Commerce City Car Accident Attorneys

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Colorado uses modified comparative fault. You can still recover damages after a Commerce City crash 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 (C.R.S. 13-21-111).
The standard deadline to file a car accident lawsuit in Colorado is three years from the date of the crash (C.R.S. 13-80-101(1)(n)). If the crash involved a government vehicle, a city bus, or a Commerce City public entity, a written notice of claim must be filed within 182 days of discovering the injury (C.R.S. 24-10-109).
Insurance companies begin building their defense the moment the police report is filed. Having an attorney before you give any recorded statement is the single most important step you can take to protect your Commerce City claim.

If you were hurt in a car accident on I-270, Vasquez Boulevard, US-85, Brighton Boulevard, or anywhere else in Commerce City or Adams County, CGH Injury Lawyers serves you from our Denver office, a short drive on I-270 or Brighton Boulevard. We handle the investigation, the insurer communications, and trial in Adams County District Court when the insurer refuses to treat you fairly. You pay nothing unless we recover for you.

Why these crashes cause serious harm

A Commerce City car accident is rarely just a fender-bender

Commerce City sits in the middle of one of Colorado's heaviest freight corridors. I-270 carries more than 100,000 vehicles every day, with 8 to 17 percent of that traffic made up of freight trucks. Vasquez Boulevard handles 40,000 or more vehicles per day, and Brighton Boulevard (SH-265) runs directly past the Suncor refinery, generating a continuous stream of tanker and industrial truck movements. When a passenger vehicle collides with a commercial truck, an overloaded delivery vehicle, or even another car at highway speed on these corridors, the results can include catastrophic, life-altering injuries. Negligence is the legal standard that decides when the at-fault driver and their insurer must compensate you for that harm.

Serious injuries we see in Commerce City car accident cases include:

Traumatic brain injury and concussion from high-speed impact or rollover
Spinal cord injuries and herniated discs from rear-end and T-bone collisions on I-270 interchange ramps
Broken bones including femur, collarbone, and rib fractures common in side-impact crashes at Vasquez Boulevard intersections
Soft-tissue tears and chronic pain from whiplash in stop-and-go industrial traffic on US-85 and SH-2
Internal organ injuries from seatbelt loading in high-speed interstate crashes

Colorado law does not require you to prove every element of your case at the beginning. It requires proof of four things: duty, breach, causation, and damages. In a car accident, the at-fault driver owed every other road user a duty of reasonable care. When they ran a red light, changed lanes without looking, drove distracted, or followed too closely on I-270, they breached that duty. The injury you suffered is your damage. We build the causal bridge between their failure and your loss.

Modified comparative fault (C.R.S. 13-21-111)

Colorado follows a modified comparative negligence rule. You can recover damages from the at-fault driver as long as your share of fault is less than 50 percent. If you are 50 percent or more at fault, you recover nothing. Below 50 percent, your damages award is reduced in proportion to your own fault. Adams County defense attorneys routinely inflate the plaintiff's fault percentage to reduce payouts, and countering that argument requires the crash evidence we gather immediately after being retained.
Three-year statute of limitations for motor vehicle crashes (C.R.S. 13-80-101(1)(n))

Colorado gives you three years from the date of your Commerce City crash to file a lawsuit for injuries arising out of the use or operation of a motor vehicle. That deadline sounds distant, but evidence degrades quickly: surveillance footage is overwritten, memories fade, and witnesses become unavailable. Waiting to the end of the three-year window is a litigation disadvantage. The sooner you retain counsel, the better your case is preserved.
182-day notice for crashes involving a public entity (C.R.S. 24-10-109)

If your Commerce City crash involved a city bus, a Commerce City or Adams County vehicle, a public works truck, or a government-operated vehicle of any kind, the Colorado Governmental Immunity Act requires you to file a written notice of claim within 182 days of discovering your injury. This notice is a jurisdictional prerequisite. Missing it bars your claim permanently. The 182-day clock runs from the date of discovery, not the date of the crash, but do not rely on that distinction. Call us immediately if a government vehicle or entity was involved.
Colorado is not a no-fault state

