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C-470 and US-85 corridors near Highlands Ranch, Colorado. CGH Injury Lawyers represents people injured by drunk drivers throughout Douglas County from our Denver office.
Highlands Ranch, Colorado

Highlands Ranch DUI Accident Lawyers Who Pursue Every Source of Recovery

A drunk or drugged driver hit you on C-470, US-85, or a Highlands Ranch road, and now the insurance company wants to minimize your claim. CGH Injury Lawyers pursues the driver, any bar that overserved them, and your own UM and UIM coverage. You pay nothing unless we win.

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  • When a driver impaired by alcohol or drugs causes a crash, Colorado law treats the DUI violation as negligence per se, meaning the fact of impairment can establish fault without the lengthy argument required in an ordinary crash case. The real fight is almost always over the dollar value of your harm and which insurance policies must pay.
  • Beyond the impaired driver, Colorado's Dram Shop Act (C.R.S. 44-3-801) lets you pursue any bar or restaurant that willfully and knowingly served a visibly intoxicated patron who then caused your crash. That claim has its own one-year deadline, far shorter than the three-year clock against the driver (C.R.S. 13-80-101(1)(n)).
  • If the drunk driver carried no insurance or too little, your own uninsured and underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage becomes a primary source of recovery. Those claims run on their own deadline under C.R.S. 13-80-107.5, the statute the Colorado Supreme Court applied in Pham v. State Farm, 2013 CO 17.

CGH Injury Lawyers represents people hurt by impaired drivers throughout Highlands Ranch and Douglas County. CGH Injury Lawyers does not have a Highlands Ranch office. We serve Highlands Ranch from our Denver office at 2701 Lawrence St., Suite 201, Denver, CO 80205, and we come to you. We pursue the driver, the bar, and every available insurance policy, and we file in Douglas County District Court when an insurer refuses to be fair. Free first consultation. No fee unless we win.

Colorado law

Why a DUI driver in Highlands Ranch is already presumed at fault: negligence per se

In most crash cases you have to prove the other driver was careless. In a DUI crash, much of that work is done before the civil case begins. Colorado follows the doctrine of negligence per se: when a person violates a safety law written to protect the public from a specific kind of harm, that violation can itself establish negligence.

Drunk and drugged driving laws exist precisely to keep impaired people from injuring others on the road. A driver who violates those laws and causes a crash fits the negligence per se doctrine squarely. You usually do not have to argue about whether the drunk driver did something wrong. Once impairment is established, the core liability question is largely resolved. The real disputes are over the value of your harm, which insurance sources apply, and whether the driver can shift any blame onto you using Colorado's comparative fault rules.

Impairment is established through police toxicology results, blood or breath test data from the arrest, and body camera footage. We obtain those records immediately, because they are the foundation of your claim and they can disappear or be sealed once the criminal case is resolved.

Two separate cases

The criminal DUI case versus your civil claim: what the difference means for Highlands Ranch victims

After a DUI crash on C-470 or US-85, two completely different legal processes run on separate tracks. They have different goals, different parties, and different outcomes. Understanding the split is the first thing most Highlands Ranch victims need explained.

The criminal case

  • Brought by the State of Colorado through the Douglas County District Attorney, not by you.
  • The goal is punishment: jail, fines, license consequences, probation, and a criminal record for the driver.
  • You are a witness and a victim. You do not control the case or the charging decisions.
  • The court may order restitution, but restitution is narrow, paid by the driver personally, and rarely covers your full losses.
  • A conviction or guilty plea can become powerful evidence in your civil claim.

Your civil claim

  • Brought by you against the driver and any other responsible party, including the bar or restaurant that overserved them.
  • The goal is money to make you whole: medical bills, lost income, pain, suffering, and future care.
  • You control the decisions, with your attorney's guidance.
  • Recovery is paid by insurance in the vast majority of cases, not directly from the driver's personal finances.
  • It can proceed whether or not the driver is ever criminally convicted, because the civil standard of proof is lower.

A common and costly mistake: waiting for the criminal case to conclude before pursuing the civil claim. The dram shop deadline runs from the date the alcohol was served, not from the date of conviction. If a bar or restaurant in Highlands Ranch or nearby Lone Tree overserved the driver, that claim must be filed within one year (C.R.S. 44-3-801(3)(a)(II)). Bar surveillance video and point-of-sale records disappear within weeks. We protect your civil rights right away while the criminal case proceeds on its own track.

