When a fire or scald happens in the house you own, the apartment you rent, or a friend's kitchen, the questions about who is responsible can feel personal and complicated at once. We help Littleton burn survivors work through them from our office in Denver.
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The smoke alarm went off in the middle of the night, and by the time you reached the hallway, the wall behind the bedroom outlet was already burning.
Weeks later, an investigator points to wiring that should have been replaced years ago.
If you're recovering from burns after a fire like that, a Littleton burn injury lawyer can help you understand whether an owner, landlord, electrician, or product maker may be responsible and what Colorado law requires of each.
Reach CGH Injury Lawyers by phone at (303) 209-9395, or share a few details on our contact page and we'll follow up.
Reading this page does not create an attorney-client relationship. Laws vary by jurisdiction and change frequently. Always consult a licensed attorney for advice specific to your situation.
A burn in a home can trace back to a property owner, a landlord, a product, or something else entirely, and each possibility follows its own set of rules.
Old wiring, a furnace that was never serviced, a missing smoke detector, or a water heater cranked too high can each turn a house into a hazard.
A renter may have a claim against a landlord who is legally responsible for the building's condition (C.R.S. 13-21-115).
How strong that claim is starts with a legal label the court applies. Labeled an invitee, you'd generally need to show the owner knew of the hazard or should have; labeled a licensee, you'd generally need to show the owner actually knew.
A space heater that tips without shutting off, a lithium battery that swells and ignites, or a gas range with a faulty valve can start a fire indoors.
A product claim in Colorado isn't locked into one legal theory; negligence and strict liability are both options (C.R.S. 13-21-401(2)).
Under strict liability, the heater or battery itself is the focus: was it defective, and did the defect start the fire?
Burns can also start on the road, when a collision ignites fuel or an electrical system. A crash burn can be part of a claim against a driver whose negligence caused the crash.
Say you were burned on the job, perhaps when a furnace part failed while you were repairing it. Your employer's side is covered by C.R.S. 8-41-102: workers' compensation is generally the only claim against your own employer. A property owner who isn't your employer or a manufacturer, that caused the burn may still face a claim for damages the benefits don't cover (C.R.S. 8-41-203(1)(a)).
The same statutes apply in every part of Littleton, whichever county your home sits in.
Colorado's Premises Liability Act applies to a "landowner," and the statute's definition reaches a person legally responsible for the condition of real property. That's why a landlord, and not only a title owner, can be responsible for a hazard in a rental.
Three labels exist under the Act. An invitee comes onto the property for business both sides care about it, or because the lanbusiness;downer signaled that members of the public were expected.
Those visitors get the most protection, and a landowner who unreasonably fails to use reasonable care can answer to them for a hazard it actually knew about or should have known about.
A social guest counts as a licensee. For licensees, the owner's actual knowledge of the danger is generally the key (C.R.S. 13-21-115(4)(b)). Trespassers are the third label.
On land classified for property tax purposes as agricultural or vacant, invitees also have to prove actual knowledge (C.R.S. 13-21-115(4)(c)(II)). Which label applies is up to the court, working from the facts as C.R.S. 13-21-115(6) directs.
For tort claims it's generally two years, a period that reaches negligence claims about a property's condition (C.R.S. 13-80-102(1)(a)), plus product claims in strict liability (C.R.S. 13-80-102(1)(b)). Tort claims arising out of the use or operation of a motor vehicle generally have three years (C.R.S. 13-80-101(1)(n)), though a claim in strict liability over a faulty vehicle part typically keeps the two-year period (C.R.S. 13-80-101(1)(n)(II)).
A claim generally accrues when the injury and its cause are known, or should have been known with reasonable diligence (C.R.S. 13-80-108(1)). For a child, separate rules can change how the two- and three-year deadlines run.
Government property is different. If a public entity or one of its employees on the job is responsible, written notice must be filed within 182 days after you discover the injury.
That's true even before every element of the claim is clear, and a missed notice "shall forever bar" the action (C.R.S. 24-10-109(1)). A lawyer should confirm the deadline for your situation.
