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Littleton, Colorado roadway along US-85. CGH Injury Lawyers serves brain injury victims in Littleton from our Denver office.
Littleton, Colorado

Littleton Brain Injury Lawyers Who Prove What the MRI Does Not Show

A traumatic brain injury from a crash on US-85, C-470, or Wadsworth Boulevard can leave lasting damage that a standard scan misses entirely. Insurance companies use a clean MRI to argue you are fine. We use neuropsychological testing, advanced imaging, and life-care planning to show the full picture. CGH Injury Lawyers serves Littleton from our Denver office. You pay nothing unless we win your case.

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Serving Littleton from our Denver office CGH Injury Lawyers 2701 Lawrence St., Suite 201 Denver, CO 80205 (303) 209-9395 Se habla espanol
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A traumatic brain injury is not like a broken arm. There is no X-ray that settles the question. On the high-crash corridors around Littleton, including US-85, C-470, and Wadsworth Boulevard, collisions that generate enough force to produce a TBI happen regularly. When you walk away from the scene, the injury can stay hidden for days or weeks, and by the time the full picture emerges, an insurance adjuster has already built a file arguing that a clean MRI proves you are fine.

  • Doctors grade a TBI on the Glasgow Coma Scale: mild (GCS 13 to 15, often called a concussion), moderate (GCS 9 to 12), and severe (GCS 3 to 8). A mild score does not mean a minor case. Post-concussion syndrome affects an estimated 15 to 30 percent of people with a mild TBI and can persist for months or years.
  • Colorado caps non-economic damages such as pain and suffering at $1.5 million for claims accruing on or after January 1, 2025 (C.R.S. 13-21-102.5). Economic damages, including medical bills, lost wages, and life-care plans, are never capped. Compensation for physical impairment or disfigurement is also not capped, which is where severe TBI cases build their highest value.
  • Motor vehicle brain injury claims in Colorado must generally be filed within three years of the crash (C.R.S. 13-80-101(1)(n)). Do not wait. Neuropsychological evidence and advanced imaging need to be arranged early, before the insurance company hardens its position.

CGH Injury Lawyers represents brain injury victims and their families in the Littleton area from our Denver office. We coordinate the medical proof, handle the insurance company, and try the case in the 18th Judicial District when a fair resolution cannot be reached. CGH Injury Lawyers does not have a Littleton office. We serve Littleton from 2701 Lawrence St., Suite 201, Denver, CO 80205. No fee unless we win.

Why these cases are harder

The invisible injury problem in Littleton TBI claims

A standard CT scan detects bleeding and fractures. It often misses the microscopic axonal damage that underlies a mild or moderate TBI. When your scan looks normal, the insurer's adjuster marks the file low-value and makes an offer that reflects an ER visit, not a life changed. That gap between what a scan shows and what your brain has actually suffered is the core problem in most Littleton TBI claims, and it is the gap our attorneys are built to close.

Why a clean MRI is not the end of the story

Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) maps the white-matter tracts in your brain and can reveal the fiber-pathway tears that conventional MRI misses. Functional MRI (fMRI) shows regions of the brain working harder than normal to complete tasks that used to be automatic. Neuropsychological testing, a multi-hour battery of cognitive assessments compared against age-matched norms, produces objective scores for memory, attention, processing speed, and executive function. These tools together answer the insurer's central argument: the absence of visible structural damage on a standard scan does not mean the absence of real injury.

  • Brain injuries from high-speed rear-end collisions on C-470 can produce rotational acceleration forces that tear axonal fibers without fracturing bone or causing visible bleeding.
  • Symptoms like chronic headaches, mental fog, emotional volatility, and sleep disruption are real harms even when they do not appear on standard imaging.
  • For Littleton workers whose jobs depend on concentration, including people who commute to the Denver Tech Center on US-285, a subtle cognitive injury can end the ability to perform essential job functions.

