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I-76 and US-85 corridor through Brighton, Colorado. CGH Injury Lawyers represents DUI accident victims in Brighton and Adams County from our Denver office.
Brighton, Colorado

Brighton DUI Accident Lawyers Who Pursue the Driver, the Bar, and Every Dollar You Are Owed

A drunk or drugged driver on I-76, US-85, or State Highway 7 can end your normal life in seconds. The criminal case that follows punishes the driver. Your civil claim is the separate process that puts money back in your hands for medical bills, lost wages, and everything else you have been through. CGH Injury Lawyers serves Brighton DUI accident victims from our Denver office, files in the Adams County District Court when insurers refuse to be fair, and collects nothing unless we win for you.

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  • Brighton DUI accident cases are filed at the Adams County District Court, 1100 Judicial Center Dr., Brighton, CO 80601, in Colorado's 17th Judicial District. Brighton is the Adams County seat, so the courthouse sits within the city itself. CGH Injury Lawyers does not have a Brighton office. We file and try Adams County DUI injury cases directly from our Denver office and come to you.
  • Colorado gives you three years from the date of the crash to file a lawsuit for injuries caused by a motor vehicle (C.R.S. 13-80-101(1)(n)). A dram shop claim against a bar or restaurant that overserved the driver runs on a much shorter clock: the lawsuit must be commenced within one year after the alcohol was sold or served (C.R.S. 44-3-801(3)(a)(II)). Do not wait for the criminal case to close before pursuing either claim.
  • Colorado follows modified comparative fault (C.R.S. 13-21-111): you can still recover as long as you were less than 50 percent at fault for the crash. At 50 percent or more, you recover nothing. Against a driver who was legally impaired, insurers typically have little ground to shift meaningful fault onto you, but they try anyway.

Brighton sits at the convergence of Interstate 76, US Highway 85, and State Highway 7. Commercial freight, long-haul trucking, and commuter traffic share those corridors every day, and an impaired driver on any one of them can cause serious harm in seconds. CGH Injury Lawyers pursues the at-fault driver, any bar or restaurant that put them on the road, and your own uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage when the driver's policy is not enough. Free consultation. No fee unless we win.

Negligence per se on Brighton's corridors

Why a DUI crash on I-76 or US-85 is legally different from an ordinary Brighton collision

In most car crash cases you must prove the other driver was careless. In a DUI crash, much of that work is done for you by a legal doctrine called negligence per se. Understanding that doctrine is the first thing every Brighton DUI accident victim should hear.

Colorado follows the doctrine of negligence per se. When a person violates a safety statute written to prevent the kind of harm that happened, to a person the statute was meant to protect, that violation itself can establish negligence. Drunk and drugged driving laws exist precisely to keep impaired people from injuring others. A driver who causes a crash while impaired fits that doctrine squarely.

In practical terms, you usually do not have to argue about whether the impaired driver did something wrong. The fact of impairment, once established, does most of that work for you. On Brighton's high-speed corridors, where a drunk driver's mistake at interstate speed can cause catastrophic injuries, that legal advantage matters enormously. The real fight in most Brighton DUI cases is not about fault. It is about the value of your harm and which insurance policies must pay it.

The criminal case the Adams County District Attorney brings against the driver is a separate proceeding with a different goal. It can punish the driver and may produce a conviction that strengthens your civil claim. But it will not make you whole. Your civil claim, filed in the Adams County District Court at 1100 Judicial Center Dr., Brighton, CO 80601, is the process built specifically to do that.

Where Brighton DUI crashes happen

The Brighton roads where impaired drivers cause the most serious harm

Brighton's position at the junction of three major corridors creates specific, recurring conditions where an impaired driver can cause catastrophic injuries. Knowing which corridor your crash happened on shapes how we investigate, who we pursue, and what evidence we preserve.

  1. Interstate 76: High-Speed Impaired Driving with Commercial Freight

    I-76 runs east-west through Adams County, connecting Brighton to the Denver metro and extending toward northeastern Colorado. At interstate speeds, an impaired driver's reaction time deficit is magnified. Rear-end crashes, wrong-way entries at Brighton on-ramps and off-ramps, and high-speed lane departures are the recurring patterns we see on this corridor. When commercial freight vehicles are involved, liability can extend beyond the impaired driver to the carrier and its insurer, which often means larger available coverage.

  2. US Highway 85: Commercial Freight and Late-Night Impairment

    US-85 runs north-south through Brighton as a primary commercial freight route in Adams and Weld Counties. It is also a corridor where bars and restaurants are located at commercial intersections throughout the Brighton and surrounding area. An impaired driver leaving a US-85 commercial district who then causes a crash on that same route creates a clear chain: the alcohol sale, the impaired driver, and the victim. That chain is exactly what Colorado's Dram Shop Act (C.R.S. 44-3-801) is designed to reach.

