Hurt on a motorcycle in Lakewood or Jefferson County? Insurers start from the assumption that riders are reckless. We document the evidence that disproves it and prepare every case for the 1st Judicial District. No fee unless we win. Serving Lakewood from our Denver office.
No fee unless we winIt's More Than Money.
Lakewood is Colorado's fifth-most-populous city, with major commercial corridors on Wadsworth Boulevard, West Colfax Avenue, and 6th Avenue that carry heavy commuter and retail traffic every day. That density is exactly why motorcycle crashes here are serious, and why insurers move quickly to blame the rider. CGH Injury Lawyers represents injured riders and their families in Lakewood and Jefferson County, serving the community from our Denver office at 2701 Lawrence St. We document the evidence, defeat the rider-blame defense, and prepare every case for the 1st Judicial District. No upfront fees, and a free first consultation.
We represent people seriously hurt on motorcycles in Lakewood, Jefferson County, and across the surrounding area, and the families of those killed. If you were a rider, a passenger, or a family member who lost someone, this page is for you.
Colorado motorcycle law lives mostly in C.R.S. Title 42. The rules changed in August 2024. Riding by the old rulebook risks a ticket, and it gives Lakewood adjusters a ready-made argument to cut your claim. Here is the part that matters most after a crash.
On Wadsworth Boulevard or 6th Avenue in backed-up Lakewood traffic, a rider may legally filter between stopped lanes at 15 mph or less under C.R.S. 42-4-1503. If you were moving at 20 mph, or if traffic was only slow rather than stopped, the insurer will argue you broke the law. Dashcam footage, traffic-camera data, and witness statements are what disprove that argument. We move quickly to lock that evidence down before it disappears.
A Jefferson County motorcycle case lives in Jefferson County: the roads where the crash happened, the hospital that treated you, and the courthouse where the case may be filed. Here is the ground we work on.
Courthouse
Lakewood motorcycle accident cases that go to trial are filed in Jefferson Combined Court, which houses the 1st Judicial District Court at 100 Jefferson County Parkway, Golden, CO 80401. Jefferson County civil procedure, local rules, and the bench differ from Denver courts. We handle 1st Judicial District cases for Lakewood clients directly from our Denver office.
Trauma Care
St. Anthony Hospital, located at 11600 W 2nd Pl in Lakewood, is designated as a Level I Trauma Center by the State of Colorado Department of Health. Critically injured motorcycle crash victims from Lakewood and the surrounding Jefferson County area are frequently transported there. Those admission records, surgical notes, and rehabilitation plans become the foundation of your damages claim. We obtain and analyze those records as part of building your case.
Crash Corridors
West Colfax Avenue (US 40) from Sheridan Boulevard to Teller Street recorded 820 total crashes in a 1.5-mile segment between 2015 and 2019, including 283 injuries and 6 fatalities, and 98 pedestrian and cyclist crashes with 5 deaths. It has been identified as a high-priority pedestrian safety corridor by Lakewood PD. Wadsworth Boulevard (SH 121) has documented fatal pedestrian crashes including a fatality at S Wadsworth Blvd and W Mansfield Pkwy in May 2025 and at S Wadsworth Blvd and W Eastman Pl in November 2025. The US 6 frontage road near the Sheridan exit has a documented sharp dangerous curve with a history of eight or more crashes, including one fatality, prompting CDOT to install rumble strips and speed radar. Winter snow and ice produce hazardous conditions across the city; Lakewood documented dozens of crashes on the first day of the December 2021 snow event, and not all roads are plowed. The city prioritizes only the most-traveled routes. If your crash happened on one of these corridors, the road conditions and crash history are part of your claim, and we document them.
Key Roads
The roads where Lakewood crashes happen most frequently are 6th Avenue (US Route 6), Wadsworth Boulevard (Colorado State Highway 121), West Colfax Avenue (US Route 40), C-470 along the southwestern beltway and Lakewood's western border (Colorado State Highway 470), and Morrison Road (Colorado State Highway 8). Heavy traffic density near Colorado Mills, Belmar at Wadsworth and Alameda, and the Federal Center commuter campus creates the conditions where riders get hit most often.