Colorado is a fault-based state for auto accidents. You pursue your claim directly against the at-fault driver's liability insurer, not through your own insurer first. If the at-fault driver is uninsured or underinsured, you may have a claim under your own UM/UIM policy. Colorado UM/UIM claims are governed by C.R.S. 13-80-107.5 under Pham v. State Farm, 2013 CO 17. Commerce City's industrial corridors see a higher-than-average share of commercial vehicle traffic, which means carrier insurance policies and multiple potentially liable parties are common in the most serious crashes.

Where crashes happen in Commerce City

The corridors and intersections behind Commerce City's most serious car accidents

Commerce City's road network was built to serve freight, refinery operations, and regional distribution, not ordinary commuter safety. The result is a mix of high-speed interstate interchanges, heavy-truck arterials, and complex surface intersections that put passenger vehicle drivers and commercial operators in daily conflict. These are not abstract road names. They are the specific places where Commerce City's most serious injury crashes occur.

Interstate and major arterial crashes

I-270 high-crash corridor carrying over 100,000 daily vehicles, formally flagged by CDOT, with 8 to 17 percent freight truck traffic contributing to rear-end and lane-change crashes at interchange ramps
Vasquez Boulevard at 60th Avenue, a documented 8-way intersection with 40,000 or more daily vehicles now undergoing safety redesign after a history of crashes
US-85 (Colorado Boulevard) and SH-2 running through the industrial core, mixing heavy trucks with residential commuters at uncontrolled or poorly timed intersections
Brighton Boulevard (SH-265) generating tanker and industrial truck surges past the Suncor refinery and into Denver

Contributing hazards and vehicle types

Amazon, FedEx, UPS, McLane, and Old Dominion distribution centers pushing high-frequency delivery traffic onto surface streets throughout the day and into evening hours
Dick's Sporting Goods Park event traffic generating surge volumes on surface streets that cross Vasquez Boulevard and 60th Avenue
Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge access traffic placing out-of-area and distracted drivers on interior roads near industrial corridors
Winter ice and freeze on I-270 and surface streets, and documented flash flooding closures during severe storms, creating sudden hazardous conditions for all vehicle types

Identifying where a crash happened, what road conditions were present, and which entities may share responsibility for those conditions is a core part of building a Commerce City car accident case. We send preservation letters for CDOT crash data, surveillance footage, and traffic signal records before evidence disappears.

Courthouse

Adams County District Court (17th Judicial District)

A Commerce City car accident lawsuit that exceeds county-court jurisdiction is filed in Adams County District Court, part of the 17th Judicial District, at the Adams County Justice Center, 1100 Judicial Center Dr., Brighton, CO 80601. Local procedure, the Adams County jury pool, and the defense firms that appear in this courthouse all differ from Denver or Jefferson County. We handle 17th Judicial District cases directly from our Denver office on I-270, without handing your case off to local counsel.

Trauma Care

HCA HealthONE North Suburban Medical Center (Level II Trauma Center)

HCA HealthONE North Suburban Medical Center is the only Level II Trauma Center designated by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment in Adams County. For a Commerce City crash victim with serious injuries, the trauma records from that facility document the full scope of injury severity and become the foundation of the damages claim. Commerce City also has a UCHealth freestanding emergency room, which does not hold a trauma level designation. When the injury is serious, the trauma designation matters for both medical care and case value.

High-Crash Roads

I-270, US-85, Vasquez Boulevard, Brighton Boulevard, and SH-2

CDOT identifies I-270 as a high-crash corridor carrying more than 100,000 vehicles daily, with 8 to 17 percent of that traffic made up of freight trucks. Vasquez Boulevard handles 40,000 or more vehicles per day, with the complex 8-way intersection at 60th Avenue now being redesigned for safety following documented crash history. US-85 and SH-2 serve as major surface arterials through Commerce City's industrial core. Brighton Boulevard (SH-265) runs directly past the Suncor refinery. These are the roads where Commerce City's most serious car crashes occur, and we know them.