Every source of recovery

Who can be held responsible after a Highlands Ranch DUI crash

The impaired driver is the obvious defendant, but they are often not the only one, and sometimes not the one with the deepest coverage. Highlands Ranch sits at the junction of C-470 and US-85, with restaurants and bars concentrated along the Highlands Ranch Town Center corridor near Lucent Boulevard. Colorado law lets us pursue the establishment that put the driver on those roads, and your own policy when nobody else can pay enough.

The bar or restaurant: dram shop liability

  • Colorado's Dram Shop Act (C.R.S. 44-3-801) allows an injured person to sue a licensed vendor that willfully and knowingly served alcohol to a visibly intoxicated patron who then caused the crash.
  • The same statute covers serving anyone under 21. A vendor, and in that narrow situation a private social host, can be liable under C.R.S. 44-3-801(4) for giving a minor alcohol or a place to drink.
  • A dram shop recovery is in addition to the driver's own liability, so it adds a second source of compensation on top of the driver's policy.
  • The cap on dram shop claims is $465,730 for claims accruing on or after January 1, 2026 (C.R.S. 44-3-801(3)(c)/(4)(c)). A separate one-year filing deadline applies (C.R.S. 44-3-801(3)(a)(II)).

Your own coverage: UM and UIM

  • If the drunk driver had no insurance, your uninsured motorist (UM) coverage steps in and pays your losses as if you had sued the at-fault driver directly.
  • If the driver had insurance but not enough to cover your losses, your underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage can fill the gap between the driver's policy limits and the full value of your harm.
  • These claims run on their own 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 deadline is tracked separately from the claim against the driver.

We map every potential defendant and every deadline at the very start. The dram shop one-year deadline is the most common trap in a Highlands Ranch DUI case. Families who wait for the criminal case to resolve often find that window has closed. When you call us, we confirm every clock immediately so nothing is quietly forfeited while the criminal docket moves forward.

Local Knowledge

Highlands Ranch roads. Douglas County courts. Local trauma care.

A Highlands Ranch DUI crash case lives in Douglas County terms: the corridor where the impaired driver hit you, the hospital that treated you, and the courthouse where your lawsuit would be filed. Here is the ground we work on for every claim.

High-Risk Corridors

C-470, US-85, and the Lucent Boulevard node

C-470 runs along the northern edge of Highlands Ranch, connecting US-85 and I-25 in Lone Tree. US-85 (Santa Fe Drive) runs along the western edge of the community. The Douglas County Sheriff ranked the South Broadway and C-470 interchange the number-one most dangerous intersection in Douglas County. Impaired drivers on these high-speed corridors create serious crash risk during late-night hours when bar and restaurant traffic from the Highlands Ranch Town Center and Lucent Boulevard commercial node flows onto C-470 ramps. Wildcat Reserve Parkway and Highlands Ranch Parkway are the primary residential collectors that funnel that traffic into the community. A DUI crash on any of these roads falls squarely in the pattern we handle every week.

Trauma Care

UCHealth Highlands Ranch Hospital and Sky Ridge Medical Center

Injuries from a DUI crash on C-470 or US-85 are typically treated at UCHealth Highlands Ranch Hospital, a Level III Trauma Center at 1500 Park Central Drive in the community itself. More serious injuries are routed to HCA HealthONE Sky Ridge Medical Center at 10101 RidgeGate Parkway in Lone Tree, a Level II Trauma Center, or AdventHealth Littleton at 7700 S Broadway, Littleton, also a Level II Trauma Center. The trauma records from these facilities document the full scope of your injuries, including the head trauma, fractures, and internal injuries that DUI crashes at highway speeds most often cause. Those records are the foundation of the damages we build.

Courthouse

Douglas County Combined Courts, 23rd Judicial District

A Highlands Ranch DUI accident lawsuit is filed in the Douglas County Combined Courts (District Court, 23rd Judicial District) at 4000 Justice Way, Suite 2009, Castle Rock, CO 80109. The 23rd Judicial District was established January 14, 2025, covering Douglas, Elbert, and Lincoln counties after separating from the former 18th Judicial District. The Douglas County Sheriff's Office responds to DUI crashes in unincorporated Highlands Ranch, while Colorado State Patrol handles crashes on C-470, US-85, and I-25. The responding agency determines which report we obtain first. CGH Injury Lawyers handles Douglas County District Court cases directly and does not refer them out.

The responding agency matters in a DUI case. A Douglas County Sheriff's report includes the officer's field observations, the standardized field sobriety test (SFST) results, and the preliminary breath test reading. A Colorado State Patrol report follows its own documentation protocols on the highway corridor. Both are critical evidence we obtain immediately. Waiting for the criminal case to generate a conviction summary is far too slow given how fast dram shop and insurance evidence disappears.

