Injured on I-25, US 287, or the Poudre Canyon? Colorado law protects you, but insurers start by blaming the rider. CGH Injury Lawyers serves Fort Collins and Larimer County from our Denver office. No fee unless we win.
No fee unless we winIt's More Than Money.
CGH Injury Lawyers represents injured riders and their families across Larimer County and the 8th Judicial District from our Denver office at 2701 Lawrence St. We know how adjusters weaponize Colorado's gear and lane-filtering rules against Fort Collins riders, we move fast to preserve the evidence, and we prepare every case for trial before the Larimer County District Court if that is what it takes. No upfront fees. Free consultation.
We handle motorcycle accident cases across every corner of Larimer County, from the urban College Avenue corridor near Colorado State University to the mountain canyon roads of State Highway 14. If the crash left you with serious injuries, a hospital stay, lost income, or worse, we want to hear what happened.
Colorado motorcycle law lives in C.R.S. Title 42. The rules changed in August 2024. Riding by the old rulebook risks a ticket, or worse, a denied insurance claim. Here is the part that matters most if you were hurt on a Fort Collins road.
Colorado follows a modified comparative negligence rule with a 50 percent bar (C.R.S. 13-21-111). If you are found less than 50 percent at fault for your injuries, you recover damages reduced by your percentage of fault. If you are found 50 percent or more at fault, you recover nothing. Adjusters inflate a rider's fault percentage as a standard tactic. An attorney who challenges that assessment often makes the difference between a fair recovery and zero.
A Larimer County motorcycle case is filed in the 8th Judicial District, treated at UCHealth Poudre Valley Hospital or Banner Fort Collins Medical Center, and shaped by crash patterns on specific roads. Here is what that means for your claim.
Courthouse
Motorcycle accident lawsuits arising in Fort Collins are filed in the District Court for the 8th Judicial District, Larimer County, at the Larimer County Justice Center, 201 LaPorte Avenue, Suite 100, Fort Collins, CO 80521. The judges, local rules, and defense counsel that appear in this court are different from Denver or Boulder. CGH handles Larimer County civil cases from our Denver office and is familiar with the 8th Judicial District's procedures.
Primary Trauma Care
UCHealth Poudre Valley Hospital is a Level III Trauma Center verified by the American College of Surgeons and designated by the State of Colorado. Severely injured Fort Collins riders are typically transported here first. The trauma and surgical records generated at Poudre Valley are the backbone of a serious damages claim, documenting every fracture, surgery, and rehabilitation need. Keep copies of everything from the first ambulance call forward.
Additional Trauma Care
Banner Fort Collins Medical Center holds a Level 4 Trauma designation from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. Less catastrophic injuries, including fractures and soft-tissue damage common in motorcycle crashes, are frequently treated here. Your records from Banner are part of the damages picture regardless of severity.
High-Risk Corridor
US 287 carries over 40,000 vehicles per day south of Prospect Road through the College Avenue corridor, with documented accident-prone intersections at Drake Road and Horsetooth Road. The 30-mile stretch north of Ted's Place to the Wyoming state line recorded 570 crashes and 15 fatalities in a five-year CDOT study period, including 103 wildlife-related crashes. If your crash happened anywhere on this corridor, CDOT crash records and wildlife-collision data can be critical evidence.
Interstate Corridor
I-25 is Fort Collins's primary north-south artery. High winds routinely close I-25 north of Fort Collins and create dangerous crosswind conditions for riders even when the road is open. CDOT project data and weather records can establish road conditions at the time of a crash as independent factors separate from rider behavior.
Canyon Route
SH 14 runs west from Fort Collins through Cache la Poudre Canyon toward Cameron Pass. It is a heavily used recreational motorcycle route where post-wildfire debris, flash flood risk from Cameron Peak Fire burn scars, narrow lanes, and shared road use with cyclists and pedestrians create distinct hazards. Crash causation on SH 14 often involves road-condition factors, not rider error, and those factors must be documented early before evidence is lost.
Trial-ready attorneys, zero upfront fees, bilingual service, and statewide Larimer County coverage. We do not publish settlement figures because every rider's injuries are different and a number tells you nothing about your case. What we offer is the work.
The 50% Bar
If an insurer can push your fault share to 50 percent, you recover nothing. We challenge every inflated fault assignment with the actual crash evidence.
