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Denver, Colorado

Denver Spinal Cord Injury Lawyers Who Build the Case Around Your Lifetime

For people paralyzed in Denver and their families, the first insurance offer almost never reflects what a lifetime of care actually costs. We work from our Denver office at 2701 Lawrence St. in RiNo, bring in life care planners and medical experts, and try the case in Denver District Court when an insurer refuses to be fair. No fee unless we win.

No fee unless we win
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It's More Than Money.

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Our Denver Office CGH Injury Lawyers 2701 Lawrence St., Suite 201 Denver, CO 80205 (303) 209-9395 Se habla espanol
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  • Spinal cord injuries in Denver most often happen on I-25, I-70, and Colfax Ave, in construction falls in Five Points and LoDo, and in premises incidents at Cherry Creek and Capitol Hill properties. The injury level, from cervical (C1-C8) to sacral, determines the degree of paralysis and the lifetime care cost, which the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center's 2025 data sheet estimates can range from roughly $2.1 million to more than $6.2 million for a 25-year-old, in 2024 dollars.
  • 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. Insurers routinely try to inflate your fault percentage to reduce or eliminate your payout.
  • Economic damages and compensation for physical impairment or disfigurement are not capped under Colorado law. Those two categories, documented in a defensible life care plan, usually make up the bulk of what a spinal cord injury recovery is actually worth.

CGH Injury Lawyers keeps a physical office in Denver's RiNo neighborhood, minutes from Denver Health Medical Center and Denver District Court. We represent people living with paraplegia and tetraplegia and their families, working with life care planners, neurologists, and economists to build a damages model that covers 40 to 60 years of real cost. The consultation is free, we advance the cost of experts, and you pay nothing unless we win.

The financial reality

Estimated lifetime care costs by injury level

National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center estimates for an injury at age 25. Denver families should expect the higher end because of elevated healthcare costs, Colorado's altitude and weather factors, and a competitive housing market that pushes accessible home modifications above national averages.

  • $3M+ Paraplegia, estimated lifetime care
  • $4.5M+ Low tetraplegia (C5-C8), estimated lifetime care
  • $6.2M+ High cervical injury (C1-C4), estimated lifetime care

Cost ranges from the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center's 2025 data sheet, in 2024 dollars, assuming injury at age 25. Individual costs vary with injury level, age, and complications. These are not settlement figures.

How it happens in Denver

Where Denver spinal cord injuries occur and who is responsible

The cause of a spinal cord injury matters because it determines who is responsible and which insurance sources are available. Denver has specific corridors and contexts that produce these injuries repeatedly. Identifying every party with potential liability is one of the first things we do.

  1. High-speed crashes on I-25 and I-70

    The I-25 and I-70 interchange near downtown Denver and the stretch of I-70 through Five Points and Globeville see some of the highest crash concentrations in the metro. Side-impact, rear-impact, and rollover collisions at highway speed carry the force needed to fracture vertebrae or displace discs into the spinal canal. When a commercial truck or rideshare driver is involved, multiple insurers may be responsible.

  2. Construction and workplace falls in RiNo and LoDo

    Denver's construction boom in RiNo, Five Points, and LoDo has meant sustained exposure to fall hazards. Falling from a scaffold or unguarded opening and landing on the spine is one of the most common causes of paraplegia in an active construction zone. Workers' compensation is only one piece of the claim, general contractors, subcontractors, and property owners may carry separate liability.

  3. Pedestrian and cyclist strikes on Colfax and Speer

    Colfax Ave and Speer Blvd are among Denver's busiest surface roads and also the streets where pedestrian and cyclist collisions are most concentrated. A pedestrian struck at speed and thrown to the pavement, or a cyclist struck and thrown over handlebars, can suffer a cervical spinal cord injury. The at-fault driver's auto policy is the first source of recovery.

  4. Premises liability in Cherry Creek and Capitol Hill

    Slip-and-fall incidents on ice-covered walkways near Capitol Hill apartments, or falls down unlit stairwells at Cherry Creek retail and residential properties, can cause cervical or thoracic fractures. Property owners and managers in Denver owe a duty to keep common areas reasonably safe. When they fail, Colorado premises liability law provides a path to recovery.

  5. Medical and surgical error

    Errors during spinal surgery, delayed diagnosis of a spinal fracture in an emergency department, or missed cord compression in a trauma evaluation can cause or worsen a spinal cord injury. When the injury results from care at a Denver hospital, the Health Care Availability Act sets separate caps on non-economic damages, and notice requirements differ from standard tort claims.