We do not publish motorcycle settlement figures, because every case is different and a number on a page tells you nothing about your situation. What we offer is the work, the experience, and an honest assessment in a free consultation.
1st Judicial District
Lakewood cases are filed in Jefferson Combined Court in Golden. We handle 1st Judicial District cases directly from our Denver office. Lakewood riders do not need a downtown firm that subcontracts their case.
One honest thing we will tell you up front
If a review of your situation reveals that the law or the facts do not support a viable claim, we say so in the free consultation rather than sign you up and let the case stall. Other firms sign up every caller. We tell you the truth about where you stand so you can make an informed decision.
ABOTA
Managing Partner Kevin Cheney is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates and has tried over 25 cases to verdict. Insurers respond differently to attorneys who genuinely try cases.
Best Lawyers
Timothy G. Tarr has been recognized by Best Lawyers every year since 2023. Peer recognition at that level reflects a track record, not a marketing claim.
Rider-Bias Defense
Lakewood adjusters reach for the gear and filtering rules the moment a rider files a claim. We move fast to secure dashcam footage, traffic-camera data, and the scene record. We document compliance with C.R.S. 42-4-1502, 42-4-232, and 42-4-1503 so the failure-to-mitigate and negligence-per-se arguments do not stick.
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 in your Lakewood case.
The first hours after a Lakewood motorcycle crash are the most important for your health and your claim. Every step below serves both.
Critically injured Lakewood riders are typically transported to St. Anthony Hospital, the Level I Trauma Center at 11600 W 2nd Pl. Even injuries that seem minor at the scene can involve internal damage or concussion that worsens overnight. Get examined, and keep every record: ambulance run sheet, emergency notes, and discharge instructions.
Photograph your motorcycle, the at-fault vehicle, road conditions, skid marks, and any road hazards that contributed to the crash. Identify witnesses and get their contact information before they leave the scene. On Wadsworth or West Colfax, nearby business cameras and intersection cameras may have captured the collision.
The at-fault driver's insurer will call quickly. Do not give a recorded statement or accept any offer before speaking with an attorney. What you say in the first phone call can be used to reduce your claim or deny it outright.
Dashcam footage from nearby vehicles, traffic cameras on Wadsworth and 6th Avenue, and the at-fault driver's phone data are all subject to deletion. We move quickly to preserve evidence through legal holds as soon as you retain us.
We document your compliance with Colorado's gear and filtering rules, gather the full medical picture, calculate economic and non-economic damages, and send a documented demand to the at-fault insurer. Most Lakewood cases settle. We negotiate from trial readiness, not from a position of eagerness to accept the first offer.
When an insurer refuses a fair offer, we file in Jefferson Combined Court (1st Judicial District) at 100 Jefferson County Parkway, Golden, CO 80401, and present your case to a Jefferson County jury.
A serious motorcycle crash in Lakewood can produce medical bills well above 100,000 dollars, lost wages, permanent impairment, and long-term rehabilitation costs. Colorado law recognizes several categories of recovery.
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 beginning in 2028. Lower, inflation-adjusted caps apply to older claims depending on when the claim accrued. Two categories are never capped under any accrual date: economic damages such as medical bills and lost wages, and compensation for physical impairment or disfigurement. In serious motorcycle crashes, the uncapped categories often represent the bulk of a full recovery. We build the full picture so nothing is left behind.
Colorado's gear and filtering rules give adjusters four ready-made arguments to cut or deny a rider's claim. Knowing where they aim is the first step to defeating them.
Colorado requires helmets only for riders under 18 (C.R.S. 42-4-1502). An adult rider who chooses not to wear a helmet breaks no law. But defense attorneys still argue that the unhelmeted rider failed to mitigate damages and is partly responsible for the severity of their injuries. A legal choice is not a free pass for the insurer, and we fight the mitigation defense directly.
All riders and passengers must wear eye protection regardless of age (C.R.S. 42-4-232). An eye-protection violation is a Class A traffic infraction, and a citation can be entered as evidence that the rider's own conduct worsened their injuries. If you received a citation after your crash, contact us before talking to the insurer.
Lane filtering between stopped lanes at 15 mph or less is legal under C.R.S. 42-4-1503. Lane splitting through moving traffic remains illegal. Insurers routinely argue that any between-lanes movement was illegal splitting, even when the rider was complying with the filtering statute. We secure the traffic data and witness accounts that show exactly what conditions existed when the crash occurred.