  3. State Highway 7: Regional Connector at Night

    SH-7 connects Brighton with other Front Range communities and generates both commuter and agricultural traffic. Late-night and early-morning hours on SH-7 are periods when impaired driving is most common and when other traffic is thinner, making it easier for a drunk driver to reach high speeds before a crash. Speed limit transitions where SH-7 moves from open highway into Brighton's commercial zones are locations where impaired drivers consistently misjudge stopping distance and following distance.

Two parallel legal tracks

The Adams County criminal case versus your civil DUI injury claim

After a DUI crash in Brighton, two completely separate legal processes begin. They have different goals, different parties, and different outcomes. Understanding the split is the first thing most Brighton victims need explained.

The criminal case

  • Brought by the Adams County District Attorney, not by you.
  • The goal is to punish the driver with jail, fines, license consequences, and probation.
  • You are a witness and a victim, not a party who controls the case.
  • A conviction or guilty plea becomes powerful evidence in your civil claim.
  • The court may order restitution, but restitution is limited and is not full compensation.

Your civil injury claim

  • Brought by you against the driver and every other responsible party.
  • The goal is money to make you whole: medical bills, lost income, pain, and suffering.
  • You control the decisions, with your lawyer's guidance.
  • It is paid by insurance in the vast majority of cases, not out of the driver's pocket.
  • It can proceed whether or not the driver is ever criminally convicted.

The two cases use different standards of proof. The criminal case must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Your civil claim needs only to prove fault by a preponderance of the evidence, meaning more likely than not. A Brighton driver can sometimes escape a criminal conviction yet still be fully liable to you in the civil case. We do not wait for the criminal case to finish before protecting your civil rights. Evidence disappears, and the dram shop clock runs whether the criminal case is moving or stalled.

Every source of recovery

Who can be held responsible for a DUI crash in Brighton beyond the driver

The impaired driver is the obvious defendant, but they are often not the only one, and sometimes not the one with the most available coverage. Colorado law lets us pursue the bar or restaurant that put them on the road, and your own policy when no one else can pay.

Dram shop liability: the overserving bar or restaurant

  • Colorado's Dram Shop Act (C.R.S. 44-3-801) lets injured people sue a licensed vendor that willfully and knowingly served alcohol to a visibly intoxicated patron who then caused the harm.
  • The same statute covers serving anyone under 21. A vendor, and in certain narrow situations even a private social host, can be liable under C.R.S. 44-3-801(4) for providing a minor with alcohol or a place to drink.
  • A dram shop recovery is in addition to the driver's own liability. It adds a second source of compensation on top of the driver's policy, and commercial liquor liability coverage is typically larger than a personal auto policy.
  • The dram shop cap under C.R.S. 44-3-801(3)(c) for claims on or after January 1, 2026 is $465,730. The claim against the vendor must be commenced within one year after the alcohol was sold or served (C.R.S. 44-3-801(3)(a)(II)).

Your own coverage: uninsured and underinsured motorist

  • If the drunk driver had no insurance, your uninsured motorist (UM) coverage steps into the at-fault driver's shoes and becomes the primary source of recovery.
  • If the driver had insurance but not enough to cover your losses, your underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage fills the gap between what the driver's policy pays and your actual damages.
  • UM and UIM claims run on their own deadline under C.R.S. 13-80-107.5, the statute the Colorado Supreme Court applied in Pham v. State Farm, 2013 CO 17. That deadline must be tracked separately from the three-year motor vehicle SOL against the at-fault driver.
  • We identify every policy that could respond to your Brighton DUI crash, including coverage you may not realize you carry, and pursue each source through its own correct process.

There is a critical timing trap in Brighton DUI cases. Many families wait for the criminal case to resolve before thinking about who else besides the driver they can pursue. By then, the one-year window to sue the bar under the Dram Shop Act has often already closed. Bar video is overwritten. Point-of-sale records are gone. We map every potential defendant and every deadline at the very start of your case, before evidence disappears.

Local knowledge

Brighton courts. Brighton trauma care. Brighton roads.

A Brighton DUI accident case lives in Brighton: the road where it happened, the hospital that treated you, and the courthouse where the lawsuit may be filed. Here is the ground we work on every time we handle an Adams County DUI injury claim.