TBI classifications

How doctors grade a traumatic brain injury and why it matters to your Littleton case

Emergency physicians at AdventHealth Littleton's Level II Trauma Center use the Glasgow Coma Scale to classify a TBI within hours of the injury. That score becomes a permanent fixture in your medical record and the first number an insurance adjuster uses to peg your claim's value. Understanding what it measures, and what it does not measure, is the first step in building a case that goes beyond a single number.

  1. Mild TBI (GCS 13 to 15)

    Often called a concussion. It involves brief loss of consciousness under 30 minutes, or confusion and disorientation right after the impact. Symptoms include headaches, dizziness, memory gaps, and sensitivity to light and sound. Mild on the GCS scale, these injuries cause post-concussion syndrome in a significant share of patients, lasting months or years after the initial crash. A Littleton rear-end collision on C-470 at highway speed can produce a mild TBI that ends a professional's career more effectively than many moderate injuries.

  2. Moderate TBI (GCS 9 to 12)

    Loss of consciousness lasting 30 minutes to 24 hours, frequently with CT or MRI abnormalities visible immediately. Victims typically face cognitive deficits, behavioral changes, and physical impairments that require extended rehabilitation and care. These cases need vocational assessment and a projection of future medical needs, not just a summary of today's bills.

  3. Severe TBI (GCS 3 to 8)

    Extended unconsciousness or coma, typically with structural brain damage visible on imaging. Survivors can face permanent disabilities affecting movement, speech, memory, and the ability to manage daily life. These cases require formal life-care plans developed by certified life-care planners and may involve referrals to Craig Hospital in Englewood, one of the nation's top-ranked brain and spinal cord rehabilitation centers, situated less than 15 miles from Littleton.

The GCS score on your discharge paperwork is the starting point of your legal case, not its ceiling. What matters legally is not how you scored on a 15-point scale in the emergency room, but how the injury has changed your ability to work, care for your family, and live your life going forward.

Littleton, Colorado

Littleton courts. Littleton trauma care. Littleton roads and TBI risk.

A brain injury claim is not abstract. It connects to specific roads where it happened, a specific hospital where you were treated, and a specific courthouse where your case may be tried. Here is the ground that frames every Littleton TBI case.

Trauma Care

AdventHealth Littleton, Level II Trauma Center

AdventHealth Littleton (formerly Littleton Adventist Hospital) at 7700 South Broadway is a Level II Trauma Center, designated by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment in April 2004 and verified by the American College of Surgeons in October 2005. Emergency physicians at this facility generate the initial GCS score, order the first scans, and create the medical records that form the backbone of your TBI claim. Serious injuries from crashes on US-85, C-470, and Wadsworth Boulevard are routinely treated here. We obtain and analyze every relevant record from the first visit forward, including imaging studies, neurology consults, and discharge instructions.

TBI Rehabilitation

Craig Hospital, Englewood

Craig Hospital in Englewood, approximately 10 miles from Littleton, is one of the nation's most recognized rehabilitation centers specializing in traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injury. When a Littleton TBI victim requires long-term rehabilitation, Craig Hospital protocols set the medical standard for what appropriate care looks like. Life-care planners working on Littleton TBI cases frequently reference Craig Hospital programs when projecting future rehabilitation costs, which gives those projections objective credibility with insurers and juries alike.

Courthouse

18th Judicial District, Arapahoe County District Court

A Littleton personal injury lawsuit exceeding the county court limit is filed in the 18th Judicial District, Arapahoe County District Court. That court operates at two locations: the Arapahoe County Courthouse at 1790 West Littleton Blvd, Littleton, CO 80120, and the Arapahoe County Justice Center at 7325 S. Potomac Street, Centennial, CO 80112. The 18th Judicial District has its own local rules, its own jury pool drawn from the Arapahoe County community, and defense firms who handle Colorado TBI cases regularly. We file and try cases at both courthouse locations directly.