Economic damages

Medical expenses, past and future, including emergency room bills from HCA HealthONE North Suburban and ongoing specialist care
Lost wages and lost income from time missed at the distribution centers, warehouses, and industrial employers that employ much of Commerce City's workforce
Loss of earning capacity when injuries prevent return to physically demanding work
Property damage to your vehicle
Rehabilitation, physical therapy, and future care costs
Out-of-pocket expenses tied directly to the crash

Non-economic damages

Pain and suffering
Emotional distress
Loss of enjoyment of life
Loss of consortium for a spouse or family member
Permanent disability or diminished quality of life

For claims accruing on or after January 1, 2025, Colorado caps non-economic damages such as pain and suffering at $1.5 million under C.R.S. 13-21-102.5, with inflation adjustments beginning in 2028. Compensation for physical impairment or disfigurement is not capped at all. Economic damages such as medical bills and lost wages are never capped. When a Commerce City crash produces catastrophic or permanent injuries, accurate documentation of life-care costs, future lost earnings, and physical impairment is what separates a fair recovery from an inadequate one. We work with medical and economic experts when a case demands it.

Get medical care immediately

HCA HealthONE North Suburban Medical Center is the Level II Trauma Center for Adams County. If your injuries are serious, you may be transported there or to a Denver trauma center. Even a crash that seems minor can involve a concussion, internal injury, or spinal damage that worsens without prompt treatment. Get examined, follow up with specialists, and keep every record. A gap in medical care becomes an insurance defense argument that you were not really hurt.
Call Commerce City Police and get the report number

Commerce City Police and Adams County Sheriff both patrol the area, and crashes on I-270 may also involve Colorado State Patrol. Get the officer's name, agency, and report number at the scene. The crash report is the first document we request when we open your file, and its contents affect how liability is initially framed.
Document the scene before leaving

Photograph the vehicles, the road, skid marks, road signs, signal timing displays, and any visible debris. Note the exact location, including CDOT milepost markers on I-270 or Vasquez Boulevard. Get names and contact information of every witness, including any bystanders from the adjacent industrial facilities or distribution centers. If a commercial truck was involved, photograph the DOT number, company name, and license plate on the trailer.
Do not give a recorded statement to any insurer

The at-fault driver's insurer will call quickly, sometimes within hours of the crash. Do not give a recorded statement, agree to a medical release, or accept any early settlement offer before speaking with us. Anything you say becomes part of the claim record and can be used to reduce what the insurer pays. Call (303) 209-9395 before you call them back.
We preserve evidence immediately

After you call us, we send preservation letters for surveillance footage from distribution center cameras, gas station cameras, and CDOT traffic monitoring systems along I-270 and Vasquez Boulevard before the retention windows close. We request commercial vehicle black box data (ELD and ECM data) when a freight truck or delivery vehicle was involved. We document the physical scene if it has not already changed.
We build your claim and handle every insurer contact

We take over all insurer communications so you can focus on your recovery. We build the damages record, including medical records, billing, wage loss documentation, and expert opinions on future care and earning capacity. We negotiate from a position of genuine trial readiness, and when an Adams County insurer or defense team refuses a fair offer, we file in Adams County District Court and try your case.

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The SOL

3-Year Car Accident Deadline

Colorado gives you three years from the crash date to file a motor vehicle injury lawsuit (C.R.S. 13-80-101(1)(n)). We keep the timeline and never let a deadline slip.

Serving Commerce City

Adams County cases, handled directly.

We serve Commerce City from our Denver office at 2701 Lawrence St., a short drive on I-270, and we appear in Adams County District Court in Brighton ourselves. Your case is never handed off to another firm.