Courthouse

Adams County District Court, Brighton (17th Judicial District)

Brighton is the seat of Adams County and the home of the Adams County District Court, located at 1100 Judicial Center Dr., Brighton, CO 80601. Personal injury lawsuits that exceed the county-court jurisdictional limit are filed here, in the 17th Judicial District of Colorado. Unlike DUI injury cases from nearby Adams County cities such as Thornton or Westminster, a Brighton case is filed at a courthouse that sits within the city itself. The local jury pool, the defense firms that regularly appear in the 17th Judicial District, and the procedural culture of Adams County are factors that shape how Brighton DUI claims are valued and litigated. We file and try 17th Judicial District cases directly and know this court well. CGH Injury Lawyers does not have a Brighton office; we serve Brighton and Adams County clients from our Denver office at 2701 Lawrence St., Suite 201, Denver, CO 80205.

Trauma Care

Platte Valley Medical Center

Platte Valley Medical Center is the primary hospital serving Brighton and the surrounding Adams and Weld County communities. When a Brighton DUI crash sends someone to Platte Valley, those emergency room reports, imaging studies, surgical records, and discharge summaries become the evidentiary core of the damages case. For very serious or life-threatening injuries, transfer to a Denver-area Level I trauma center may be arranged, and records from every treating facility are equally important to the claim. We work with medical records and billing documentation from Platte Valley and any receiving facility from the first days of every Brighton DUI case, because documenting the full injury early is one of the most important things we do for you.

High-Crash Roads

Interstate 76, US Highway 85, and State Highway 7

Brighton sits at the convergence of three major corridors. Interstate 76 runs east-west through Adams County, carrying a mix of commuter traffic, commercial freight, and long-haul trucking at interstate speeds. US Highway 85 runs north-south through Brighton as a heavily traveled commercial freight route, with bars and restaurants located along its commercial zones. State Highway 7 is a regional connector that generates commuter and agricultural traffic as it passes through Brighton. Commercial intersections where these routes cross each other or cross local Brighton roads are locations where impaired drivers cause the most serious harm, where the speeds are highest, and where the liability picture is often the most complex. Knowing these corridors is how we build Brighton DUI crash claims that hold up in the Adams County District Court.

Compensation

What compensation can you recover after a Brighton DUI crash, and how do the caps work

A DUI crash on I-76 or US-85 is rarely just a medical bill. Colorado law recognizes two broad categories of compensatory damages, and drunk driving conduct can also open the door to punitive damages that ordinary crashes do not allow.

Economic damages (never capped)

  • Emergency care, surgery, and follow-up treatment at Platte Valley Medical Center or a Denver-area trauma center
  • Future medical care, physical therapy, and rehabilitation costs
  • Lost wages and lost earning capacity if the injury affects your ability to work
  • Property damage, vehicle replacement, and out-of-pocket expenses
  • In a fatal DUI crash, funeral costs and the surviving family's financial losses

Non-economic damages (capped, with important exceptions)

  • Pain and suffering: capped at $1,500,000 for claims accruing on or after January 1, 2025, with inflation adjustments beginning in 2028 (C.R.S. 13-21-102.5)
  • Emotional distress and PTSD, which are common after a violent high-speed crash on Brighton's corridors
  • Loss of enjoyment of life and loss of companionship
  • Compensation for permanent physical impairment or disfigurement is not subject to the non-economic cap at all. That uncapped category often drives the largest portion of a serious DUI injury recovery.

Punitive damages for drunk driving and the comparative fault rule

  • Drunk driving is the kind of willful and wanton conduct that can support punitive, or exemplary, damages on top of your compensatory recovery. In Colorado, punitive damages generally cannot exceed the amount of actual damages awarded (C.R.S. 13-21-102). They require proof of willful and wanton conduct. We evaluate whether the facts of your Brighton case support a punitive claim and pursue it where the evidence allows.
  • Colorado's modified comparative fault rule (C.R.S. 13-21-111) means you can still recover even if you were partly at fault, as long as you were less than 50 percent responsible. At 50 percent or more, you recover nothing. Your award is reduced by whatever percentage of fault is attributed to you. Against an impaired driver on a Brighton corridor, that argument usually has little to stand on, and we use the crash reconstruction and DUI evidence to keep the fault where it belongs.
  • If your Brighton DUI case involves a fatal crash, wrongful death claims carry their own separate cap under C.R.S. 13-21-203(1)(a): $2,125,000 for claims accruing on or after January 1, 2025, with no cap at all when the death was caused by a felonious killing.
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Deadlines that decide your case

The filing deadlines in a Brighton DUI injury case

A Brighton DUI crash can involve several different deadlines running at once, and they do not all start from the same date. Missing the shortest one can permanently close the claim against a key defendant, even when the facts are strong.