High-TBI-Risk Roads

US-85, C-470, Wadsworth Boulevard, and US-285

Littleton's four major corridors generate TBI exposure through speed, congestion, and crash geometry. US-85 (Santa Fe Drive) logged 2,282 crashes over a recent three-year period on a single corridor, driven by left-turn conflicts, freight traffic, and congestion near Arapahoe Community College at 5900 S. Santa Fe Drive. C-470's high-speed merging zones at the I-25 interchange produce rear-end collisions at speeds that routinely cause rotational head forces consistent with TBI. Wadsworth Boulevard (SH-121) and US-285 (Hampden Avenue) carry the balance of the city's through traffic. The South Platte River Trail crossings along US-85 expose pedestrians and cyclists to vehicle impacts with no crash structure to absorb the force. Any of these environments can produce a TBI that looks unremarkable on initial imaging.

Colorado law

The Colorado statutes that shape a Littleton brain injury claim

A few Colorado rules determine how long you have to file, how fault allocation affects your recovery, and which categories of loss have no cap. Here is what matters most for a Littleton TBI case.

Filing deadlines (C.R.S. 13-80-101 and 13-80-102)

Colorado gives you three years from the date of a motor vehicle crash to file a lawsuit for injuries caused by that crash (C.R.S. 13-80-101(1)(n)). Most other personal injury claims, including those not arising from a vehicle crash, carry a two-year deadline (C.R.S. 13-80-102(1)(a)). Brain injury symptoms can surface or worsen weeks after the accident, which creates a trap: the clock is running while the full picture of the injury is still emerging. Do not wait until you feel worse to call an attorney. The earlier we are retained, the sooner evidence can be preserved and the medical proof can be built while it matters.

Comparative fault (C.R.S. 13-21-111)

Colorado follows a modified comparative negligence rule. You can recover as long as your share of fault is less than 50 percent, and your award is reduced by your percentage of fault. If you are found 50 percent or more at fault, you recover nothing. In a Littleton TBI case, insurance companies routinely argue that the injured person was distracted, speeding, or not paying attention, to push the fault percentage high enough to bar or reduce recovery. Accident reconstruction, camera footage from US-85 and C-470 corridor cameras, and early witness statements counter those arguments before they harden.

Damage caps and uncapped categories (C.R.S. 13-21-102.5)

  • Non-economic damages such as pain and suffering are capped at $1.5 million for claims accruing on or after January 1, 2025, under C.R.S. 13-21-102.5. That flat cap has no increase mechanism for 2025-accrual claims; there is no 'clear and convincing evidence' path to a higher amount under this tier.
  • Economic damages including all past and future medical bills, lost wages, lost earning capacity, and life-care plan costs are never capped in Colorado. In a severe TBI case, these amounts often exceed the non-economic cap by a large margin.
  • Compensation for physical impairment or disfigurement under C.R.S. 13-21-102.5(5) is also completely uncapped. Permanent neurological impairment from a TBI falls into this category, which is one reason why severe brain injury cases in Colorado are not bounded by the non-economic cap alone.
  • If the at-fault driver acted with willful and wanton disregard, such as driving drunk at the time of a crash on US-85, you may also pursue punitive damages under C.R.S. 13-21-102(1)(a), capped at the amount of your actual damages, and if the at-fault party engaged in continued willful and wanton conduct during the case a court may increase that award up to three times the actual damages awarded (C.R.S. 13-21-102(3)).

Who we represent

We represent Littleton TBI victims in all of these situations

Brain injuries happen in many kinds of accidents. The legal pathway that applies depends on how the injury occurred and what caused it.

Vehicle crash TBI

  • Rear-end collisions on C-470 and Wadsworth Boulevard at highway speeds
  • Left-turn crashes and intersection collisions on US-85 / Santa Fe Drive
  • Head-on and T-bone impacts on US-285 (Hampden Avenue)
  • Truck underride or sideswipe crashes on freight corridors

Pedestrian and cyclist TBI

  • Pedestrians struck at South Platte River Trail crossings on US-85
  • Cyclists hit near Arapahoe Community College on Santa Fe Drive
  • Runners and walkers struck by vehicles in Littleton residential areas

Families and caregivers

  • Families caring for a loved one with a severe TBI who can no longer speak for themselves
  • Spouses with a loss of consortium claim when the injured person cannot participate in family life
  • Wrongful death families when a TBI victim does not survive

Building your case

How we prove a brain injury when the standard scans look normal

Insurance companies defend TBI claims by pointing to normal imaging and calling symptoms exaggerated. A winning case is built in layers, combining objective medical testing with the human evidence of how your life has changed.