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Compensation

What you can recover after a Highlands Ranch DUI crash, and how Colorado's rules apply

A DUI crash rarely means just one medical bill. Colorado law recognizes two broad categories of compensatory damages, plus the possibility of punitive damages when the driver's conduct was willful and wanton. Knowing which categories are capped, which are not, and how comparative fault can reduce your recovery is essential to building the full value of your claim.

Economic damages (never capped)

  • Emergency room care, surgery, and hospital stays
  • Future medical treatment and rehabilitation
  • Lost wages and lost earning capacity
  • Property damage and out-of-pocket expenses
  • In a fatal DUI crash, funeral costs and the family's economic losses

Non-economic damages (capped for most claims)

  • Pain and suffering
  • Emotional distress and PTSD, which are common after a violent DUI crash at highway speed
  • Loss of enjoyment of life
  • Permanent scarring and disfigurement (not capped separately, see below)
  • Permanent physical impairment (also not subject to the non-economic cap)

The cap, the uncapped categories, and punitive damages

  • For claims accruing on or after January 1, 2025, the non-economic damages cap is a flat $1,500,000 (C.R.S. 13-21-102.5). There is no mechanism that raises or removes the cap based on injury severity. Compensation for physical impairment or disfigurement is separately uncapped, which is one reason DUI crash cases with serious orthopedic, neurological, or scarring injuries often produce recoveries that substantially exceed the non-economic cap.
  • Drunk driving is the kind of willful and wanton conduct that can support punitive, or exemplary, damages on top of your compensatory recovery. 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 and are not available in every case, but an impaired driver is one of the strongest fact patterns for pursuing them.
  • Colorado uses modified comparative fault (C.R.S. 13-21-111). You can recover damages 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. Against a driver who was legally intoxicated, an insurer's attempt to shift significant blame to you rarely succeeds, but we use crash reconstruction and the DUI evidence to document the fault distribution from day one.

We structure the claim so that no category of harm you suffered is left on the table, and we explain honestly how each cap and source of recovery applies to your specific losses before you decide anything.

Deadlines that decide your case

The multiple deadlines in a Highlands Ranch DUI injury case

A DUI crash involves several legal deadlines at once. They do not all run from the same date. Missing the shortest one can silently end a claim against the defendant with the deepest pockets.

  • The claim against the at-fault driver: Colorado gives you three years from the date of the crash to file a lawsuit for injuries arising out of the use or operation of a motor vehicle (C.R.S. 13-80-101(1)(n)). This is the longest clock, but it is not the one that catches most Highlands Ranch families off guard.
  • A dram shop claim against a bar or restaurant: the lawsuit must be filed within one year after the alcohol was sold or served (C.R.S. 44-3-801(3)(a)(II)). This is the short clock. Waiting for the criminal case before contacting an attorney is the single most common reason this deadline is missed in Douglas County DUI cases.
  • A UM or UIM claim under your own policy: governed by its own separate deadline under C.R.S. 13-80-107.5, as applied by the Colorado Supreme Court in Pham v. State Farm, 2013 CO 17. Do not assume this clock matches the three-year deadline against the driver.
  • If any government vehicle or a CDOT-maintained road condition was a contributing factor, a written notice of claim is required within 182 days of discovering the injury (C.R.S. 24-10-109(1)). This clock runs from the date of discovery of the injury, not from the crash date.

When a DUI victim is a child, Colorado law generally tolls the filing deadline until the child reaches adulthood, but evidence does not wait. Bar footage, breath test records, and eyewitness memory degrade quickly. Early involvement lets us preserve everything while the deadlines are still comfortable.

After the crash

What to do immediately after a DUI accident in Highlands Ranch

The decisions made in the first hours after a DUI crash can protect or damage your claim. These steps are specific to crashes involving a suspected impaired driver in the Highlands Ranch and Douglas County area.

  1. Call 911 and request police

    A police response triggers DUI investigation: field sobriety tests, a preliminary breath test, and potentially a blood draw. That documentation is the core of your civil case. On C-470, US-85, and I-25, Colorado State Patrol responds. In unincorporated Highlands Ranch neighborhoods, the Douglas County Sheriff responds. Get the report number and the name of the responding officer before you leave the scene.

  2. Get medical care, even if you feel okay

    Adrenaline masks pain after a high-impact crash. Brain injuries, spinal trauma, and internal bleeding can present hours later. UCHealth Highlands Ranch Hospital at 1500 Park Central Drive is the closest trauma center in the community. Sky Ridge Medical Center at 10101 RidgeGate Parkway in Lone Tree handles more critical injuries. Go even if you were not taken by ambulance, and keep every record and receipt from that day forward.