  • The claim against the at-fault driver: Colorado gives you three years from the date of the crash to file a lawsuit for injuries arising out of the use or operation of a motor vehicle (C.R.S. 13-80-101(1)(n)). This is the primary deadline for a Brighton DUI victim pursuing the impaired driver.
  • A dram shop claim against the bar or restaurant: a much shorter one-year clock. The lawsuit must be commenced within one year after the alcohol was sold or served (C.R.S. 44-3-801(3)(a)(II)). Waiting for the criminal case to finish typically costs you this claim entirely.
  • A UM or UIM claim under your own policy: governed by its own deadline under C.R.S. 13-80-107.5, the statute the Colorado Supreme Court applied in Pham v. State Farm, 2013 CO 17. Do not assume it matches the three-year deadline against the driver.
  • A wrongful death claim: two years from the date of death (C.R.S. 13-80-102). If the DUI crash in Brighton was fatal, that clock begins immediately and runs separately from any survivor injury claims.

Because these deadlines run from different events and some are dramatically shorter than others, the only safe approach is to have an attorney confirm every clock that applies to your specific Brighton crash as early as possible. When a victim is a child, Colorado law generally tolls the filing deadline, but physical evidence from an I-76 or US-85 crash does not wait. Early involvement is almost always the difference between a case built on complete evidence and one built on gaps.

After a Brighton DUI crash

What to do after you are hit by a drunk or drugged driver in Brighton

Take care of your health first, protect the evidence, then call before you talk to any insurer. Here is the path we walk with every Brighton DUI accident client from the first phone call to resolution.

  1. Call 911 and make sure impairment is documented

    When police respond to a Brighton DUI crash, their job is to assess and document impairment, conduct field sobriety testing, and make an arrest if the evidence warrants it. That police report and the DUI arrest documentation are foundational evidence in your civil claim. If you can safely do so, tell responding officers that you believe the other driver was impaired and note anything you observed: the smell of alcohol, slurred speech, glassy eyes, or erratic driving behavior before the crash.

  2. Get medical care at Platte Valley Medical Center or wherever you need to go

    Serious Brighton DUI crash injuries are treated at Platte Valley Medical Center, the primary hospital serving Brighton and the surrounding Adams and Weld County communities. For life-threatening injuries, a Denver-area Level I trauma center may receive you. Even injuries that feel minor at the scene, particularly neck, back, and head pain after a high-speed crash, can indicate nerve damage, spinal injury, or traumatic brain injury that will not appear on the first examination. Get examined, follow every treatment recommendation, and keep every medical record and billing statement from every facility that treated you.

  3. Preserve evidence before it disappears

    Photograph the crash scene, both vehicles, any skid marks or road debris, and your injuries. On Brighton's highway corridors, road conditions and vehicle positions change or disappear quickly once cleanup begins. Note the name and location of any bar or restaurant the driver came from, and identify any witnesses before they leave. Bar surveillance video is often overwritten within days and point-of-sale records can be disposed of. If we are involved early, we can send a preservation demand to a bar or restaurant before that evidence is gone.

  4. Call us before giving any recorded statement

    The at-fault driver's insurer, or the commercial trucking company's claims team if a truck was involved, may contact you within days of the Brighton crash. Do not give a recorded statement or accept any offer before speaking with us. A statement made while you are still injured and without full knowledge of what your claim is worth can be used against you throughout the case. Call (303) 209-9395 from anywhere in Brighton or Adams County.

  5. We investigate and build the full claim

    We obtain the crash report, the DUI arrest record, body-camera footage, and toxicology results. We send preservation demands to any bar or restaurant in the dram shop chain. We identify every insurance policy that could respond: the driver's liability coverage, any commercial policy behind the overserving venue, and your own UM and UIM coverage. We build the medical record around your complete injury picture, including future care and lost earning capacity, because insurers routinely try to minimize harm they cannot see on a single X-ray.

  6. Negotiate from trial readiness, then try the case if needed

    We send a documented demand and negotiate from a position of trial readiness. When an insurer refuses a fair offer, we file at the Adams County District Court, 1100 Judicial Center Dr., Brighton, CO 80601, and try your case before an Adams County jury in the 17th Judicial District. Defense attorneys and adjusters who know we will actually try a Brighton DUI case respond differently than they do for firms that never set foot in a courtroom.

