Greeley DUI Accident Lawyer

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When an impaired driver causes a crash in Greeley, the criminal case the district attorney files punishes the driver. Your civil claim is an entirely separate process, and it is the one built to make you financially whole. CGH Injury Lawyers represents the victim. We never represent the driver.
Colorado law treats a drunk or drugged driver who violates a safety statute as negligent under the doctrine of negligence per se, which means the fight in most Greeley DUI injury cases is about the value of your harm and which insurance pays it, not about whether the driver did something wrong.
The deadlines in a Greeley DUI case run on multiple clocks at once. The claim against the driver generally must be filed within three years (C.R.S. 13-80-101(1)(n)), but a dram shop claim against any bar that overserved the driver must be filed within one year of when the alcohol was sold or served (C.R.S. 44-3-801). Missing the shorter clock can permanently cut off a key source of compensation.

Greeley sits at the junction of US 34 and US 85 in Weld County, with heavy commercial truck traffic from the JBS USA beef processing plant, a complex multi-highway interchange near Garden City, and a downtown corridor dense with bars, restaurants, and late-night traffic. When an impaired driver causes a crash in that environment, CGH Injury Lawyers pursues every responsible party, from the driver to the overserving vendor, and every available insurance policy. We serve Weld County from our Denver office, and you pay nothing unless we win.

The criminal case against the driver

Brought by the Weld County District Attorney, not by you. You are a victim and a witness, not a party who controls the outcome.
The goal is punishment: jail time, fines, probation, and license consequences. The court may order restitution, but restitution is paid by the driver personally and is usually limited to specific documented out-of-pocket losses.
A conviction or guilty plea becomes powerful evidence in your civil case. We track the criminal docket and use it strategically without waiting for the criminal case to close before protecting your civil rights.

Your civil claim for full compensation

Brought by you against the driver and every other responsible party. You control the decisions, with your lawyer's guidance.
The goal is full financial recovery: medical bills, lost income, pain and suffering, permanent impairment, and future costs. It is paid by insurance, not by the driver's personal funds.
The civil case uses a lower standard of proof than the criminal case. Even if the driver avoids a criminal conviction, you can still prevail on the civil claim. The two cases run on separate tracks and separate timelines.

Criminal restitution is not full compensation. It does not cover pain and suffering, future medical costs, or loss of enjoyment of life. Many Greeley families wait for the criminal case to finish before thinking about the civil side, and by then the dram shop window against an overserving bar has often closed permanently. We start protecting your civil rights the day you call, not after the criminal court issues a sentence.

Negligence per se: the impaired driver is already presumed at fault

Colorado follows the doctrine of negligence per se. When a driver violates a safety statute written to protect the public from exactly the kind of harm that occurred, that violation itself can establish negligence. Drunk and drugged driving laws exist to prevent impaired drivers from injuring others, so a driver who was impaired and caused a crash fits that doctrine squarely. In most Greeley DUI cases, the real fight is over the value of your injuries and which insurance must pay, not over whether the driver did something wrong.
The three-year deadline to sue the at-fault driver

Colorado gives injured victims three years from the date of the crash to file a lawsuit for injuries arising from the use or operation of a motor vehicle (C.R.S. 13-80-101(1)(n)). Three years sounds long, but evidence disappears quickly, witnesses move away, and bar surveillance footage is overwritten within weeks. We begin building the claim while the evidence is still fresh.
Comparative fault: you can still recover even if you were partly at fault

Colorado follows a modified comparative fault rule (C.R.S. 13-21-111). If you are less than 50 percent responsible for the crash, you can still recover damages, though your award is reduced by your percentage of fault. If you are found to be 50 percent or more at fault, you recover nothing. Insurers routinely try to shift blame onto victims to reduce or eliminate payouts. Against a driver who was legally impaired, that argument usually has little traction, and we use the crash reconstruction and the DUI evidence to keep the fault where it belongs.
Punitive damages for willful and wanton conduct

Driving drunk is exactly the kind of willful and wanton conduct that can support punitive, or exemplary, damages on top of your compensatory recovery. Under C.R.S. 13-21-102, punitive damages in Colorado generally cannot exceed the amount of actual damages awarded, though the court may increase them up to three times actual damages if the defendant continues the conduct after the case is filed. We evaluate whether the facts of your crash support a punitive claim and pursue it where the evidence allows.

