ClickCease
CGH Injury Lawyers represents spinal cord injury victims in Colorado Springs and across El Paso County, serving from our Denver office.
Colorado Springs, El Paso County

A Spinal Cord Injury in Colorado Springs Shouldn't Bankrupt Your Family

For people left paralyzed by a crash, a fall, or a medical error in Colorado Springs, the first insurance offer almost never covers a lifetime of care. We build the case to the real number. Serving Colorado Springs from our Denver office. No fee unless we win.

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

It's More Than Money.

Get my free case review

100% confidential. No fee unless we win.

Serving Colorado Springs From 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 ABOTA trial advocate on the team Catastrophic-injury focus 8 attorneys, bilingual EN / ES
  • The neurological level of injury, from cervical (C1-C8) to sacral, decides the degree of paralysis and the lifetime care cost. National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center estimates from its 2025 data sheet run from about $3 million for paraplegia to more than $6.2 million for a high cervical injury at age 25, in 2024 dollars.
  • The ASIA Impairment Scale grades an injury as complete or incomplete. That single distinction drives both the medical prognosis and the value of a claim, and insurers routinely settle on optimistic recovery projections that rarely hold.
  • 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, and your award is reduced by your share.

A spinal cord injury changes a Colorado Springs family's finances for decades. CGH Injury Lawyers represents people living with paraplegia and tetraplegia and their families across El Paso County, and we serve Colorado Springs from our Denver office. We work with life care planners, neurologists, and economists to build a damages model that reflects 40 to 60 years of real cost, with no upfront fees and a free first consultation.

The medical framework

Spinal cord injury levels decide the value of your Colorado Springs case

The spinal cord is divided into four regions, and where the injury occurs decides what abilities are preserved and what functions are lost. Each level corresponds to a different lifetime care cost, which is why valuing a claim starts with the neurology.

  1. Cervical (C1-C8): high tetraplegia

    Injuries to the neck region affect all four limbs. C1-C4 injuries are the most severe and often require ventilator support and 24-hour attendant care. C5-C8 injuries allow progressively more arm and hand function, and by C7-C8 many people operate a manual wheelchair independently.

  2. Thoracic (T1-T12): paraplegia

    Thoracic injuries paralyze the legs while arm and hand function remain intact. T1-T6 injuries affect trunk stability and sitting balance. Lower thoracic injuries preserve more trunk control, and most people live independently with home modifications and adaptive equipment.

  3. Lumbar and sacral (L1-S5): lower function loss

    Many people with these injuries retain some leg movement and may walk with braces. They often face bowel and bladder dysfunction and ongoing management. Lifetime costs are lower than cervical or thoracic injuries but still significant for supplies, medication, and periodic surgery.

  4. The ASIA Impairment Scale

    The ASIA scale grades injuries from A to E. ASIA A is a complete injury with no motor or sensory function below the neurological level. ASIA B through D are incomplete injuries with varying preserved sensation or movement. This grade drives both prognosis and cost projection.

An incomplete injury creates a planning problem. The extent of recovery often is not known for 12 to 18 months. A sound life care plan accounts for both the chance of improvement and the reality that many people plateau far short of independence, and insurance companies exploit that uncertainty with settlements built on optimistic projections that rarely materialize.

The law that governs your case

Colorado law on spinal cord injury claims, decoded

Three rules shape almost every Colorado Springs spinal cord injury case: how fault is shared, what can be capped, and how long you have to file. Each one can swing a recovery by hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Modified comparative fault

  • Colorado follows modified comparative fault (C.R.S. 13-21-111).
  • You can recover as long as your share of fault is less than 50 percent.
  • A person found 50 percent or more at fault recovers nothing.
  • Your award is reduced by your percentage of fault, so insurers fight hard to shift blame onto you.

What can and cannot be capped

  • Economic damages such as medical bills, lost wages, and a life care plan are never capped.
  • Compensation for physical impairment or disfigurement is not capped at all.
  • Non-economic damages such as pain and suffering are capped 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.
  • In a paralysis case, the uncapped categories usually make up the bulk of the recovery.

The deadline to file

Most Colorado injury claims must be filed within two years of the injury (C.R.S. 13-80-102), but a claim arising out of the use or operation of a motor vehicle has a three-year deadline (C.R.S. 13-80-101(1)(n)). If a government entity is involved, such as a public hospital or a government vehicle, a written notice of claim must reach that entity within 182 days of discovering the injury under the Colorado Governmental Immunity Act (C.R.S. 24-10-109), and missing it bars the claim entirely. These deadlines run from different events, so confirm your specific date with an attorney early.