Your team

The team handling your Brighton DUI accident case

CGH Injury Lawyers is a eight-attorney Colorado firm founded in 2016, formerly Cheney Galluzzi & Howard. Managing Partner Kevin Cheney is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) and has tried over 25 cases to verdict. Timothy G. Tarr has been recognized by Best Lawyers every year since 2023. Every Brighton DUI accident case is handled by a licensed Colorado attorney, not a paralegal. We are transparent about one thing: CGH Injury Lawyers does not have a Brighton office. We serve Brighton and all of Adams County from our Denver office and come to you.

ABOTA member on the team Tim Tarr: Best Lawyers in America since 2023 Over 25 cases to verdict Adams County 17th Judicial District Bilingual EN / ES Free consultation No fee unless we win

Frequently asked questions

Frequently asked questions about Brighton DUI accident cases

How long do I have to file a claim after a DUI crash in Brighton?

The deadline depends on who you are pursuing. The claim against the at-fault driver generally must be filed within three years of the crash under Colorado's motor vehicle statute (C.R.S. 13-80-101(1)(n)). A dram shop claim against any bar or restaurant that overserved the driver must be commenced within one year after the alcohol was sold or served (C.R.S. 44-3-801(3)(a)(II)). A UM or UIM claim under your own policy runs on its own separate deadline under C.R.S. 13-80-107.5. Because these clocks start from different events and the shortest is only one year, contact an attorney as soon as possible after any Brighton DUI crash.

Should I wait for the Adams County criminal case to finish before starting my civil claim?

No. The criminal case and your civil claim are completely separate, and waiting can cost you significantly. A dram shop claim against a Brighton bar that overserved the driver must be filed within one year after the alcohol was sold or served (C.R.S. 44-3-801(3)(a)(II)), and surveillance video and point-of-sale records from that bar can be erased or destroyed within days or weeks. We protect your civil rights immediately while the Adams County criminal case proceeds on its own track. Any conviction or guilty plea the Adams County DA obtains can later strengthen your civil claim.

Can I sue the bar or restaurant that overserved the driver on US-85 or near Brighton?

Often yes. Colorado's Dram Shop Act (C.R.S. 44-3-801) lets you sue a licensed vendor that willfully and knowingly served alcohol to a visibly intoxicated patron, or to anyone under 21, who then caused the harm. A dram shop recovery is in addition to the driver's own liability, adding a second source of compensation. The statutory cap for dram shop claims on or after January 1, 2026 is $465,730 (C.R.S. 44-3-801(3)(c)). The critical catch is that this claim must be brought within one year of when the alcohol was served, which is why these claims must be identified and preserved at the very start of your Brighton case.

What if the drunk driver who hit me in Brighton had no insurance?

This is common, and your own policy is often the real source of recovery. Uninsured motorist (UM) coverage steps into the at-fault driver's shoes when they had no insurance. If the driver had some insurance but not enough to cover your losses, underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage fills the gap. These claims run on their own deadline under C.R.S. 13-80-107.5, the statute the Colorado Supreme Court applied in Pham v. State Farm, 2013 CO 17, and must be tracked separately from the claim against the driver. We identify every policy that could respond to your Brighton crash, including coverage you may not realize you carry.

Can I recover punitive damages against a drunk driver in a Brighton civil case?

Sometimes. Drunk driving is the kind of willful and wanton conduct that can support punitive, or exemplary, damages on top of your compensatory recovery. Colorado law generally limits punitive damages to no more than the amount of actual damages awarded (C.R.S. 13-21-102), and they require proof of willful and wanton conduct. A DUI case where the driver had a high BAC, had prior DUI history, or was driving recklessly in addition to being impaired is a stronger candidate for a punitive claim. We evaluate whether the facts of your Brighton case support it and pursue it where the evidence allows.

The insurer says I was partly at fault for the Brighton crash. Can I still recover?

Often yes. Colorado uses modified comparative fault (C.R.S. 13-21-111). As long as you were less than 50 percent at fault, you can still recover, though your award is reduced by your percentage of fault. If you are found 50 percent or more at fault, you recover nothing, which is exactly why insurers try to shift blame onto victims even when their driver was legally impaired. Against a drunk or drugged driver in Brighton, that argument usually has very little to stand on. We use crash reconstruction evidence, DUI arrest documentation, and witness testimony to keep the fault where it belongs.

Brighton pages and related practice areas

Brighton

Related Practice Areas

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It's More Than Money.

A drunk driver hurt you in Brighton. We handle everything else.

The dram shop clock starts the day the alcohol was sold or served - not necessarily the day of the crash. Free consultation. No fee unless we win. Available in English and Spanish.

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Read next: How Colorado DUI injury law works statewide

CGH Injury Lawyers · Serving Brighton from 2701 Lawrence St., Suite 201, Denver, CO 80205