The medical framework

Understanding spinal cord injury levels and what they mean for your Denver case

Where the cord is injured determines what abilities are preserved, what functions are lost, and how much a lifetime of care costs. Insurance adjusters use optimistic projections when the full picture is not yet clear. Knowing the levels is the first step to holding them accountable.

  1. Cervical (C1-C8): 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. A high cervical injury in a crash on I-70 through Denver produces the highest lifetime care costs of any cord injury.

  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. A fall on a Denver construction site in RiNo or LoDo commonly produces a thoracic injury.

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

    Many people with lumbar and sacral 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. For incomplete injuries, the extent of recovery is often unknown for 12 to 18 months after the injury. Insurers exploit that uncertainty to offer settlements built on optimistic projections that rarely hold.

Local Knowledge

Denver trauma care. Denver courts. Colorado's spinal cord rehabilitation standard.

A spinal cord injury case is anchored to real Denver places: the trauma center where you were treated, the rehabilitation center that sets the care standard, and the courthouse where the case may be tried. Here is the ground we work on every day.

Level I Trauma Center

Denver Health Medical Center

After a severe Denver crash or fall involving a suspected spinal cord injury, emergency responders typically transport critically injured patients to Denver Health Medical Center, the region's Level I trauma center, at 777 Bannock St. Denver Health's trauma and neurosurgery teams provide the initial acute care that shapes the injury record your case depends on. Saint Joseph Hospital, Presbyterian/St. Luke's Medical Center, and Rose Medical Center also treat spinal trauma across the metro. Every medical record from acute care becomes evidence of the injury's scope and severity in your case.

Courthouse

Denver District Court, 2nd Judicial District

Personal injury cases that arise in Denver County are filed in Denver District Court, the 2nd Judicial District, with civil matters heard at the City and County Building, 1437 Bannock St. Where your case is filed affects local rules, the jury pool, and which defense firms and insurance adjusters you face. We handle Denver District Court cases directly from our office at 2701 Lawrence St., minutes from the courthouse.

Rehabilitation Benchmark and I-70 Corridor

Craig Hospital and the I-70 Access Reality

Craig Hospital in Englewood is consistently ranked among the top spinal cord rehabilitation centers in the United States. Courts and insurance adjusters recognize Craig's protocols as the Colorado standard for catastrophic spinal rehabilitation, which anchors a Denver life care plan to a credible, Colorado-specific level of care. We also account for a Denver-specific challenge: the I-70 corridor through the mountains can close during winter storms, cutting some Denver families off from mountain-based specialty care and adding transportation costs that generic national life care plans miss entirely.

Colorado law decoded

Colorado law and your Denver spinal cord injury claim

Three legal principles shape almost every Denver spinal cord injury case. Knowing them before you talk to an insurer is the difference between a full recovery and one built on an adjuster's optimistic numbers.

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

  • Colorado follows modified comparative fault. You can recover as long as your share of fault is less than 50 percent.
  • If you are found 50 percent or more at fault, you recover nothing.
  • If you are less than 50 percent at fault, your award is reduced by your percentage. So at 30 percent fault, you recover 70 percent of proven damages.
  • Insurers routinely push the injured person's fault percentage up to reduce or eliminate a payout. Having counsel to challenge those assignments matters from day one.

Damages caps and uncapped categories

  • Economic damages such as medical bills, lost wages, and a life care plan are not capped in Colorado.
  • Compensation for physical impairment or disfigurement is also not capped, expressly under C.R.S. 13-21-102.5(5).
  • Non-economic damages such as pain and suffering are subject to Colorado's general cap under C.R.S. 13-21-102.5.
  • In a serious spinal cord injury case, the uncapped categories, economic losses and impairment, make up the largest part of the claim.

Statute of limitations and government entities

For most Denver spinal cord injury claims arising from a motor vehicle crash, the statute of limitations is three years from the date of the collision (C.R.S. 13-80-101(1)(n)). If a government vehicle or government-owned property was involved, the Colorado Governmental Immunity Act (CGIA) adds a separate requirement: a written notice of claim must be filed within 182 days after you discover the injury (C.R.S. 24-10-109(1)). That notice is a jurisdictional prerequisite, miss it and the claim against the public entity is permanently barred. CGIA caps per-person recovery against a government entity at $505,000 and aggregate recovery at $1,421,000 for claims accruing on or after January 1, 2026 (C.R.S. 24-10-114(1)(b), SOS-certified figures). If a city of Denver or RTD vehicle caused your injury, contact us immediately.