Courthouse

Weld County District Court, 19th Judicial District

A Greeley DUI injury lawsuit that exceeds the county-court limit is filed in Weld County District Court, 19th Judicial District. The main courthouse is at 901 9th Ave, Greeley, CO 80631, with a clerk's office and filing location at the Centennial Center, 915 10th Street, Greeley, CO 80631. Local Weld County procedure, the jury pool, and the defense firms that represent Greeley insurers all differ from the Denver metro. We handle 19th Judicial District cases directly and know how DUI injury verdicts are built for this jury pool.

Trauma Care

Banner North Colorado Medical Center, Level II Trauma Center

Banner North Colorado Medical Center in Greeley is a designated Level II Trauma Center, confirmed by Banner Health. On-call trauma surgeons and specialists are available around the clock for severe injuries. DUI crashes at highway speed on US 34, US 85, or near the Spaghetti Junction interchange produce exactly the kind of catastrophic trauma that Level II centers are equipped to handle. The trauma records from Banner North Colorado document the full scope of injury and become the foundation of the damages portion of your civil claim.

High-Risk Roads and Corridors

US 34, US 85, Spaghetti Junction, and the downtown entertainment corridor

US Route 34 is Greeley's primary east-west expressway, with documented dangerous intersections at 35th Avenue and near Weld County Road 17. US Route 85 runs north-south through the city. They meet at the Spaghetti Junction interchange near Garden City, a multi-highway crossing with a crash history significant enough to prompt a $4 million CDOT safety improvement project. After dark, the risk profile shifts to the bars, restaurants, and clubs along 8th Avenue and in downtown Greeley, where impaired drivers enter US 34 and US 85 after a night of drinking. JBS USA plant shift changes also generate late-night commercial traffic on east Greeley roads, increasing the chance of a head-on or T-bone collision with an impaired driver.

Dram shop liability: the bar or restaurant that overserved the driver

Colorado's Dram Shop Act (C.R.S. 44-3-801) allows you to sue a licensed vendor that willfully and knowingly served alcohol to a visibly intoxicated patron who then caused the harm. Greeley's downtown bars and restaurants on 8th Avenue and along the US 34 commercial strip are potential dram shop defendants.
The same statute covers serving anyone under the age of 21. In that situation, a private social host can also be liable under C.R.S. 44-3-801(4) for providing alcohol or a place to consume it to a minor who then injured someone.
The cap on dram shop recovery is $465,730 for claims on or after January 1, 2026 (C.R.S. 44-3-801(3)(c)). A dram shop recovery stacks on top of the driver's own liability, so it can add a second, substantial source of compensation.
The dram shop claim must be commenced within one year after the alcohol was sold or served (C.R.S. 44-3-801). That clock runs independently of the three-year deadline against the driver. We identify and preserve this claim at the start of every DUI case.

Your own insurance: UM and UIM coverage

If the drunk driver carried no insurance, your uninsured motorist (UM) coverage steps into the at-fault driver's shoes and pays your damages up to your own policy limits.
If the driver had insurance but the limits were too low to cover your losses, your underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage fills the gap between what the driver's policy pays and your actual damages.
UM and UIM claims run on a separate deadline under C.R.S. 13-80-107.5, the statute the Colorado Supreme Court applied in Pham v. State Farm, 2013 CO 17. That clock does not necessarily match the three-year deadline against the driver. We track every deadline separately and do not allow any of them to lapse.

The one-year dram shop clock is the most common source of permanent, unrecoverable loss in Greeley DUI cases. Families who wait for the criminal case to resolve before thinking about who else to pursue often discover the bar claim is time-barred. We identify every potential defendant and map every deadline in the first meeting, not after months of waiting.

Trial-Ready

Built to try your DUI case in Weld County.

Managing Partner Kevin Cheney is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) and has tried over 25 cases to verdict. Timothy G. Tarr has been recognized by Best Lawyers every year since 2023. When a DUI injury demand is backed by attorneys who will actually try the case in Weld County District Court, insurers respond differently.

DUI-Specific Strategy

We pursue every defendant on every clock.

A DUI case involves multiple claims against multiple parties on multiple deadlines. We map the driver's liability, the dram shop claim, and the UM or UIM claim from day one, and we do not let a shorter deadline slip because everyone's attention was on the criminal case. In Greeley, where the downtown bar strip and the commercial corridors create real dram shop exposure, that discipline can double the available recovery.

Honest About Location

Serving Greeley from Denver.