A $1.5 million ceiling applies to noneconomic damages, the category for pain and emotional stress, for claims arising on or after January 1, 2025. It is adjusted for inflation starting January 1, 2028. Medical malpractice and wrongful death actions follow different rules.
The noneconomic limit applies to only some damages, so it doesn't cap the economic side of a claim, such as hospital bills and lost wages (C.R.S. 13-21-102.5(3)). C.R.S. 13-21-102.5(5) also says nothing in the section limits compensatory damages for physical impairment or disfigurement. Scarring may be compensated as disfigurement.
After a house fire, the other side may argue you overloaded a power strip or left a candle burning. Colorado's comparative negligence statute lets a claim go forward when your negligence was smaller than the landlord's or owner's, with the award reduced by your percentage. A share that equals or exceeds theirs leads the court to enter judgment for the defendant.
For instance, if a jury found a tenant 25 percent at fault for running a space heater near a curtain and the landlord 75 percent at fault for wiring that sparked, the tenant's damages would be reduced by 25 percent.
Three counties
Littleton's police department says the city is served by three counties: Arapahoe, Jefferson and Douglas. Arapahoe County lists Littleton among its cities, Jefferson County lists it among the cities located wholly or partially in that county, and Littleton appears on Douglas County's municipal boundaries map.
The courts
Each county sits in a different judicial district, and where a lawsuit is filed depends on the facts.
Trauma care
AdventHealth Littleton, at 7700 S Broadway in Littleton, is shown as a Level II facility on Colorado's list of designated trauma facilities. Keep a copy of every record from your emergency visit and follow-up care.
The fire agency
South Metro Fire Rescue names Littleton among the cities it serves and says it operates 30 stations in the south metro area. After a house fire, the agency's incident records may help establish where and how the fire started.
Our office
We serve Littleton clients from our Denver office at 2701 Lawrence St., Suite 201, Denver, CO 80205.
Settlement figures for burn cases aren't something we publish. A claim's value turns on the depth, size and location of the burn and its effect on your life.
In a house fire, responsibility can rest with a landlord, a previous repair, an appliance or several at once. When the other side argues about fault, we answer with maintenance records, expert testimony and fire origin analysis.
Doctors describe a burn by depth and by size. MedlinePlus uses three depth categories (superficial, partial-thickness and full-thickness) and measures size by total body surface area. The ER chart, burn clinic notes and any photos taken during treatment belong in the file.
A burn from a house fire may need follow-up care long after you leave the hospital. Medical economists, burn surgeons and vocational experts help us build a Life Care Plan so future treatment and lost earning ability aren't left out.
Managing Partner Kevin Cheney is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA). As for the firm itself: CGH Injury Lawyers, formerly Cheney Galluzzi & Howard, was founded in Denver in 2016. It prepares each case as if it will be tried.
You'll hear it from us if a claim doesn't hold up on the facts or the law.
Our Spanish line is (303) 835-9177.
MedlinePlus states that "Major burns need urgent medical care." Call 911 in an emergency.
Leave the burned outlet, heater, appliance or wiring in place if you safely can, and ask your landlord or insurer not to discard anything until it's been inspected.
List any past repair requests, flickering lights, tripped breakers, warm outlet covers or complaints to the landlord, with dates, and save texts, emails and portal messages that mention them. If a neighbor or earlier tenant noticed the same problem, note who they are.
Take pictures of the damage, the room where the fire started, smoke detectors and your injuries over time.
Ask the responding fire agency for its report, and note the names of investigators who came out. If your own homeowner's or renter's insurer sends an adjuster or investigator, keep their card and any report they share with you.
If the fire forced you out, save hotel bills, rental deposits, storage fees and receipts for replacement clothing and essentials.
Before you give a recorded statement to an insurance company, you can ask to talk with a lawyer first. You can reach us at (303) 209-9395.
Whether a category applies depends on the facts of your case.
These damages are carved out of the cap: C.R.S. 13-21-102.5 sets no cap on compensatory damages for physical impairment or disfigurement, per subsection (5).
When a government entity is involved, separate maximum recovery amounts apply, and the Colorado Secretary of State adjusts them every four years (C.R.S. 24-10-114).
