For Lakewood residents seriously hurt by a dog, Colorado law can make the owner liable even if the dog had never bitten anyone before. We serve Lakewood and Jefferson County from our Denver office. No fee unless we win.
No fee unless we winIt's More Than Money.
If a dog seriously hurt you in Lakewood, Colorado law may make the owner responsible even if the dog had never bitten anyone before. CGH Injury Lawyers serves Lakewood and Jefferson County from our Denver office at 2701 Lawrence St. We handle the insurance claim, the negotiation, and trial at Jefferson Combined Court when an insurer refuses to be fair. You pay nothing unless we recover for you.
Colorado does not follow a pure "one bite" rule, and it is not a pure strict-liability state either. The dog bite statute sets up two separate tracks, and which one applies to your Lakewood case depends almost entirely on how badly you were hurt.
The core of the statute reads: a person who suffers serious bodily injury or death from being bitten by a dog while lawfully on public or private property may bring a civil action to recover economic damages against the dog owner, regardless of the viciousness or dangerous propensities of the dog or the owner's knowledge of them (C.R.S. 13-21-124(2)).
In plain English, two things have to be true for the strict-liability track: your injury has to meet Colorado's definition of serious bodily injury, and you have to have been lawfully on the property where the bite happened. Meet both and the Lakewood owner is liable for your economic losses, even if the dog had never shown a hint of aggression before.
The single most important question in a Lakewood dog bite case is which track applies. One track is far easier to win than the other, and the dividing line is the severity of the injury.
Colorado's dog bite statute borrows its definition of serious bodily injury from the criminal code (C.R.S. 18-1-901(3)(p)). In general terms, it covers injuries that carry a substantial risk of death, serious permanent disfigurement, or protracted loss or impairment of a body part, and certain fractures and burns. A facial scar that does not fade, nerve damage that leaves lasting weakness, or a broken bone from an attack are the kinds of injuries that tend to meet it.
Whether a specific injury crosses that line is a legal judgment, not something to assume on your own. We review your medical records against the statutory definition before we tell you which track your Lakewood case sits on.
A Lakewood dog bite case lives in Jefferson County: the courthouse where your suit may be filed, the hospital that may have treated you, and the neighborhoods and commercial corridors where attacks happen. Here is the ground we work on.
Courthouse
Personal injury cases that arise in Lakewood are filed in the Jefferson Combined Court, the 1st Judicial District, located at 100 Jefferson County Parkway, Golden, CO 80401. Jefferson County juries reflect the demographics of a large suburban county that includes Lakewood, Arvada, Wheat Ridge, and Golden. We handle Jefferson County District Court cases directly from our Denver office.
Trauma Care
Lakewood's own trauma center is St. Anthony Hospital at 11600 W 2nd Pl, a Level I Trauma Center designated by the State of Colorado Department of Health. Victims of serious dog attacks anywhere in the western Denver metro are often transported there. Those treatment records, including wound severity, nerve and tissue damage, and scarring, become the medical foundation of your damages claim.
High-Activity Areas
Lakewood is Colorado's fifth-largest city with 155,984 residents, dense suburban neighborhoods, and busy commercial corridors along Wadsworth Boulevard (SH 121), West Colfax Avenue (US 40), and 6th Avenue (US 6). Recreational areas such as Green Mountain and Bear Creek Lake Park see heavy foot traffic. Colorado Mills and the Belmar mixed-use district at Wadsworth and Alameda bring large numbers of pedestrians close to unfamiliar dogs. Bites happen on sidewalks, in shared parking areas, at retail centers, and in residential neighborhoods throughout the city.
Trial-ready attorneys who practice in Jefferson County courts, bilingual service, and no fee unless we win. We do not publish dog bite settlement figures because every bite injury is different and a number on a page tells you nothing about your case. What we offer is the work, not a headline.
The Statute
For a serious bite, the Jefferson County owner is strictly liable for your economic damages even with no prior history. We know which track your case belongs on.
Serving Lakewood from Denver
Our office at 2701 Lawrence St., Suite 201, Denver is minutes from 6th Avenue (US 6), the main corridor connecting Denver to Lakewood. We appear in Jefferson Combined Court and are familiar with Jefferson County civil practice.
First-Time Bites
Colorado rejects the one bite rule for serious injuries. A clean history does not protect the owner under C.R.S. 13-21-124(2).
Who Pays
Most claims are paid by the owner's homeowner or renter liability coverage, not their personal savings.
Trial-Ready
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. Attorneys who are genuinely ready to try a case in Jefferson Combined Court get different responses from insurers than those who are not.
Bilingual
Spanish-speaking staff and attorneys serve Lakewood's Spanish-speaking community.
No Win, No Fee
You pay nothing out of pocket for legal fees. We advance costs and collect only from a settlement or verdict.
One honest thing we will tell you up front: we do not take dog bite cases we cannot honestly stand behind. If your situation falls squarely within a statutory exemption, we will say so in the free review rather than sign you up and let the case stall. When the law is on your side, we fight hard. When it is not, you deserve to hear that early, for free.
Take care of your health first, report the bite, protect the evidence, then call before you talk to the insurer. Here is the path we walk with you.
For serious attacks anywhere in the western Denver metro, St. Anthony Hospital at 11600 W 2nd Pl operates as a Level I Trauma Center. Even a wound that looks minor can carry infection risk and nerve damage. Get examined, and keep every record.
Report the bite to Jefferson County animal control. Reporting creates an official record and can feed the local dangerous-dog process, even if the owner asks you not to. Confirm the specific reporting steps that apply where your bite occurred before relying on any deadline.
Photograph your injuries, the dog, and where the attack happened. Identify the dog and its owner, and get the names and contact information of any witnesses.