The 182-Day Clock

Government vehicles protected.

Crashes involving a city or county vehicle carry a 182-day written-notice deadline under C.R.S. 24-10-109. We identify government vehicles immediately and move fast.

Commercial Carriers

Freight and delivery crashes.

Commerce City's freight corridors mean many crashes involve commercial carriers with their own defense teams. We know how to build these cases against national insurers.

Trial-Ready

8 attorneys, prepared for trial.

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 prepared to try a case, Adams County insurers respond differently to a demand letter.

Bilingual

Hablamos espanol.

Spanish-speaking staff and attorneys serve Commerce City's large Spanish-speaking community throughout Adams County.

No Win, No Fee

Contingency only.

You pay nothing out of pocket for legal fees. We advance costs and collect only from a settlement or verdict in your favor.

One thing we will always tell you in a free review: if liability is genuinely disputed, or if the facts of your Commerce City crash do not support a viable negligence claim, we will say so honestly rather than sign you up and let the case stall. When the law is on your side and the evidence supports your claim, we fight hard for full compensation. When it does not, you deserve to hear that early, at no cost to you.

Fault and coverage

What if you were partly at fault for your Commerce City crash?

You can still recover money in Colorado even if you were partly to blame for the accident. Colorado follows modified comparative fault under C.R.S. 13-21-111. You can recover damages as long as you were less than 50 percent at fault, and your award is reduced by your percentage of fault. If you are found 50 percent or more at fault, you recover nothing. Adams County defense attorneys and commercial carrier defense teams aggressively argue that injured Commerce City drivers were partially responsible, which is why documenting the crash scene, traffic conditions, and signal timing on I-270 and Vasquez Boulevard corridors is so important.

How Colorado car insurance works in a Commerce City crash

Colorado is not a no-fault state. You pursue your claim against the at-fault driver's liability insurer, not your own insurer first. In Commerce City crashes involving freight carriers and delivery companies, multiple insurance policies from the driver, the motor carrier, and sometimes the cargo owner may all be in play.
Uninsured and underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage is critical protection when the at-fault driver carries no insurance or inadequate limits. Colorado UM/UIM claims are governed by C.R.S. 13-80-107.5 under Pham v. State Farm, 2013 CO 17.
When a government vehicle was involved, the Colorado Governmental Immunity Act caps recovery at $505,000 per person and $1,421,000 per occurrence for claims accruing on or after January 1, 2026 (C.R.S. 24-10-114(1)(b)), and the 182-day written notice prerequisite under C.R.S. 24-10-109 applies.

How long do I have to file a car accident lawsuit after a Commerce City crash?

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)). Do not wait. Evidence from I-270, Vasquez Boulevard, and Commerce City intersections disappears quickly. If the crash involved a government vehicle or a Commerce City or Adams County entity, a written notice of claim must be filed within 182 days of discovering the injury under the Colorado Governmental Immunity Act (C.R.S. 24-10-109), a much shorter deadline that acts as a jurisdictional prerequisite to any lawsuit.

Where is a Commerce City car accident lawsuit filed?

Car accident cases arising in Commerce City are filed in Adams County District Court, which is part of the 17th Judicial District, located at the Adams County Justice Center, 1100 Judicial Center Dr., Brighton, CO 80601. Most claims settle before a lawsuit is ever filed, but where a case would be filed affects the local rules, the Adams County jury pool, and which defense firms and adjusters you face. CGH handles Adams County District Court cases directly from our Denver office.

What if I was partly at fault for my Commerce City car accident?

Colorado's modified comparative negligence rule lets you recover damages as long as you were less than 50 percent responsible (C.R.S. 13-21-111). Your compensation is reduced by your percentage of fault. At 50 percent or more at fault, you cannot recover. Adams County defense attorneys and freight carrier defense teams routinely argue that the injured driver shares fault to reduce the insurer's exposure, which is why preserving crash evidence quickly matters so much in Commerce City claims.