Compensation

What a Denver spinal cord injury recovery actually covers

Health insurance covers treatment. A life care plan covers a life. The difference between those two numbers is the difference between what an insurer first offers and what a lifetime of living with a spinal cord injury in Denver actually costs.

Economic damages (never capped in Colorado)

  • Power wheelchair replaced about every five years
  • Attendant care, often 12 hours daily at Denver metro rates, within yearly expenses the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center puts at $55,900 to $244,879 depending on injury level, in 2024 dollars
  • Home modifications and vehicle modification for accessible Denver housing
  • Medical supplies, medication, equipment maintenance, and ongoing therapy
  • Lost wages, lost benefits, and reduced earning capacity
  • Lifetime acute hospital costs and rehab at Craig Hospital

Impairment, disfigurement, and non-economic losses

  • Compensation for physical impairment, which is not capped at all under C.R.S. 13-21-102.5(5)
  • Compensation for permanent disfigurement, also not capped
  • Pain and suffering and loss of enjoyment of life (non-economic damages are subject to Colorado's general cap)
  • Emotional distress
  • Loss of consortium for a spouse or family members

Why early settlements fall short

In the weeks after a Denver spinal cord injury, when a family is overwhelmed by the discharge from Denver Health and the move to Craig for rehabilitation, 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 care costs under the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center's 2025 estimates, it falls short by more than $3.5 million. Once a settlement is accepted, it is final. There is no going back when the money runs out and decades of care remain. We do not let our clients make that decision without a defensible life care plan on the table.

Why CGH

Why Denver spinal cord injury families choose CGH Injury Lawyers

A real Denver office. Trial-ready attorneys. Life care planners who build cases sized to a lifetime. No fee unless we win. We do not publish spinal cord injury settlement figures because every case is different and a number on a page tells you nothing about your case. What we offer is the work.

The Law

C.R.S. 13-21-111

Colorado's modified comparative fault rule lets you recover as long as you were less than 50 percent at fault. We fight to keep your fault percentage where it belongs.

Real Denver Office

Not a referral mill.

Our office at 2701 Lawrence St., Suite 201 in RiNo is where your attorney works. You can walk in, review your medical records and the insurance file, and meet the team. We are minutes from Denver Health and Denver District Court.

Uncapped Damages

Economic losses are never capped.

Medical bills, lost earning capacity, and your life care plan have no legal cap in Colorado. Physical impairment damages are also uncapped under C.R.S. 13-21-102.5(5).

Life Care Plan

Built to survive cross-examination.

We bring in certified life care planners, neurologists, and economists. We advance the cost. You pay nothing unless we win.

Trial-Ready

8 attorneys, prepared for Denver District Court.

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 ready to try a case, insurers respond differently. A demand backed by a settlement-only firm is one an insurer can wait out. Ours are not.

Bilingual

Hablamos espanol.

Spanish-speaking staff and attorneys serve Denver's Spanish-speaking community throughout every stage of the case.

No Win, No Fee

Contingency only.

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

How it works

How we handle a Denver spinal cord injury case

Spinal cord injury cases are complex and may take one to three years or more. We tell you honestly where your case stands at every stage, and you have direct access to a senior attorney throughout. Here is the path we walk with you.

  1. Free case evaluation

    We review how the injury happened in Denver, explain your rights under Colorado law, and answer your questions at no cost and no obligation. We tell you honestly which legal track fits your facts.

  2. Liability investigation

    We gather the crash report, surveillance footage from Denver corridors, construction site records, witness statements, and every piece of evidence that assigns responsibility. We look beyond the obvious parties for every responsible entity and insurance source.

  3. Build the life care plan

    We bring in certified life care planners, neurologists, spinal specialists, and economists to document the full medical and financial impact across 40 to 60 years. For Denver clients this includes Craig Hospital rehabilitation protocols, Colorado-specific attendant care costs, and all-wheel-drive vehicle conversion premiums.

  4. Government notice, if applicable

    If a City and County of Denver vehicle, an RTD bus, or a government-maintained roadway was involved, a written notice of claim must reach the public entity within 182 days of discovering the injury (C.R.S. 24-10-109(1)). We protect this deadline before anything else.