Statewide Coverage
We do not have a Fort Collins office, and we will not pretend otherwise. We serve Larimer County from our Denver office at 2701 Lawrence St., Suite 201. We appear in the 8th Judicial District, coordinate with Larimer County investigators, and handle every stage of the case remotely or in person as needed.
Evidence First
Dashcam footage, CDOT traffic-camera data, and US 287 crash records disappear quickly. We secure them before the insurer's team gets there.
ABOTA Member
Managing Partner Kevin Cheney is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates and has tried over 25 cases to verdict. Insurers negotiate differently when your lawyer is actually prepared to try the case.
Rider-Bias Defense
We have watched Colorado insurers use the absence of a helmet to cut a settlement offer by arguing a rider "failed to mitigate damages." Riding without a helmet is legal for adults (C.R.S. 42-4-1502). A legal choice is not a free pass for the insurer, and we fight those arguments with medical evidence and legal doctrine, not just protests.
Bilingual
Spanish-speaking staff and attorneys serve Fort Collins's Spanish-speaking community. Best Lawyers in America has named Timothy G. Tarr annually since 2023.
No Win, No Fee
You pay nothing out of pocket for legal fees. We advance costs and collect only from a settlement or verdict.
The steps you take in the first 48 hours shape the case. Get care first. Then protect the evidence and call before the insurer does.
A police report documents road conditions, vehicle positions, and witness information at the scene. Serious injuries go to UCHealth Poudre Valley Hospital. Even injuries that feel minor after an adrenaline spike can worsen within hours. Seek care the same day and keep every record from the ambulance forward.
Photograph your motorcycle, the other vehicle, road conditions, skid marks, debris, and your gear. Identify the other driver, get their insurance information, and collect names and contact details for every witness. On US 287 or SH 14, note weather and any road hazard signs.
Do not repair or move the motorcycle until we have a chance to inspect it. Dashcam footage and traffic-camera data can be overwritten within days. Wildlife collision reports on US 287 exist in CDOT records and should be requested quickly.
The other driver's insurer will call quickly and ask for a recorded statement. Decline. Anything you say will be used to inflate your percentage of fault under C.R.S. 13-21-111. Tell them your attorney will be in touch.
Reach us at (303) 209-9395. We review your Fort Collins case at no cost and no obligation, explain your rights under Colorado law, and take over communication with every insurer so you can focus on recovery.
We secure crash evidence, document the full damages picture, defeat the rider-blame defense, and send a demand to the at-fault party's insurer. We negotiate as lawyers ready to try the case in Larimer County District Court, not as lawyers looking for the fastest exit.
A serious motorcycle crash on US 287 or I-25 is rarely just a medical bill. Colorado law recognizes two categories of damages, and the rules differ for each.
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 starting in 2028. Two categories are completely uncapped: economic damages (medical bills, lost wages, life-care plans) and compensatory damages for physical impairment or disfigurement (C.R.S. 13-21-102.5(5)). In a serious crash involving road rash, fractures, or traumatic brain injury, the impairment and disfigurement categories often represent the largest portion of the total recovery.
Every defense is a bid to increase your fault percentage under C.R.S. 13-21-111 or deny the claim outright. Knowing what they reach for is the first step to defeating it.
Adult riders 18 and older may legally ride without a helmet (C.R.S. 42-4-1502). Defense attorneys still argue it as a "failure to mitigate damages" to cut the non-economic award. We counter with medical evidence showing the relationship between the helmet choice and the specific injuries, and we challenge the insurer's fault allocation with the actual crash causation evidence.
Lane filtering is legal as of August 7, 2024 under SB24-079 (C.R.S. 42-4-1503) only when traffic is completely stopped and the motorcycle is traveling at 15 mph or less. Lane splitting, riding between lanes of moving traffic, remains illegal. Insurers routinely describe legal filtering as illegal splitting. Dashcam footage, traffic signal data, and witness statements are the evidence that disprove the mislabeling.
Speed arguments on the US 287 corridor or I-25 are common because both roads have documented high-speed sections and known accident history. We use crash reconstruction, CDOT traffic data, and witness accounts to establish actual speed versus the insurer's inflated estimate.
The 30-mile stretch of US 287 north of Ted's Place has a documented wildlife-collision history in CDOT data, with 103 wildlife crashes in a five-year study period. When another driver's sudden swerve to avoid wildlife caused your crash, that driver's conduct, not the wildlife, is the proximate cause. We build that case with the crash report, driver statements, and the CDOT corridor data.