Our single office is at 2701 Lawrence St., Suite 201 in Denver. We do not pretend to have a Greeley address. We represent Weld County clients, file in the 19th Judicial District, and meet you where it works for you.

Bilingual

Hablamos espanol.

Spanish-speaking staff and attorneys serve Greeley and Weld County's large Spanish-speaking community. A DUI injury claim should not stall because of a language barrier.

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. A drunk driver hurting you should not also leave you unable to afford a lawyer.

One Standard

8 attorneys, one promise.

Whether your Greeley DUI case settles after the initial demand or goes to a Weld County jury, the same trial-ready team and the same preparation standard apply. We do not run a settlement mill. We prepare every case as if it will be tried.

Call 911 and stay at the scene

A police response is the first and most important step. Officers will document the crash, conduct field sobriety and breathalyzer tests, and make an arrest if the facts warrant it. The arrest report and toxicology results become critical evidence in your civil claim. Do not let the driver leave before police arrive.
Get medical care immediately

Serious DUI crash injuries in Greeley are treated at Banner North Colorado Medical Center, the area's Level II Trauma Center. Even injuries that feel minor right after a high-speed collision can mask nerve damage, internal bleeding, or a traumatic brain injury. Get examined promptly, follow every care instruction, and keep every record. Gaps in medical treatment are used by insurers to argue your injuries were not serious.
Document the scene before it changes

Photograph the vehicles, your injuries, skid marks, road conditions, and any signs of impairment visible on or around the other driver. Get the names and contact information of witnesses while they are still present. Note the name and location of any bar or restaurant you believe the driver came from. Bar surveillance footage and point-of-sale records are typically overwritten within 30 days.
Do not give a recorded statement to any insurer

The at-fault driver's insurer may contact you within hours of the crash, especially after a serious DUI accident on US 34 or the US 85 corridor. You are not required to give a recorded statement, and doing so before speaking with a lawyer can permanently damage your claim. Call (303) 209-9395 before you speak with any adjuster.
Call CGH before the dram shop clock runs

The one-year dram shop deadline against an overserving bar or restaurant starts from when the alcohol was served, not from when you get around to hiring a lawyer. We identify and preserve that claim in the first meeting. Waiting costs people this claim more often than any other deadline in a DUI case.
We build and pursue your claim

We gather the crash report, DUI arrest record, body-camera and toxicology results, bar and restaurant point-of-sale records, and every medical record. We identify all insurance policies that must respond, value every category of your loss, and send a documented demand. If an insurer refuses to be fair, we file in Weld County District Court in the 19th Judicial District and try your case before a Weld County jury.

Economic damages (never capped)

Emergency treatment, surgery, and ICU care at Banner North Colorado Medical Center
All follow-up and rehabilitative care, including physical therapy, specialist visits, and mental health treatment
Future medical costs and long-term care expenses, documented with life-care planning
Lost wages and lost earning capacity if your injuries keep you from working or limit your career
Property damage to your vehicle or personal property
In a wrongful death case, funeral costs and the family's economic losses going forward

Non-economic damages (capped at $1.5 million for 2025 claims)

Pain and suffering, both at the time of the crash and ongoing
Emotional distress and PTSD, which are common after a violent DUI collision
Loss of enjoyment of life and the activities you can no longer do
Permanent scarring and disfigurement (not subject to any cap under C.R.S. 13-21-102.5)
Permanent physical impairment (also not subject to the cap), which often drives the largest part of a serious DUI injury recovery

How the damages cap and punitive damages work together

For claims accruing on or after January 1, 2025, Colorado caps non-economic damages such as pain and suffering at $1.5 million (C.R.S. 13-21-102.5). Economic damages and compensation for physical impairment or disfigurement are not capped, and those uncapped categories typically make up the majority of value in a serious DUI crash.
Punitive damages in Colorado generally cannot exceed the amount of actual damages awarded (C.R.S. 13-21-102). They require proof of willful and wanton conduct, which a DUI driver who chose to get behind the wheel while impaired often satisfies. We evaluate the punitive claim in every case and pursue it where the facts support it.
In a fatal DUI crash, wrongful death non-economic damages are capped separately at $2,125,000 for claims accruing on or after January 1, 2025 (C.R.S. 13-21-203(1)(a)), and surviving family members may also be entitled to solatium of $135,990 under C.R.S. 13-21-203.5.