  3. Note where the driver came from

    Ask witnesses if they saw the driver come from a specific bar, restaurant, or private gathering. Note any bar or restaurant within a reasonable distance of the crash site. If you later learn the driver was at a licensed venue before the crash, that information is the starting point for a dram shop claim. Point-of-sale records and bar video have to be requested before they are deleted, which can happen in as little as 30 days.

  4. Photograph everything

    Capture the vehicles, the road conditions, traffic controls, skid marks, debris, and your visible injuries. Note any nearby business surveillance cameras along Lucent Boulevard, Highlands Ranch Parkway, or the Town Center. That footage is often overwritten within 30 days, and it can prove exactly what happened before the responding officer arrived.

  5. Do not give a recorded statement before calling us

    The at-fault driver's insurer may contact you within hours. Do not provide a recorded statement or accept any payment before speaking with an attorney. Statements made without legal guidance are the most common way a victim's claim loses value before it even begins. Call CGH at (303) 209-9395 first.

Why CGH

Why Highlands Ranch DUI accident victims choose CGH Injury Lawyers

CGH Injury Lawyers is a eight-attorney Colorado firm founded in 2016, formerly Cheney Galluzzi and Howard. 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. Every DUI injury case is handled by a licensed Colorado attorney, not a paralegal. CGH Injury Lawyers does not have a Highlands Ranch office. We serve Highlands Ranch and Douglas County clients from our Denver office and come to you for meetings at your convenience.

ABOTA member on the team Tim Tarr: Best Lawyers in America since 2023 Over 25 cases to verdict Douglas County trial experience Bilingual EN / ES Free consultation No fee unless we win
Questions

Highlands Ranch DUI accident, frequently asked questions

Where would my Highlands Ranch DUI accident lawsuit be filed?

A Highlands Ranch DUI accident lawsuit is filed in the Douglas County Combined Courts (District Court, 23rd Judicial District) at 4000 Justice Way, Suite 2009, Castle Rock, CO 80109. The 23rd Judicial District was established January 14, 2025, covering Douglas, Elbert, and Lincoln counties after separating from the former 18th Judicial District. Most DUI injury claims settle before a lawsuit is filed, but where a case is filed affects local court rules, the jury pool, and the defense firms involved. CGH handles Douglas County District Court cases directly.

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

It depends on who you are pursuing. The claim against the at-fault driver must generally be filed within three years of the crash (C.R.S. 13-80-101(1)(n)). A dram shop claim against the bar or restaurant that overserved the driver must be filed within one year after the alcohol was sold or served (C.R.S. 44-3-801(3)(a)(II)). A UM or UIM claim under your own policy runs on its own separate deadline under C.R.S. 13-80-107.5. Because these clocks start from different events, the safest step is to contact an attorney right away so every deadline is confirmed before anything is forfeited.

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

No. Waiting is the single most expensive mistake in a Highlands Ranch DUI case. The criminal case and your civil claim run on separate tracks, and the dram shop deadline (one year from when the alcohol was served) does not pause while the criminal prosecution proceeds. Bar and restaurant surveillance video can be deleted within 30 days. We protect your civil rights from day one, use any conviction or plea as evidence later, and keep both timelines on track simultaneously.

Can I sue the bar or restaurant that overserved the Highlands Ranch 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, or to anyone under 21, who then caused the crash. A successful dram shop claim adds a second source of compensation on top of the driver's own liability coverage. The cap on dram shop claims is $465,730 for claims accruing on or after January 1, 2026. The catch is the one-year filing deadline, which is why these claims have to be evaluated immediately.

What if the drunk driver who hit me in Highlands Ranch had no insurance?

This is common, and it is where your own policy matters most. Uninsured motorist (UM) coverage steps in when the at-fault driver has no insurance and pays your losses as if you had sued the driver directly. Underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage fills the gap when the driver's limits are too low to cover your full losses. These claims run on their own deadline under C.R.S. 13-80-107.5, applied by the Colorado Supreme Court in Pham v. State Farm, 2013 CO 17. We check every policy that could respond, including coverage you may not realize you carry.

Does CGH Injury Lawyers have an office in Highlands Ranch?

No. CGH Injury Lawyers has one office, at 2701 Lawrence St., Suite 201, Denver, CO 80205. We serve Highlands Ranch and Douglas County DUI accident clients from that office, file cases in the Douglas County Combined Courts at 4000 Justice Way, Castle Rock, and meet you wherever is convenient. Call (303) 209-9395 or submit the form on this page. Consultations are free and confidential.

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