  1. Neuropsychological testing

    A multi-hour battery administered by a licensed neuropsychologist measures memory, processing speed, attention, executive function, and emotional regulation against age-matched population norms. The results are objective scores on paper. When those scores show impairment, the adjuster's argument that you seem fine has a data problem it cannot easily explain away.

  2. Advanced imaging (DTI and fMRI)

    Diffusion Tensor Imaging maps white-matter fiber tracts and detects microscopic tears that a standard MRI shows as normal. Functional MRI reveals regions of the brain compensating for damaged areas by working harder. Both tools can show injury in cases where conventional imaging is completely clean, giving the jury something objective to look at rather than only subjective symptom descriptions.

  3. Life-care planning

    A certified life-care planner projects every medical expense the victim will need from settlement through their life expectancy: neurology and psychiatry appointments, physical and cognitive therapies, prescription medications, durable medical equipment, adaptive home modifications, and in severe cases around-the-clock attendant care. Craig Hospital protocols in Englewood provide a recognized benchmark for appropriate care in the region. This document turns future needs into a number that drives the economic damages claim.

  4. Vocational expert testimony

    A vocational rehabilitation expert reviews your pre-injury work history and post-injury functional limits to identify which jobs you can still perform and at what wage. For a Littleton professional, such as a tech worker commuting to the Denver Tech Center on US-285, even a mild cognitive injury can reduce earning capacity significantly. That lifetime wage gap is an economic damages figure, not a capped one.

  5. Before-and-after witness accounts

    Coworkers, family members, and friends who interacted with you before the crash can testify to how you have changed. Employers who observed the decline in work performance, neighbors who noticed mood or personality shifts, and spouses who live with the daily reality of a person altered by TBI all provide testimony that contextualizes medical records for a jury in Arapahoe County District Court.

After the crash

What to do after a brain injury in Littleton

The first days after a crash set the foundation of your TBI claim. Here is the order that protects your health and your legal options at the same time.

  1. Go to AdventHealth Littleton, even if you feel okay

    AdventHealth Littleton at 7700 S. Broadway is the Level II Trauma Center serving the Littleton area. TBI symptoms can be delayed. Headaches, nausea, and sensitivity to light that seem mild at the scene can signal a developing injury that worsens over the next 24 to 72 hours. Go immediately, ask specifically about concussion and head injury evaluation, and keep every record, scan, and discharge instruction. That file becomes the spine of your damages evidence.

  2. Document the scene and preserve camera footage

    Photograph your injuries, the vehicles, road conditions, and any skid marks or debris. Get names and contact information from witnesses at the scene. On US-85, C-470, and Wadsworth Boulevard, traffic cameras, business surveillance, and dashcam footage from other drivers may have recorded the collision. That footage is often overwritten within 24 to 48 hours. The earlier you retain counsel, the sooner a legal preservation demand goes out.

  3. Follow up with a neurologist, do not rely only on the ER visit

    Emergency rooms stabilize patients and rule out life-threatening emergencies. They are not built to fully evaluate TBI for legal purposes. A neurologist, neuropsychologist, and in appropriate cases a neuroradiologist can generate the more detailed assessments that a TBI claim requires. Gaps in follow-up medical care become arguments for the insurer that the injury must not have been serious. Keep every appointment and follow every referral.

  4. Do not speak to the insurer before calling us

    The at-fault driver's insurer may call within hours. Do not give a recorded statement, accept any settlement, or sign any medical release before speaking with an attorney. Recorded statements are used to lock in narratives that minimize the injury. In TBI cases specifically, where symptoms can evolve over weeks, settling early means settling before the full picture is known. Call (303) 209-9395 first.

