Why Fort Collins Residents Choose Denver-Based Trial Lawyers

You’re Hurt. Confused. Scared. We Have Your Back—Even From 60 Minutes South.

When you’ve been injured in Fort Collins, you deserve more than a local generalist who settles every case before lunch. You deserve a firm that treats your case like it’s going to trial—because that’s exactly how we prepare.

Cheney Galluzzi & Howard is based in Denver, but we’ve built our reputation fighting for injured people across Northern Colorado, including Fort Collins and Larimer County. We know the Larimer County Justice Center. We know the judges. We know the roads, the hospitals, and the insurance adjusters who try to lowball you.

The drive from Fort Collins to our Denver office takes about an hour down I-25—a straight shot you’ve probably made dozens of times. But what you get when you arrive is worth every mile: a team that has recovered tens of millions of dollars for Colorado injury victims, with the trial experience and resources to stand up to any insurance company.

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Why Drive to Denver Instead of Hiring a Local Fort Collins Firm?

Because We’re Not Here to Make Friends with the Insurance Adjusters.

Here’s the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, local representation can be too local. When a firm does business with the same adjusters, defense attorneys, and insurance companies year after year, there’s pressure to “play nice” and settle quickly.

We don’t have that problem.

As a Denver-based firm, we bring Big City resources and trial firepower to Larimer County without the entanglements of local politics. We prepare every case as if it’s going to trial—and insurance companies know it. That’s why they often make better settlement offers when they see our name on the demand letter.

What we bring that local firms often can’t:

• Trial-Tested Experience: We’ve taken cases to verdict and won. We’re not afraid of a courtroom, and insurance companies know we mean business.
  
• Deep Resources: Accident reconstruction experts, medical economists, life care planners—we bring in the specialists needed to prove the full value of your case.
  
• Statewide Reputation: Our attorneys serve on the Colorado Trial Lawyers Association (CTLA) Board, the Colorado Bar Association Board of Governors, and are members of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA). When we walk into the Larimer County Justice Center, opposing counsel knows we came to fight.
  
• Remote Convenience: Most of your case can be handled electronically—phone calls, video meetings, document signing. You don’t have to drive to Denver unless we need you there. But when it matters—depositions, mediations, trial—we show up in person, ready for war.
  

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From Trauma to Treatment: We Know the Northern Colorado Medical Landscape

The hospital you’re treated at tells us a lot about the severity of your injuries—and how to build your case.

Level I Trauma Cases (Medical Center of the Rockies – MCR):
If you were airlifted to Medical Center of the Rockies (MCR) in Loveland following a major I-25 crash, we understand immediately that this is a catastrophic injury case. We know how to request Flight for Life records, work with trauma surgeons, and handle the complex medical liens that come with life-saving care.

City & Neighborhood Accidents (UCHealth Poudre Valley Hospital & Banner Fort Collins):
For accidents treated at UCHealth Poudre Valley Hospital (PVH) or Banner Fort Collins Medical Center, we coordinate closely with billing departments to negotiate liens and ensure more of your settlement goes into your pocket—not back to the hospital.

Getting You Back on the Road:
We know you don’t want the cheapest body shop the insurance company recommends. You want your car restored by trusted Fort Collins shops like Carriage Shoppe or ABRA Auto Body. We fight to ensure you get the repair quality you deserve, not the budget option that maximizes the insurer’s profit.

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Who We Help in Fort Collins

The Daily Commuter

You rely on your vehicle to get to high-paying jobs in Boulder or Denver. An accident doesn’t just wreck your car—it threatens your livelihood. We fight for Loss of Use damages and expedited property damage settlements so you can get back to work, even when public transit isn’t an option in Northern Colorado.

The CSU Student

You shouldn’t have to choose between an MRI and next semester’s tuition. We see students skip treatment out of fear of debt or “falling behind” in classes. We work with medical providers who can defer payment until your case settles, protecting both your health and your GPA.

The Agricultural & Labor Community

For ranchers and tradesmen in Weld and Larimer counties, a back injury isn’t just “pain”—it’s an identity crisis. If you can’t bale hay, fix fences, or work the line, the farm or job suffers. We calculate Future Lost Earnings and Loss of Capacity to ensure your settlement covers the labor you can no longer perform.

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Understanding Colorado Personal Injury Law: What Fort Collins Victims Need to Know

Modified Comparative Negligence (The 50% Rule)

Colorado follows a modified comparative negligence rule. This means you can recover damages even if you were partially at fault for the accident—as long as you were less than 50% at fault.

Here’s how it works: If your total damages are $100,000 and you’re found to be 20% at fault, your recovery is reduced by 20%—you’d receive $80,000. But if you’re found to be 50% or more at fault, you recover nothing.

This is where our trial experience matters. Insurance companies will try to inflate your percentage of fault to reduce their payout (or eliminate it entirely). We investigate independently, reconstruct the accident, and fight to minimize your fault percentage.

Damages Quantification & Colorado’s Caps

In Colorado, there are statutory caps on non-economic damages (pain and suffering) in most personal injury cases. As of 2025, the cap is adjusted for inflation and applies unless your injuries meet specific thresholds for severity.

We work with medical economists and life care planners to document:

• Economic Damages: Medical bills, lost wages, property damage, future medical expenses, loss of earning capacity.
  
• Non-Economic Damages: Pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, physical impairment, disfigurement, loss of consortium.
  
• Punitive Damages: In cases involving willful and wanton conduct (like drunk driving or gross negligence), we pursue punitive damages to punish the wrongdoer and deter future misconduct.
  

Subrogation & Lien Resolution

If your health insurance or Medicare/Medicaid paid for your accident-related treatment, they may have a right to reimbursement from your settlement (called a “lien”).

We negotiate aggressively with lien holders to reduce what you owe, ensuring more money stays in your pocket. This is a technical area where experience matters—many victims don’t realize they can negotiate these liens and end up giving away thousands of dollars unnecessarily.

Statute of Limitations: The Clock Is Ticking

For motor vehicle accidents in Colorado, you have three years from the date of the crash to file a lawsuit. For most other personal injury claims (like slip and falls), it’s two years.

But waiting is dangerous. Evidence disappears. Witnesses forget. Security footage gets deleted. Skid marks fade. The sooner you contact us, the stronger your case will be.

Frequently Asked Questions