When a spinal cord injury ends in death, Colorado caps non-economic damages in a wrongful death case at $2.125 million for claims accruing on or after January 1, 2025 (C.R.S. 13-21-203), with the cap removed entirely if the death resulted from a felonious killing. Economic damages in a wrongful death case are not capped.

Local Knowledge

Colorado Springs trauma care, El Paso County courts, and the roads that cause these injuries

A Colorado Springs spinal cord injury case lives in El Paso County: the hospital that stabilized you, the courthouse where a lawsuit is filed, and the corridors where these crashes keep happening. Here is the ground we work on.

Trauma Care

UCHealth Memorial Hospital Central

After a severe spine injury in Colorado Springs, the most critically hurt patients are typically taken to UCHealth Memorial Hospital Central at 1400 E Boulder St, the first and only Level I trauma center in southern Colorado, designated by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) and verified by the American College of Surgeons. Penrose Hospital (a Level II trauma center) and St. Francis Hospital (a Level III trauma center), both part of CommonSpirit Health, also treat trauma across the region. Those records document the full scope of your injury and become the backbone of the damages claim.

Courthouse

El Paso County District Court

A Colorado Springs personal injury lawsuit is filed in El Paso County District Court, the Colorado state trial court of general jurisdiction in the 4th Judicial District, housed in the El Paso County Judicial Building at 270 S Tejon St. Local civil procedure, the judges, and the defense firms differ from the Denver courts, and we prepare each case for that venue.

High-Risk Roads

I-25, US 24, Powers Boulevard, and Academy Boulevard

High-speed corridors drive many of the crashes that cause paralysis here. Interstate 25 runs north-south through Colorado Springs toward the U.S. Air Force Academy, and CDOT data on the I-25 Gap immediately north of the city shows roughly 66 percent of crashes there are rear-end collisions causing nearly 80 percent of injury crashes. US 24 (the Midland Expressway / Platte Avenue corridor), Powers Boulevard (State Highway 21), and the city-maintained Academy Boulevard arterial round out the routes where serious wrecks happen. The City's Safe Streets COS plan uses 2023 as a baseline and aims to cut serious-injury and fatal crashes 35 percent by 2035.

Colorado Springs is the largest city in El Paso County, with a population of 478,961 in the 2020 Census and recent Census Bureau estimates above 487,000. Two regional hazards shape these cases. The Pikes Peak and Ute Pass corridor along US 24 feeds heavy mountain-recreation traffic into the city, and El Paso County sits in a high-frequency hail zone where the National Weather Service has documented hail up to softball size, including a major event across west-central El Paso County on August 6, 2018. Hard winters and severe weather also raise the long-term cost of keeping power wheelchairs, vehicle conversions, and accessible housing functioning here.

Why CGH

Why Colorado Springs spinal cord injury victims choose CGH Injury Lawyers

Trial-ready attorneys, catastrophic-injury focus, bilingual help, and no fee unless we win. We do not publish spinal cord injury settlement figures, because every injury level is different and a number on a page tells you nothing about your case. What we offer is the work, not a headline.

Sized to a Lifetime

Built to the real number.

We bring in life care planners, neurologists, and economists to document 40 to 60 years of cost, not the optimistic figure an insurer wants to settle on.

Serving Colorado Springs

El Paso County cases, handled directly.

We serve Colorado Springs from our Denver office at 2701 Lawrence St. and prepare cases for El Paso County District Court at 270 S Tejon St. You get a senior attorney, not a case number.

Uncapped Damages

The big categories stand.

Economic damages and compensation for physical impairment or disfigurement are not capped under Colorado law.

No Settlement Mill

We try cases.

Insurers respond differently to a demand backed by attorneys genuinely ready for a Colorado jury.

Trial-Ready

An ABOTA trial advocate on the team.

Managing Partner Kevin Cheney is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates. Every spinal cord injury case is handled by a licensed Colorado attorney working alongside the medical and economic experts these cases require.

Bilingual

Hablamos espanol.

Spanish-speaking staff and attorneys serve Colorado Springs families in English and Spanish.

No Win, No Fee

Contingency only.

You pay nothing upfront. We front every case cost, including life care planners, and collect only from a settlement or verdict.