  5. We build the medical proof and value the full claim

    We coordinate the neuropsychological evaluation, arrange advanced imaging when it is indicated, retain a life-care planner for moderate and severe cases, and work with vocational economists to calculate lost earning capacity. We obtain every medical record from AdventHealth Littleton and every follow-up provider, and we preserve crash-scene evidence through legal holds to prevent destruction. We build the claim to its full value before making a demand.

  6. Negotiate, or try the case in Arapahoe County District Court

    Most TBI cases settle after a documented demand. When an insurer refuses a fair offer, we file in the 18th Judicial District, either at the Arapahoe County Courthouse on West Littleton Blvd or the Arapahoe County Justice Center in Centennial, and prepare your case for an Arapahoe County jury. We prepare every case as if trial is the destination. That posture is why insurers respond differently to our demands than they would to a firm that settles everything.

Compensation

What you can recover, and how Colorado's fault rules affect the number

Colorado law determines what damages are available and how comparative fault reduces or bars recovery. In a Littleton TBI case, knowing which categories are capped and which are not is as important as knowing the total value of your losses.

Economic damages (no cap)

  • Emergency and hospital care, including AdventHealth Littleton treatment
  • Neurology, neuropsychology, and specialist appointments
  • Rehabilitation therapies, physical, occupational, speech, and cognitive
  • Life-care plan costs projected through life expectancy
  • Lost wages and lost earning capacity, calculated by a vocational economist
  • Home modifications and adaptive equipment

Non-economic and impairment damages

  • Pain and suffering: capped at $1.5 million for claims accruing on or after January 1, 2025 (C.R.S. 13-21-102.5)
  • Loss of enjoyment of life and emotional distress
  • Permanent neurological impairment: not capped (C.R.S. 13-21-102.5(5))
  • Disfigurement: not capped
  • Loss of consortium for a spouse

Colorado's modified comparative negligence rule (C.R.S. 13-21-111) reduces your recovery by your percentage of fault. If you were 20 percent at fault for the collision on C-470, you recover 80 percent of your total damages. If you are found 50 percent or more at fault, you recover nothing. Insurance companies in Arapahoe County aggressively push fault onto TBI victims, sometimes arguing the injured person was distracted or made a sudden lane change. The accident reconstruction evidence we gather in the first weeks, before physical evidence disappears, is what limits those arguments.

Why CGH

Why Littleton brain injury victims choose CGH Injury Lawyers

Trial-ready attorneys, bilingual service, no Littleton office invented, and no fee unless we win. We are honest about one thing upfront: CGH Injury Lawyers does not have a Littleton office. We serve Littleton from our Denver office and come to you. What you get is the legal work.

ABOTA Trial Advocate

Kevin Cheney. 25+ verdicts.

Managing Partner Kevin Cheney is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates and has tried over 25 cases to verdict. Insurance companies know the difference between a firm that settles everything and one that actually tries TBI cases. When a defendant insurer faces an attorney willing to take a brain injury case to an Arapahoe County jury, the settlement math changes.

Serving Littleton from Denver

One office. No Littleton address invented.

Our office is at 2701 Lawrence St., Suite 201, Denver, CO 80205. We do not maintain a Littleton address. We represent Littleton TBI clients from our Denver office, file cases in Arapahoe County District Court, and meet you where it is convenient. You need the legal work done right, not a satellite storefront with a local area code.

Best Lawyers in America

Timothy G. Tarr since 2023.

Timothy G. Tarr has been recognized by Best Lawyers every year since 2023, a peer-reviewed designation that reflects litigation experience and standing among other Colorado civil trial attorneys.

Full Damages Built In

No category left on the table.

We build every TBI claim to include each damage category the law allows, with particular attention to the uncapped categories, economic losses and physical impairment compensation, that drive the highest value in serious cases.

Bilingual

Hablamos espanol.

Spanish-speaking staff and attorneys serve the Littleton area's Spanish-speaking community. You should not have to navigate a brain injury claim in a second language. We handle the case in English and Spanish from our Denver office.