A landlord's insurer may blame how you used an appliance or a cord. Blame gets divided in percentages: yours comes off the award, and an equal or larger share than the landlord's means no recovery. Our answer is the evidence: where the fire started, what the repair history shows, and what an expert concludes.
A social guest counts as a licensee under Colorado's Premises Liability Act, and a licensee's claim generally depends on dangers the owner actually knew about, such as a space heater your host knew had been sparking. Which category fits is a question the judge answers.
A Life Care Plan identifies the grafts, therapy and scar care still ahead.
An older product can still have a defect. The strict liability question is whether the heater was defective, and whether that defect caused the burn.
In some situations, very soon. A burn from a dangerous property condition or a defective product generally has a two-year filing period in Colorado (C.R.S. 13-80-102(1)(a), 13-80-102(1)(b)). Tort claims arising out of the use or operation of a motor vehicle generally have three years (C.R.S. 13-80-101(1)(n)). A claim involving a public entity carries its own written notice requirement (C.R.S. 24-10-109). Have a lawyer confirm your deadline.
Three counties serve Littleton, so several courthouses are possible. Arapahoe County's district court is in Centennial, at the Arapahoe County Justice Center, with a second Arapahoe courthouse in Littleton itself (18th Judicial District). Jefferson County uses the Jefferson Combined Court in Golden (1st Judicial District). Douglas County uses the Douglas County Courthouse in Castle Rock (23rd Judicial District). Where a lawsuit is filed depends on the facts.
Only in part. The $1.5 million cap reaches pain, emotional stress and similar noneconomic losses for claims arising on or after January 1, 2025. Scarring may be compensated as disfigurement, and C.R.S. 13-21-102.5(5) keeps compensatory damages for physical impairment or disfigurement outside its limit (C.R.S. 13-21-102.5(5)). Bills and wages are economic, so the cap doesn't touch them either.
Your landlord may be. A landlord can be the person legally responsible for a rental's condition under C.R.S. 13-21-115. The court sorts out your status, and the standard follows from it: an invitee generally has to show the owner knew or should have known of the danger, and a licensee generally must prove actual knowledge (C.R.S. 13-21-115(4)(b)). The appliance's maker is another possible defendant.
No. Our office is at 2701 Lawrence St., Suite 201, Denver, CO 80205. The number to call is (303) 209-9395.
Timing changes the most. A city truck or a county building can bring in the government notice rule: if a public entity or one of its employees on the job may be responsible, written notice must be filed within 182 days after you discover the injury. Without it, the claim can't go forward (C.R.S. 24-10-109(1)). More than one limitation rule can apply to a claim against a public entity, so have a lawyer confirm the deadline. Government bodies also have their own maximum recovery amounts, revised by the Secretary of State on a four-year cycle (C.R.S. 24-10-114).
You may be able to. A social guest counts as a licensee. For a licensee, the key question is generally whether your friend actually knew about the danger (C.R.S. 13-21-115(4)(b)). The court decides which category applies from the facts. Your friend's homeowner's liability insurance may respond, and if a defective product started the fire, its manufacturer may be responsible as well.
Start with your medical records, including how the burn was classified (superficial, partial-thickness or full-thickness) and how much of your body it covered. Add photos of the injury over time, the fire report, written repair requests or complaints about the hazard, receipts for treatment and supplies, pay records showing missed work and a journal of how the burn affects your daily life. Keep any appliance or product involved.
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It's More Than Money.
When you're ready to find out whether anyone else is responsible, reach us by phone at (303) 209-9395 or through our contact page. Walk us through the fire or scald, and we'll give you a straight assessment of where Colorado law may leave you.
Learn more on our Littleton personal injury lawyers page. The Colorado burn injury attorney page covers burn claims across the state, and our Denver burn injury lawyer page covers Denver. Our Littleton premises liability lawyer page explains property claims in more depth, and crash claims are the subject of our Littleton car accident lawyer page. Our address is 2701 Lawrence St., Suite 201, Denver, CO 80205, if you'd like to visit.
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