"You were partly at fault too"

Colorado's modified comparative fault rule (C.R.S. 13-21-111) lets insurers reduce your recovery by any share of fault assigned to you, and if that share reaches 50 percent or more you recover nothing. Against a driver who was legally impaired and on a Greeley highway, assigning meaningful fault to the sober victim is difficult, but adjusters try. We use crash reconstruction, Weld County Dispatch records, and the DUI arrest evidence to keep the fault allocation honest.
"Your injuries are not that serious"

Insurers routinely minimize injuries they cannot see on a single scan, especially soft-tissue damage, traumatic brain injury, and psychological harm such as PTSD from a violent nighttime collision. We answer with the complete Banner North Colorado Medical Center record, treating-physician opinions, independent medical evaluations, and, where the future costs are significant, a life-care plan that documents every projected expense.
"The criminal case will take care of it"

The criminal case punishes the driver and may order limited restitution. It does not pay pain and suffering, future medical costs, or lost earning capacity. Your civil claim is the vehicle for full financial recovery, and we make sure it does not sit idle while everyone watches the Weld County criminal docket.
"There is no coverage to pay you"

A drunk driver who carries no insurance or thin limits is a real problem, but it rarely ends the recovery. We turn to any dram shop claim against an overserving Greeley bar, and to your own UM and UIM coverage. The argument that there is no money available is often wrong once every policy is identified and every defendant is on the table.
"The bar did not know the driver was intoxicated"

To defeat a dram shop claim, the overserving vendor will argue it had no way to know the patron was visibly intoxicated. We respond with point-of-sale records showing the volume and timing of drinks served, surveillance footage from the bar, statements from bartenders and servers, and the toxicology results that show blood alcohol at the time of the crash. The chain from the last drink to the crash is what we establish and document.

The at-fault driver's liability policy is the first source. It pays your damages up to the driver's limits. Many impaired drivers carry only Colorado minimum limits, which are often not enough for serious crash injuries. When limits are exhausted, the claim does not stop there.
A dram shop claim against the overserving bar or restaurant adds a second source. That claim is capped at $465,730 for claims on or after January 1, 2026, and it is backed by the vendor's commercial general liability or liquor liability policy, which typically has much higher limits than the driver's personal auto policy. The one-year filing deadline makes this the most time-sensitive claim in any Greeley DUI case.
Your own UM and UIM coverage becomes critical when the driver was uninsured or underinsured. This coverage is in your own auto policy, and the claim runs on its own statutory deadline under C.R.S. 13-80-107.5. We review every policy in play, including household and umbrella policies, to make sure no available coverage is overlooked.

In a serious Greeley DUI crash, stacking all three sources correctly, and preserving every deadline, is how the full value of your claim is recovered. We map every policy and every clock in the first meeting.

I wish I could leave more than 5 stars!

Grace M., 5-star CGH Injury Lawyers client review

Does CGH Injury Lawyers have an office in Greeley?

No. CGH Injury Lawyers has one office, at 2701 Lawrence St., Suite 201, Denver, CO 80205. We serve Weld County DUI accident clients from that office, file Greeley cases in Weld County District Court in the 19th Judicial District, and travel to you. You can reach us at (303) 209-9395.

How long do I have to file a claim after a DUI crash in Greeley?

Multiple deadlines apply and they run from different events. The claim against the at-fault driver generally must be filed within three years of the crash (C.R.S. 13-80-101(1)(n)). A dram shop claim against a Greeley bar or restaurant that overserved the driver must be commenced within one year after the alcohol was sold or served (C.R.S. 44-3-801). A UM or UIM claim under your own auto policy runs on a separate deadline under C.R.S. 13-80-107.5. Because these clocks start from different triggering events, confirming each one with an attorney early is the safest path.

Should I wait for the criminal DUI case to finish before starting my civil claim?

No. The criminal case and your civil claim are entirely separate. Waiting for the criminal case to close is the most common way Greeley DUI victims permanently lose the dram shop claim against the overserving bar, because that one-year deadline runs from when the alcohol was served, not from when the criminal case ends. We protect your civil rights the day you call. A conviction or guilty plea in the criminal case can later strengthen your civil claim without requiring you to wait for it.

Can I sue the bar or restaurant in Greeley that overserved the drunk driver?