The Poudre Canyon route on SH 14 is a known recreational corridor with curves, debris, and post-wildfire road hazards. Insurers argue that choosing to ride a mountain canyon road means you assumed all risk. Assumption of risk requires that the risk be known and voluntarily accepted. Road debris from the Cameron Peak Fire burn scar is not an inherent risk of ordinary motorcycle travel, and a failure by CDOT or a third party to address a known hazard is a separate negligence question entirely.
A serious crash on the US 287 corridor or I-25 can produce medical bills that run past Colorado's minimum auto liability limits before a rider leaves the ICU. Here is why coverage analysis is one of the first things we do.
I wish I could leave more than 5 stars!
Colorado gives you three years from the date of the crash to file a lawsuit for injuries arising from a motor vehicle accident (C.R.S. 13-80-101(1)(n)). If a government vehicle was involved, such as a City of Fort Collins vehicle or a CDOT truck, you must also file a written notice of claim within 182 days of discovering the injury (C.R.S. 24-10-109(1)). Missing that government notice deadline bars the claim entirely. Confirm your specific deadline with an attorney as early as possible.
Colorado requires helmets only for riders under 18 years of age (C.R.S. 42-4-1502). Adult riders 18 and older are not required by law to wear a helmet, but choosing not to wear one can affect compensation in an injury claim. Defense attorneys routinely argue that an unhelmeted rider "failed to mitigate damages" and push for a reduction in the non-economic award under Colorado's comparative negligence rule (C.R.S. 13-21-111).
Lane filtering became legal in Colorado on August 7, 2024 under SB24-079 (C.R.S. 42-4-1503), but only under specific conditions: traffic must be completely stopped (not merely slow), the motorcycle must travel at 15 mph or less, and the road must have at least two adjacent same-direction lanes. Lane splitting, riding between lanes of moving traffic at speed, remains illegal. Insurers frequently describe legal filtering as illegal splitting to deny claims. If you were filtering legally when the crash happened, dashcam footage and traffic signal data are essential to proving it.
No. Under Colorado's modified comparative negligence rule (C.R.S. 13-21-111), a plaintiff who is found 50 percent or more at fault for their injuries recovers nothing. If you are found less than 50 percent at fault, you can recover damages reduced by your percentage of fault. This is why we challenge every inflated fault assignment that adjusters use to reach that 50 percent threshold. The insurer's initial fault allocation is a negotiating position, not a legal determination.
Motorcycle accident lawsuits arising in Fort Collins or Larimer County are filed in the District Court for the 8th Judicial District, located at the Larimer County Justice Center, 201 LaPorte Avenue, Suite 100, Fort Collins, CO 80521. CGH Injury Lawyers handles 8th Judicial District cases from our Denver office and appears in Larimer County courts as needed.
No. CGH Injury Lawyers maintains one office, at 2701 Lawrence St., Suite 201, Denver, CO 80205. We serve Fort Collins and all of Larimer County from Denver. We handle all communication, evidence gathering, negotiation, and litigation for Larimer County cases remotely and by appearing in person at the 8th Judicial District courthouse when the case requires it. You can reach us at (303) 209-9395.
Economic damages such as medical bills, lost wages, and future care costs are never capped. For claims accruing on or after January 1, 2025, non-economic damages such as pain and suffering are capped at $1.5 million under C.R.S. 13-21-102.5, with inflation adjustments starting in 2028. Compensatory damages for physical impairment or disfigurement are not capped at all (C.R.S. 13-21-102.5(5)), which is significant in serious motorcycle crash cases involving road rash, fractures, or permanent scarring.
If the at-fault driver carried no insurance or limits too low to cover your damages, your own uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage becomes the most important policy in the claim. Colorado insurers must offer UM/UIM coverage, though you can decline it in writing. The accrual date for a UM/UIM claim is governed by C.R.S. 13-80-107.5, as applied by the Colorado Supreme Court in Pham v. State Farm, 2013 CO 17. Without it, suing an uninsured driver individually is often impractical when they have no assets to satisfy a judgment. We analyze every available policy in the first days of representation.
Fort Collins
Statewide Pillar
Related Denver Pages
It's More Than Money.
Free consultation. No fee unless we win. Serving Larimer County from our Denver office. Available in English and Spanish.
Read next: How Colorado motorcycle accident law works statewide
CGH Injury Lawyers · 2701 Lawrence St., Suite 201, Denver, CO 80205 · Serving Fort Collins and Larimer County
