or probably will have in the future” (Colorado’s civil jury instructions).

An injury that affects you for decades adds future medical care, future lost income, and years of daily limitations to your claim. We cover two of these injuries in more depth in what determines a Denver spinal cord injury settlement and what counts as a catastrophic injury in Denver.

The Three Kinds of Losses Colorado Counts

Colorado’s jury instructions list up to three groups of damages, and the third is used only when the evidence supports it (Instruction 6:1):

Category	What it includes
Noneconomic losses	Physical and mental pain and suffering, inconvenience, emotional stress, and impairment of the quality of life
Economic losses	Lost earnings, damage to your ability to earn money in the future, and medical, hospital, and other expenses
Physical impairment or disfigurement	A separate category, so it isn’t counted twice under the other two.

A severe injury usually drives all three up at once. A minor injury may touch only the first two and only for a short time.

Why Medical Bills and Lost Income Matter So Much

Economic losses are the part of a claim you can document with bills, pay records, and medical opinions about future care. For a serious injury, they can include treatment you haven’t received yet and income you won’t be able to earn.

A younger person with a permanent injury may have decades of lost earning ability in the claim. That’s one reason two people with the same diagnosis can have entirely unique claims.

Colorado’s Cap on Pain and Suffering

Colorado caps noneconomic damages. In 2024, the legislature raised that cap from $250,000 to $1.5 million, with inflation adjustments starting January 1, 2028 (HB24-1472).

The statute applies the $1.5 million figure to civil actions filed in 2025 and to claims that accrue on or after January 1, 2025, apart from claims against health care professionals or institutions and wrongful death cases (C.R.S. 13-21-102.5). The same statute says it doesn’t limit “the recovery of compensatory damages for physical impairment or disfigurement.”

For the most serious injuries, that separate category can make a significant difference.

When the At-Fault Driver’s Insurance Runs Out

A claim can be worth more than the insurance available to pay it. Colorado’s minimum liability coverage is $25,000 per person for bodily injury and $50,000 per accident (the Colorado Division of Insurance).

If the driver who hit you carries only that minimum, their policy pays bodily injury claims up to $25,000 for any one person (C.R.S. 10-4-620). For a serious injury, that limit can run out long before the losses do.

 

The coverage you bought may help. Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage pays for your bodily injury losses caused by a driver with no insurance or too little, and it’s included in a Colorado policy unless you rejected it in writing. We explain how that works in what to do when hit by an uninsured driver.

How Your Share of Fault Lowers the Amount

Fault can reduce any injury’s value. Under Colorado law, your damages are “diminished in proportion to the amount of negligence attributable to” you (C.R.S. 13-21-111).

If your share of fault equals or exceeds that of the other driver, the same statute directs judgment for the defendant. More detail is in our guide to Colorado’s comparative negligence rule.

What Helps Show the True Cost of Your Injury

The value of an injury claim depends on proof. These steps can help show what the injury has cost you and will cost you:

• Get medical care promptly and keep every appointment, as these records will help show how the injury developed.
• Keep bills, receipts, and mileage for treatment.
• Track missed work, reduced hours, and jobs you can no longer do.
• Write down what you can’t do now that you could do before the crash.
• Ask your doctors about future care, because future costs are difficult to prove without medical support.

Time matters too. Most Colorado lawsuits for bodily injury from a motor vehicle crash have to be filed within three years (C.R.S. 13-80-101).

Talk to a Denver Car Accident Lawyer About Your Injury

If your injury is serious, the coverage and the medical proof often decide more than the diagnosis does. Our car accident lawyers can review both with you, and you can read more about the 10 most common injuries from car accidents in Denver.

The consultation is free, and there’s no fee unless we win. That phrase covers the attorney’s fee, and your written agreement handles case expenses. Call (303) 209-9395 to talk it through.

Frequently Asked Questions

Written by CGH Injury Lawyers.

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