Under Colorado's modified comparative negligence rule (C.R.S. 13-21-111), a rider who is less than 50 percent at fault can still recover, but the award is reduced by their share of fault. If the rider is found 50 percent or more at fault, they recover nothing. Adjusters routinely assign riders inflated fault percentages, using gear choices, minor traffic infractions, and speed estimates to push the number higher. An attorney who can challenge that assessment with evidence often makes the difference between a fair recovery and a denied claim.
A serious Lakewood motorcycle crash can run well past Colorado's minimum liability limits. Understanding the insurance landscape before you settle is how you avoid leaving the rest of your damages on the table.
The statute of limitations on motor vehicle injury claims in Colorado is three years from the date of the crash under C.R.S. 13-80-101(1)(n). That deadline sounds comfortable, but evidence disappears much faster than three years. Camera footage, witness memories, and the physical scene change within weeks. Contact us early so we can preserve the record that makes your Lakewood case winnable.
I wish I could leave more than 5 stars!
No. Colorado requires helmets only for riders under 18 (C.R.S. 42-4-1502). Adult riders 18 and older may legally ride without a helmet. However, choosing not to wear one can affect your Lakewood claim, because insurers argue it worsened your injuries and use that to reduce your compensation under Colorado's comparative negligence rule.
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 15 mph or less; and the road must have at least two adjacent same-direction lanes. Lane splitting through moving traffic remains illegal. If you were filtering legally and the insurer is calling it splitting, that mischaracterization is exactly what we dispute with traffic evidence and witness accounts.
Colorado follows modified comparative negligence (C.R.S. 13-21-111). If you are found less than 50 percent at fault, you can recover damages, but your award is reduced by your percentage of fault. If you are found 50 percent or more at fault, you recover nothing. Because adjusters routinely inflate a rider's fault share using gear choices and traffic infractions, having an attorney who can challenge the assessment with documented evidence often makes the difference between recovery and nothing.
Lakewood motorcycle accident cases that go to trial are filed in Jefferson Combined Court, which houses the 1st Judicial District Court at 100 Jefferson County Parkway, Golden, CO 80401. Most cases settle before trial, but which court handles the case affects local rules, the jury pool, and which defense firms you face. We handle 1st Judicial District cases directly.
St. Anthony Hospital at 11600 W 2nd Pl in Lakewood is designated as a Level I Trauma Center by the State of Colorado Department of Health. Critically injured motorcycle crash victims from Lakewood and Jefferson County are frequently transported there. Those trauma records are the foundation of a serious damages claim, and we obtain and analyze them as part of building your case.
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 under C.R.S. 13-80-101(1)(n). Shorter deadlines apply in some situations, including claims involving a government vehicle or agency, which require written notice within 182 days of discovering the injury under C.R.S. 24-10-109. Do not wait: evidence disappears and witnesses forget much faster than three years. Contact us early so your specific deadline can be confirmed.
Economic damages such as medical bills and lost wages are not capped. Colorado caps non-economic damages such as pain and suffering at $1.5 million for claims accruing on or after January 1, 2025 under C.R.S. 13-21-102.5, with inflation adjustments beginning in 2028. Two categories are entirely outside the cap: compensation for physical impairment and compensation for disfigurement (C.R.S. 13-21-102.5(5)). In a serious motorcycle crash, those uncapped categories often represent the largest portion of a full recovery.
If the driver who hit you in Lakewood had no insurance or limits too low to cover your damages, your own UM/UIM coverage may be the primary source of recovery. Colorado UM/UIM claims are governed by C.R.S. 13-80-107.5 under Pham v. State Farm, 2013 CO 17. Colorado insurers must offer UM/UIM coverage, though you can decline it in writing. We identify every available policy and confirm which coverage applies before negotiating any part of your claim.
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It's More Than Money.
Free consultation. No fee unless we win. Serving Lakewood and Jefferson County from our Denver office.
Prefer to read first? See how Colorado motorcycle accident law works statewide.
CGH Injury Lawyers · 2701 Lawrence St., Suite 201, Denver, CO 80205 · Serving Lakewood from our Denver office