What damages can I recover after a car accident in Commerce City?

You may be entitled to compensation for medical bills, lost wages, loss of earning capacity, property damage, pain and suffering, emotional distress, and future care needs. Economic damages such as medical bills and lost wages are never capped in Colorado. Non-economic damages such as pain and suffering are capped at $1.5 million for claims accruing on or after January 1, 2025 under C.R.S. 13-21-102.5. Compensation for physical impairment or disfigurement is not capped at all. The severity of injuries common in Commerce City freight corridor crashes often makes accurate life-care and earning-capacity documentation the most important part of the case.

Can I make a claim if I was hit by an uninsured driver in Commerce City?

Yes. If you carry uninsured or underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage, you may file a claim with your own insurer. Colorado UM/UIM claims are governed by C.R.S. 13-80-107.5 under Pham v. State Farm, 2013 CO 17. We can also evaluate whether the at-fault driver has other assets worth pursuing, and whether a commercial carrier or employer shares responsibility for the crash through respondeat superior or negligent entrustment theories that sometimes apply on Commerce City's freight corridors.

What if a government vehicle caused my Commerce City crash?

Crashes involving a Commerce City, Adams County, or Colorado state government vehicle are governed by the Colorado Governmental Immunity Act. You must file a written notice of claim within 182 days after you discover the injury (C.R.S. 24-10-109). This notice is a jurisdictional prerequisite. Miss it and the claim is permanently barred. Recovery from a public entity is capped at $505,000 per person and $1,421,000 per occurrence for claims accruing on or after January 1, 2026 (C.R.S. 24-10-114(1)(b)). Call us immediately if a government vehicle was involved in your Commerce City crash.

Should I talk to the other driver's insurance company after a Commerce City crash?

No. Do not give a recorded statement to the at-fault driver's insurer before speaking with an attorney. The adjuster's job is to minimize what the insurer pays. Anything you say about fault, the sequence of events, or the nature of your injuries becomes part of the claim record. Commerce City crashes involving freight carriers often trigger very fast insurer responses because carrier defense teams have established protocols for limiting exposure after serious commercial vehicle crashes. Call us at (303) 209-9395 before you call them back.

How does CGH handle Commerce City car accident cases from a Denver office?

Our Denver office at 2701 Lawrence St., Suite 201 is a short drive from Commerce City via I-270. We serve Adams County clients statewide, appear directly in Adams County District Court in Brighton, and do not hand Commerce City cases off to local counsel. We come to you for the initial interview if you are unable to travel. There is no Commerce City satellite office because we do not need one to serve Commerce City clients effectively. What matters is who handles your case in Adams County District Court, and that is us.

Commerce City

Practice Area

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Commerce City Car Accident Lawyers Who Make the At-Fault Driver's Insurer Pay

A Commerce City car accident is rarely just a fender-bender

The Colorado law that decides what your Commerce City car accident claim is worth

Modified comparative fault (C.R.S. 13-21-111)

Three-year statute of limitations for motor vehicle crashes (C.R.S. 13-80-101(1)(n))

182-day notice for crashes involving a public entity (C.R.S. 24-10-109)

Colorado is not a no-fault state

The corridors and intersections behind Commerce City's most serious car accidents

Interstate and major arterial crashes

Contributing hazards and vehicle types

Commerce City courts. Commerce City trauma care. Commerce City ground.

Adams County District Court (17th Judicial District)

HCA HealthONE North Suburban Medical Center (Level II Trauma Center)

I-270, US-85, Vasquez Boulevard, Brighton Boulevard, and SH-2

What you can recover from a Commerce City car accident claim

Economic damages

Non-economic damages

What to do after a car accident in Commerce City

Get medical care immediately

Call Commerce City Police and get the report number

Document the scene before leaving

Do not give a recorded statement to any insurer

We preserve evidence immediately

We build your claim and handle every insurer contact

Why Commerce City car accident victims choose CGH Injury Lawyers