Often, yes. Colorado's Dram Shop Act (C.R.S. 44-3-801) lets you sue a licensed vendor that willfully and knowingly served alcohol to a visibly intoxicated patron who then caused harm, or to anyone under 21. For claims on or after January 1, 2026, the dram shop recovery is capped at $465,730 (C.R.S. 44-3-801(3)(c)), and it is in addition to the driver's own liability. The critical constraint is the one-year filing deadline. Greeley's downtown bar corridor on 8th Avenue and the commercial strip along US 34 both generate real dram shop exposure. We evaluate and preserve this claim in every DUI case from day one.

The drunk driver who hit me in Greeley had no insurance. Do I have any options?

Yes. When the at-fault driver carries no insurance, your own uninsured motorist (UM) coverage steps in to pay your damages. If the driver had insurance but not enough to cover the full extent of your injuries, your underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage fills the gap. These claims run under their own deadline (C.R.S. 13-80-107.5), separate from the claim against the driver. We also evaluate any dram shop claim that might apply. An uninsured drunk driver does not mean there is no recovery; it means the path to recovery runs through different policies.

Can I recover if the insurer says I was partly at fault for the Greeley crash?

Often, yes. Colorado follows modified comparative fault (C.R.S. 13-21-111). If you are less than 50 percent at fault, you can still recover, though your award is reduced by your share of the fault. If you are 50 percent or more at fault, you recover nothing. That threshold is why insurers invest effort in shifting blame onto victims. Against a driver who was legally impaired when they hit you on a Greeley road, meaningful fault assignment to the sober victim is usually very difficult to sustain, and we push back on it with evidence from the crash scene and the DUI arrest.

What compensation is available if my loved one was killed by a drunk driver in Greeley?

A wrongful death claim allows surviving family members to pursue economic damages, including lost financial support and funeral costs, and non-economic damages capped at $2,125,000 for claims accruing on or after January 1, 2025 (C.R.S. 13-21-203(1)(a)). The non-economic cap is removed entirely in felonious killing cases. Surviving family members may also be entitled to solatium under C.R.S. 13-21-203.5, which is fixed at $135,990 for claims on or after January 1, 2024, with no further adjustments. We also evaluate punitive damages and the dram shop claim in every Greeley DUI wrongful death case.

Where would my Greeley DUI injury lawsuit be filed?

A DUI injury lawsuit arising in Greeley or Weld County that exceeds the county-court jurisdictional limit is filed in Weld County District Court, 19th Judicial District. The courthouse is at 901 9th Ave, Greeley, CO 80631, with a filing location at the Centennial Center, 915 10th Street, Greeley, CO 80631. Most cases settle before a lawsuit is ever filed, but knowing the local court, the jury pool, and the local defense firms affects how we build and negotiate every Greeley claim from the start.

Greeley

Statewide practice area

Other DUI pages

Firm

Greeley residents seriously hurt by a drunk or drugged driver

The criminal case against the driver

Your civil claim for full compensation

Colorado DUI law decoded for Greeley crash victims

Negligence per se: the impaired driver is already presumed at fault

The three-year deadline to sue the at-fault driver

Comparative fault: you can still recover even if you were partly at fault

Punitive damages for willful and wanton conduct

Greeley courts. Greeley trauma care. Greeley roads.

Weld County District Court, 19th Judicial District

Banner North Colorado Medical Center, Level II Trauma Center

US 34, US 85, Spaghetti Junction, and the downtown entertainment corridor

Who else can be held responsible besides the drunk driver in a Greeley case

Dram shop liability: the bar or restaurant that overserved the driver

Your own insurance: UM and UIM coverage

Why Greeley DUI accident victims choose CGH Injury Lawyers

Built to try your DUI case in Weld County.

We pursue every defendant on every clock.

Serving Greeley from Denver.

Hablamos espanol.

Contingency only.

8 attorneys, one promise.

What to do after a DUI accident in Greeley

Call 911 and stay at the scene

Get medical care immediately

Document the scene before it changes

Do not give a recorded statement to any insurer

Call CGH before the dram shop clock runs

We build and pursue your claim

What compensation can you recover after a Greeley DUI crash?

Economic damages (never capped)

Non-economic damages (capped at $1.5 million for 2025 claims)

How the damages cap and punitive damages work together

Defenses Greeley drunk drivers and insurers raise, and how we answer them

"You were partly at fault too"

"Your injuries are not that serious"

"The criminal case will take care of it"

"There is no coverage to pay you"

"The bar did not know the driver was intoxicated"

How insurance works in a Greeley DUI accident case

Greeley DUI accident: frequently asked questions

Related pages

A drunk driver changed your life on a Greeley road. We hold them accountable.