The owner's insurer may call quickly. Do not give a recorded statement or accept any offer before speaking with us. Call (303) 209-9395.
We confirm which liability track fits, locate the owner's homeowner or renter coverage, gather the animal control record and any history of the dog, and document the full injury including scarring, nerve damage, and psychological impact.
Most cases settle. When insurers refuse a fair offer, we file in Jefferson Combined Court and try your case before a Jefferson County jury.
A dog bite is rarely just a medical bill. Colorado law recognizes two broad categories of damages, and which ones you can reach depends on the liability track your case sits on.
Here is a distinction many people miss. The strict-liability track in C.R.S. 13-21-124(2) recovers economic damages only. To recover non-economic damages such as pain and suffering, a victim pursues a negligence theory, which the statute expressly leaves available (C.R.S. 13-21-124(6)(a)). In a serious injury case, both paths are often pursued together. We structure the claim so that no category of harm you suffered is left on the table.
Non-economic damages for pain and suffering may be subject to Colorado's general cap under C.R.S. 13-21-102.5 for claims that do not fall within the physical impairment or disfigurement category, which is uncapped. Economic damages are never capped. We analyze each category separately to structure the claim correctly.
The statute lists specific situations where an owner is not liable (C.R.S. 13-21-124(5)). Insurers reach for these defenses early. Knowing what each one actually requires is how we keep a valid claim alive.
The statute protects people lawfully on the property. Colorado defines that broadly to include anyone performing a legal duty, such as a mail carrier, and anyone there by the owner's express or implied invitation (C.R.S. 13-21-124(4)). An open gate or the absence of posted signs can support lawful presence. The statute also bars liability where the property is clearly posted with "no trespassing" or "beware of dog" signs, which is why the facts of where and how you entered matter so much.
An owner is not liable when the person knowingly provokes the dog (C.R.S. 13-21-124(5)(d)). Knowingly is the key word. Petting a dog, walking past it, or being startled is not provocation. We use witness statements and your own account to keep ordinary, reasonable behavior from being recast as provocation.
The statute carves out dogs used by peace officers or military personnel on duty, and dogs working as hunting, herding, farm, ranch, or predator-control animals on the owner's property (C.R.S. 13-21-124(5)). It also exempts bites against veterinary workers, groomers, handlers, and similar professionals acting in their duties. These exemptions are narrow and rarely fit an ordinary household pet biting a visitor in a Lakewood neighborhood.
I wish I could leave more than 5 stars!
The most common reason people hesitate to pursue a dog bite claim is that the owner is a friend, a neighbor, or a relative. Understanding how the money actually moves usually puts that fear to rest.
No. Colorado rejects the "one bite rule" for serious injuries. Under the strict-liability track in C.R.S. 13-21-124(2), the dog's history is irrelevant if your injury qualifies as serious bodily injury. The Lakewood owner is liable for your economic damages even if the dog had never bitten anyone before. For less serious injuries, the dog's history matters because you would proceed under a negligence theory.
Personal injury cases that arise in Lakewood are filed in the Jefferson Combined Court, the 1st Judicial District, located at 100 Jefferson County Parkway, Golden, CO 80401. Most dog bite claims settle before a lawsuit is ever filed, but where a case would be filed affects the local rules, the jury pool, and which adjusters and defense firms you face. CGH handles Jefferson County District Court cases directly from our Denver office.
St. Anthony Hospital at 11600 W 2nd Pl in Lakewood is a Level I Trauma Center designated by the State of Colorado Department of Health. It is the primary trauma destination for serious injuries in the western Denver metro. The treatment records from St. Anthony, including documentation of wound depth, nerve damage, scarring, and surgical procedures, form the medical foundation of a damages claim.
Often, yes, but not through the strict-liability track alone. C.R.S. 13-21-124(2) limits the strict-liability claim to economic damages. To recover non-economic damages like pain and suffering, you pursue a negligence theory, which the statute expressly preserves (C.R.S. 13-21-124(6)(a)). In a serious injury case both paths are commonly pursued together. We structure the claim to reach every category of harm you have suffered.
The deadline for most personal injury claims in Colorado, including dog bites, is generally two years from the date of injury (C.R.S. 13-80-102). If the victim is a child, the deadline is tolled and the clock generally does not start until the child turns 18. Even with that extra time, evidence should be preserved early, so it is best to consult an attorney soon after the bite.
Colorado's dog bite statute uses the definition of serious bodily injury from C.R.S. 18-1-901(3)(p). It generally covers injuries that carry a substantial risk of death, serious permanent disfigurement, protracted loss or impairment of a body part, and certain fractures and burns. Facial scarring, nerve damage, and broken bones from an attack are common examples. Whether a particular injury crosses that line is a legal judgment we make after reviewing your medical records.
Not automatically. The statute bars liability only where the person knowingly provoked the dog (C.R.S. 13-21-124(5)(d)). Knowingly is the key word. Petting a dog, walking past it, or reacting to being startled is not provocation. We use witness statements and your account to keep ordinary, reasonable conduct from being mischaracterized.
Get medical care, photograph your injuries and the scene, identify the dog and its owner, and report the bite to Jefferson County animal control even if the owner asks you not to. Keep every medical record and receipt. Then speak with an attorney before giving any recorded statement to an insurer. You can reach our team at (303) 209-9395.
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It's More Than Money.
Free consultation. No fee unless we win. Serving Lakewood and Jefferson County from Denver.
Prefer to read first? See how Colorado's dog bite law works.
CGH Injury Lawyers · 2701 Lawrence St., Suite 201, Denver, CO 80205 · Serving Lakewood and Jefferson County
