Fort Collins Bicycle Accident Lawyers Who Fight for Every Injured Cyclist

Yes, under specific conditions. Colorado's Safety Stop law (C.R.S. 42-4-1412.5) allows cyclists to treat a stop sign as a yield sign. You must slow down, check for cross-traffic, and yield to any vehicle or pedestrian with the right of way. If the intersection is clear, you may proceed without coming to a full foot-down stop. At a red light, you must stop completely, yield to all traffic and pedestrians, and may proceed only when safe. If an insurer claims you ran a stop sign after you used the Safety Stop correctly, that argument fails under Colorado law.

Your own auto insurance policy may cover you even though you were on a bicycle. If you carry uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage, it can pay for medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering when the at-fault driver has too little insurance or fled the scene. This matters most in hit-and-run crashes, which happen regularly on high-traffic corridors like College Avenue. We identify every available source of coverage before accepting any offer from the driver's insurer.

No. Colorado does not require adults to wear helmets while cycling. Going without one is not automatic negligence and does not bar your claim. An insurer may argue that a helmet would have reduced your head injuries, which is a theory called failure to mitigate. That argument can reduce your recovery under the comparative fault rule but cannot eliminate it. We work with medical experts to show the driver caused the crash and to limit any fault reduction to injuries a helmet could realistically have changed.

Personal injury cases arising in Fort Collins or anywhere in Larimer County are filed in the District Court, Larimer County, 8th Judicial District, at the Larimer County Justice Center, 201 LaPorte Avenue, Suite 100, Fort Collins, CO 80521. Most bicycle accident claims settle before a lawsuit is filed, but knowing which court and which jury pool governs your case affects how defense firms and adjusters respond to a demand. CGH handles 8th Judicial District cases directly.

Yes, as long as your share of fault is less than 50 percent. Colorado follows a modified comparative negligence rule (C.R.S. 13-21-111). If you are found 25 percent at fault, your recovery is reduced by 25 percent. If you are found 50 percent or more at fault, Colorado law bars any recovery. Adjusters routinely inflate a cyclist's fault to push claims below the settlement threshold. The Safety Stop law and the 3-foot passing rule are how we push that percentage back down where it belongs.

For most bicycle accident claims in Colorado involving a motor vehicle, you have three years from the date of the crash to file a lawsuit (C.R.S. 13-80-101(1)(n)). If a government vehicle or city employee caused the crash, you must file a written notice of claim within 182 days of discovering the injury under C.R.S. 24-10-109(1), or the claim is barred entirely. Even with three years available, evidence such as traffic camera footage, dashcam recordings, and witness memories fades quickly. Contact an attorney as early as possible after the crash.

Not in most situations. Colorado recognizes three classes of electric bicycles based on motor assistance and top assisted speed. If you were riding an e-bike lawfully on a public road or in a lane where it was permitted, your e-bike class generally does not affect your right to recover from a driver who hit you. If you were riding a Class 3 e-bike on a trail that prohibits them, an insurer may raise that to argue you were acting unlawfully. We address those arguments case by case.