One honest thing we will tell you up front: we do not sign up cases we cannot stand behind. If the facts of your Colorado Springs injury do not support the claim you hope to bring, we will say so in the free review rather than take your case and let it stall. When the law is on your side, we fight to the full lifetime number. When it is not, you deserve to hear that early, for free.

After the Injury

What to do after a spinal cord injury in Colorado Springs

Stabilize the medical care first, protect the evidence, then call before you talk to any insurer. Here is the path we walk with you.

  1. Get the right level of care

    For a severe spine injury, that often means UCHealth Memorial Hospital Central, southern Colorado's Level I trauma center. Keep every record, scan, and discharge instruction. They define the injury and the future need.

  2. Preserve the evidence

    Photograph the scene and vehicles, get the police or incident report, and collect the names and contact information of any witnesses before memories fade and the scene changes.

  3. Note any government involvement

    If a public hospital, public employee, or government vehicle may be at fault, the 182-day Colorado Governmental Immunity Act notice deadline (C.R.S. 24-10-109) can apply, so tell us early.

  4. Call before insurance does

    An adjuster may call within days with an early offer. Do not give a recorded statement or accept anything before speaking with us. Call (303) 209-9395.

  5. We build the life care plan

    We bring in life care planners, neurologists, spinal specialists, and economists to document the full medical and financial impact across the decades ahead.

  6. Negotiate or litigate

    Most cases settle on a documented demand. When an insurer refuses fair compensation, we file in El Paso County District Court and prepare your case for trial.

Compensation

What a life care plan recovers in a Colorado Springs case

A life care plan is a document built by certified planners, usually nurses or rehabilitation specialists, that projects every future medical and non-medical need. In a legal case it becomes the foundation for economic damages, and it is the difference between what insurance wants to pay and what life with a spinal cord injury actually costs.

Economic damages (never capped)

  • Emergency care, surgery, and rehabilitation
  • A power wheelchair replaced roughly every five years
  • Attendant care, vehicle modification, and home modification
  • Medical supplies, medication, equipment maintenance, and ongoing therapy
  • Lost wages, lost benefits, and reduced earning capacity

Non-economic and impairment damages

  • Pain and suffering (capped at $1.5 million for 2025 claims under C.R.S. 13-21-102.5)
  • Emotional distress
  • Loss of enjoyment of life
  • Physical impairment and disfigurement, which are not capped at all
  • Loss of consortium for a spouse or family

In the weeks after an injury, when a family is overwhelmed, insurers present offers that sound substantial. A $1 million settlement can feel life-changing, but for someone with C5 tetraplegia facing more than $4.5 million in lifetime costs under the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center's 2025 estimates (in 2024 dollars), it falls short by millions. Once a settlement is accepted, it is final. There is no going back when the money runs out and decades of care remain, which is why we value the claim against a complete life care plan before anyone signs anything.

Insurer tactics

Defenses insurers use, and how we answer them

In a spinal cord injury case, the money at stake is enormous, so the defense fights every line item. Knowing what each tactic actually requires is how we keep the full value of the claim alive.

  1. "You were partly to blame"

    Under Colorado's modified comparative fault rule (C.R.S. 13-21-111), a person found 50 percent or more at fault recovers nothing, and any award is reduced by the injured person's share of fault. Insurers inflate your percentage to cut or erase the payout. We use the crash reconstruction, witness accounts, and the physical evidence to keep blame where it belongs.

  2. "You will recover more than you think"

    With an incomplete injury, the defense leans on optimistic recovery projections to lower the lifetime cost. We counter with the medical reality that recovery often is not known for 12 to 18 months and that many people plateau short of independence, and we build the plan to both possibilities.

  3. "Cheaper equipment is enough"

    Defense attorneys argue a generic wheelchair is adequate, that family can provide care for free, or that quality-of-life equipment is optional. We document medical necessity, including custom seating to prevent pressure sores, so the life care plan survives that fight line by line.

Sound life care plans also account for inflation using the Medical Consumer Price Index, which historically runs higher than general inflation. Because economic damages and compensation for physical impairment or disfigurement are not capped under Colorado law, the detailed life care plan is the heart of a serious spinal cord injury case, and protecting it is most of the work.

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

Why the first settlement offer falls short

A spinal cord injury is one of the few injuries where the gap between the early offer and the true lifetime cost can run into the millions. Understanding how insurers approach these claims is the first step to not getting shorted.