No Win, No Fee

Contingency only.

You pay nothing for legal fees out of pocket. We advance costs and collect only from a settlement or verdict. A serious TBI is already a financial crisis. Legal fees should not add to it.

ABOTA member on the team Tim Tarr: Best Lawyers in America since 2023 Over 25 cases to verdict 8 attorneys, statewide Colorado coverage Bilingual EN / ES Free consultation No fee unless we win
I wish I could leave more than 5 stars!
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Frequently asked questions

Frequently asked questions about Littleton brain injury claims

How long do I have to file a brain injury lawsuit after a crash in Littleton?

For injuries from a motor vehicle crash in Littleton, Colorado gives you three years from the date of the crash to file a lawsuit (C.R.S. 13-80-101(1)(n)). For brain injuries not arising from a vehicle crash, the general two-year personal injury deadline applies (C.R.S. 13-80-102(1)(a)). Do not wait until the symptoms peak to call an attorney. TBI evidence, including advanced imaging and neuropsychological testing, needs to be arranged early, and physical crash-scene evidence disappears within days. The earlier you call, the more options you have.

My MRI was normal after the crash on US-85. Can I still have a brain injury case?

Yes. Standard MRI and CT scans detect structural damage like bleeding and fractures, but they regularly miss the microscopic axonal tears that cause real and lasting cognitive impairment after a mild TBI. Colorado courts and juries recognize that the absence of visible structural damage on a routine scan does not prove the absence of injury. Cases where the standard imaging is clean often need Diffusion Tensor Imaging, neuropsychological testing, and expert testimony to connect the crash to the symptoms you are experiencing. A normal MRI closes one door. It does not close the case.

Does Colorado cap what I can recover for a brain injury in Littleton?

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. Two categories are not capped at all: economic damages such as medical bills, lost wages, and life-care plan costs, and compensation for physical impairment or disfigurement under C.R.S. 13-21-102.5(5). Permanent neurological impairment from a TBI falls into the uncapped impairment category. In a serious Littleton brain injury case, the uncapped economic and impairment amounts frequently exceed the non-economic cap by a wide margin.

I was partly at fault for the crash on C-470 that caused my TBI. Can I still recover?

Possibly, yes. Colorado uses a modified comparative negligence rule (C.R.S. 13-21-111). You can recover as long as your share of fault is less than 50 percent, and your award is reduced by your percentage. If you are found 50 percent or more at fault, you recover nothing. Insurance companies routinely work to inflate fault percentages, arguing that the TBI victim changed lanes suddenly or was driving over the speed limit. Crash reconstruction evidence, electronic data recorders, and witness accounts challenge those assignments. For example, if you were found 30 percent at fault, you would recover 70 percent of your total damages.

Where would a Littleton brain injury lawsuit be filed?

A Littleton civil personal injury lawsuit exceeding the county court limit is filed in the 18th Judicial District, Arapahoe County District Court. That court operates at two locations: the Arapahoe County Courthouse at 1790 West Littleton Blvd, Littleton, CO 80120, and the Arapahoe County Justice Center at 7325 S. Potomac Street, Centennial, CO 80112. Where the case is assigned depends on the specific facts. Because Littleton extends into portions of Jefferson County and Douglas County, the accident location determines the correct venue. We confirm the proper courthouse before filing.

Does CGH Injury Lawyers have a Littleton office?

No. CGH Injury Lawyers has one office: 2701 Lawrence St., Suite 201, Denver, CO 80205. We serve Littleton brain injury clients from our Denver office, file cases in the 18th Judicial District, and meet you where it is convenient for you. You can reach us at (303) 209-9395 or through the free case review form on this page.

Keep reading

Related pages

Littleton TBI cases connect to several other practice areas. These pages cover the broader legal picture.

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Read next: How Colorado brain injury law works statewide

CGH Injury Lawyers · 2701 Lawrence St., Suite 201, Denver, CO 80205 · Serving Littleton, Arapahoe County, and the Front Range