  5. Demand and negotiation

    We send a documented demand built on the life care plan and negotiate from a position of trial readiness, not from a willingness to take the first offer. Colorado's collateral source rule prevents the at-fault party from reducing your award because you carry health insurance.

  6. Litigation and trial in Denver District Court

    When an insurer refuses fair compensation for a catastrophic injury, we file in Denver District Court, the 2nd Judicial District, 1437 Bannock St., and prepare to try your case to a Denver jury.

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Questions

Denver spinal cord injury, frequently asked questions

How long do I have to file a spinal cord injury lawsuit in Denver?

For most Denver motor vehicle crashes, the statute of limitations is three years from the date of the collision (C.R.S. 13-80-101(1)(n)). If a City and County of Denver vehicle, RTD bus, or other government entity was involved, a written notice of claim must be submitted within 182 days after discovery of the injury under the Colorado Governmental Immunity Act (C.R.S. 24-10-109(1)). That notice is a jurisdictional prerequisite, meaning a missed deadline bars the government-entity claim permanently. Call us as soon as possible so we can confirm which deadlines apply to your specific case.

Does Colorado cap damages in a spinal cord injury case?

Two of the largest categories in a spinal cord injury case are not capped. Economic damages such as medical bills, lost earning capacity, and a life care plan have no cap in Colorado. Compensation for physical impairment or disfigurement is also not capped at all under C.R.S. 13-21-102.5(5). Non-economic damages such as pain and suffering are subject to Colorado's general cap under C.R.S. 13-21-102.5. Because economic losses and physical impairment together make up the majority of a serious spinal cord injury recovery, the uncapped categories are where the value of these cases is built.

Can I recover if I was partly at fault for my Denver spinal cord injury?

Yes, in most cases. Colorado follows modified comparative fault under 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. If you are found 50 percent or more at fault, you recover nothing. Insurers routinely try to inflate the injured person's fault percentage to reduce or eliminate a payout, and an attorney can challenge those assignments using the accident investigation, witness statements, and reconstructed crash data.

What is a life care plan and why does it matter to my Denver claim?

A life care plan is a document built by certified planners that projects every future medical and non-medical need across your lifetime, from a power wheelchair replaced every five years to attendant care in the Denver metro and home modifications for accessible housing. In a legal case it becomes the foundation for economic damages. Without one, an insurer's early offer looks reasonable. With one, the real lifetime cost, which the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center's 2025 data sheet estimates at roughly $2.1 million to more than $6.2 million for a 25-year-old in 2024 dollars, is on the record. We advance the cost of building yours.

Should I accept the insurance company's first offer after a Denver spinal cord injury?

Be very cautious. Early offers from insurers often arrive before the full extent of the injury is known, before an ASIA grade is confirmed, and before a life care planner has projected your future costs. Insurers make initial offers based on optimistic recovery projections that rarely hold. Once a settlement is accepted, it is final. A $1 million offer can sound significant but fall millions short of the actual lifetime care cost for a tetraplegia case. Have an attorney review any offer against a life care plan before accepting.

Where would a Denver spinal cord injury lawsuit be filed?

Personal injury cases arising in Denver County are filed in Denver District Court, the 2nd Judicial District, with civil matters heard at the City and County Building, 1437 Bannock St. Where a case is filed affects local rules, the jury pool, and which defense firms and adjusters you face. CGH Injury Lawyers handles Denver District Court cases directly from our office at 2701 Lawrence St., Suite 201, minutes from the courthouse. Most cases settle through negotiation, but we prepare each one for trial.

What is the difference between a complete and incomplete spinal cord injury for legal purposes?

A complete injury (ASIA A) means no motor or sensory function is preserved below the neurological level. An incomplete injury (ASIA B through D) leaves some neural pathways intact. Both create significant claims, but incomplete injuries are harder to value at first because the extent of recovery is often unknown for 12 to 18 months. Insurance companies exploit that uncertainty by offering early settlements built on the best possible outcome. We build a life care plan that accounts for both the chance of improvement and the reality that many people plateau far short of independence.

Do I pay anything upfront for a Denver spinal cord injury lawyer?

No. We work on a contingency fee. There are no upfront costs and no hourly billing. We front all case expenses, including life care planners, neurologists, and economists, and those costs are deducted from the recovery only after we win. You owe no fees unless we recover compensation on your behalf. Call our Denver office at (303) 209-9395 or use the form on this page to start.

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