  • Offering a quick settlement before the full extent of the injury is known, often within weeks of the crash.
  • Disputing the need for quality-of-life equipment such as environmental control systems.
  • Arguing a generic wheelchair is enough when custom seating is medically necessary to prevent pressure sores.
  • Inflating your share of fault to exploit Colorado's modified comparative fault rule (C.R.S. 13-21-111), under which a person 50 percent or more at fault recovers nothing.
Questions

Colorado Springs spinal cord injury, frequently asked questions

How much does a spinal cord injury cost over a lifetime?

National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center estimates for an injury at age 25 range from about $3 million for paraplegia to more than $6.2 million for a high cervical injury (2025 data sheet, in 2024 dollars). These are care-cost estimates, not settlement figures, and individual costs vary with injury level, age, and complications. In a Colorado Springs case, severe weather and the cost of keeping equipment, vehicle conversions, and accessible housing functioning can push the long-term number higher.

Where is a Colorado Springs spinal cord injury lawsuit filed?

Personal injury cases arising in El Paso County are filed in El Paso County District Court, the Colorado state trial court of general jurisdiction for the 4th Judicial District, housed in the El Paso County Judicial Building at 270 S Tejon St in Colorado Springs. Most claims settle before a lawsuit is filed, but the court where a case would be filed affects the local rules, the jury pool, and the defense firms you face. We handle El Paso County cases directly.

Do you have an office in Colorado Springs?

We serve Colorado Springs and El Paso County from our Denver office at 2701 Lawrence St., Suite 201, Denver, CO 80205. For a catastrophic spinal cord injury, the work happens through the medical records, the life care plan, and the El Paso County court, and we manage all of it directly. You can reach us any time at (303) 209-9395.

Can I still recover if I was partly at fault for the crash?

Yes, in most cases. Colorado follows a modified comparative fault rule (C.R.S. 13-21-111). You can recover as long as your share of fault is less than 50 percent, and your award is reduced by your percentage of fault. A person found 50 percent or more at fault recovers nothing, so insurers often inflate the injured person's fault, and an attorney can challenge that.

Does Colorado cap damages in a spinal cord injury case?

Two of the largest categories are not capped at all: economic damages such as medical bills, lost wages, and the life care plan, and compensatory damages for physical impairment or disfigurement. Non-economic damages such as pain and suffering are capped 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. In a paralysis case, the uncapped categories usually make up the bulk of the recovery.

How long do I have to file a spinal cord injury claim in Colorado?

Most Colorado injury claims must be filed within two years of the injury (C.R.S. 13-80-102), but a claim arising out of the use or operation of a motor vehicle has a three-year deadline (C.R.S. 13-80-101(1)(n)). If a government entity is involved, a written notice of claim must reach it within 182 days of discovering the injury under the Colorado Governmental Immunity Act (C.R.S. 24-10-109), and missing it bars the claim. Because these run from different events, confirm your specific deadline with an attorney early.

Should I accept the insurance company's first offer?

Be cautious. Early offers often arrive before the full extent of the injury is known and represent a fraction of actual lifetime costs. A $1 million offer can fall millions short for a tetraplegia case facing more than $4.5 million in lifetime cost, according to the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center's 2025 data sheet. Once accepted, a settlement is final, so it is worth having an attorney value the claim against a complete life care plan first.

What if a spinal cord injury in Colorado Springs results in death?

When an injury ends in death, the family may bring a wrongful death claim. Colorado caps non-economic damages in a wrongful death case at $2.125 million for claims accruing on or after January 1, 2025 (C.R.S. 13-21-203), with the cap removed entirely if the death resulted from a felonious killing. Economic damages are not capped. These cases also carry their own filing deadlines, so speak with an attorney about your specific timeline.

Keep Reading

Related pages

Colorado Springs

Practice Area

Related Injuries

Get Help

It's More Than Money.

You face decades of care. We build the case to that number.

Free consultation. No fee unless we win. Serving Colorado Springs from our Denver office, in English and Spanish.

Tell us what happened

100% confidential. No fee unless we win.

Call (303) 209-9395 Get my free case review

Prefer to read first? See how Colorado spinal cord injury law works.

CGH Injury Lawyers · 2701 Lawrence St., Suite 201, Denver, CO 80205 · Serving Colorado Springs and El Paso County