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Bicycle lane on a Longmont, Colorado road. CGH Injury Lawyers represents cyclists injured in Longmont and Boulder County from our Denver office.
Longmont, Colorado

Longmont Bicycle Accident Lawyers Who Fight for Injured Cyclists on Every Road and Trail in Boulder County

A driver who cuts across a bike lane on US 287, doors a cyclist near downtown, or blows through a crosswalk on Ken Pratt Boulevard can cause life-altering injuries. CGH Injury Lawyers serves Longmont cyclists from our Denver office, uses Colorado's Safety Stop law and three-foot passing rule to defeat bad-faith fault claims, and collects nothing unless we win your case.

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Serving Longmont 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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  • Longmont bicycle accident cases are filed at the Boulder County Combined Court, 1035 Kimbark St, Longmont, CO 80501, in Colorado's 20th Judicial District. CGH Injury Lawyers files and tries Boulder County bicycle crash cases directly from our Denver office.
  • Colorado law gives cyclists the same rights as motor vehicle operators under Title 42. Drivers must give cyclists at least three feet of clearance when passing (C.R.S. 42-4-1003), and a violation is direct evidence of negligence in a crash case. Under the Colorado Safety Stop law (C.R.S. 42-4-1412.5), cyclists may treat stop signs as yield signs and proceed through a red light after stopping when it is safe to do so.
  • Colorado follows modified comparative fault (C.R.S. 13-21-111): you can recover as long as you were less than 50 percent at fault, and your award is reduced by your share of fault. If you are 50 percent or more at fault, you recover nothing. Insurers routinely blame the cyclist on Longmont roads to trigger that bar. Our attorneys push back with the Safety Stop law, the three-foot rule, and scene reconstruction.

Longmont has a growing network of shared trails, bike lanes, and multi-use paths, including the St. Vrain Greenway and connections along the Left Hand Creek corridor, but cyclists still share high-volume roads like US 287, Ken Pratt Boulevard, and the Diagonal Highway with fast-moving motor vehicle traffic. When a driver's inattention, impatience, or failure to yield puts a cyclist on the pavement, CGH Injury Lawyers manages the claim from our Denver office, negotiates with the insurer, and files in Boulder County court when a fair settlement is refused. You pay nothing unless we recover for you.

Colorado cyclist law

The Colorado Safety Stop law and cyclist rights: what Longmont riders need to know

Insurance adjusters in Longmont bicycle crash cases quickly reach for a standard script: the cyclist ran a stop sign, blew a red light, or failed to signal. Colorado's Safety Stop law and the rules of the road for cyclists are the first line of defense against that script.

The Safety Stop law (C.R.S. 42-4-1412.5)

  • At a stop sign, you may treat it as a yield sign. Slow down, check for cross traffic, and yield to vehicles and pedestrians with the right of way. You are not required to make a full foot-down stop when the intersection is clear.
  • At a red light, you must come to a complete stop. After stopping and yielding to all cross traffic and pedestrians, you may proceed when it is safe. This addresses traffic signals that fail to detect a bicycle, which is common at Longmont's older intersections.
  • Using the Safety Stop correctly is following Colorado law, not breaking it. An adjuster who says otherwise is wrong, and we document the distinction in every Longmont bicycle claim we handle.

The three-foot passing rule (C.R.S. 42-4-1003)

  • Drivers must leave at least three feet of clearance when passing a cyclist. When a lane is too narrow to do that without crossing the center line, the driver must wait or change lanes.
  • On US 287 through Longmont, where fast-moving traffic and narrower travel lanes create pressure to squeeze past cyclists, close-pass violations are a direct cause of sideswipe and mirror strikes.
  • A documented three-foot rule violation is direct evidence of negligence in a civil claim. We use dashcam footage, witness accounts, and accident reconstruction to prove the clearance was inadequate.

Taking the lane and riding two abreast

Colorado law allows cyclists to occupy the center of a traffic lane when conditions make it the safest choice, and to ride two abreast when it does not impede the normal and reasonable flow of traffic. A driver who tailgates, leans on the horn, or tries to force a cyclist to the curb may be liable for aggressive driving or endangerment. When you rode lawfully and were hit anyway, our attorneys reconstruct how you were positioned and what the driver did to establish fault where it belongs.

CGH Injury Lawyers attorneys serve on the CDOT Vulnerable Road User Safety Task Force, working alongside state transportation officials on the policy and road design questions that determine cyclist safety in cities like Longmont. That background lets us speak the language of traffic engineering when it matters in your case.

Where Longmont bike crashes happen

The Longmont roads, intersections, and trail crossings behind the most serious bicycle injury claims

Cycling in Longmont means sharing pavement with high-volume state highways that were not designed with vulnerable road users in mind. These are the corridors and conflict zones where bicycle crash cases most often originate.

  1. US 287 (Main Street) Undivided Highway

    US Highway 287 runs through Longmont as Main Street without a median barrier between northbound and southbound lanes. CDOT data shows the Erie-to-Boulder County line segment averages approximately 830 crashes per year and accounts for 29 percent of all fatal crashes in Boulder County. For cyclists, the absence of a protected bike lane on portions of US 287 and the speed differential between bikes and motor vehicles creates elevated right-hook, sideswipe, and rear-end collision risk, particularly at commercial driveways and unsignalized cross streets.

  2. SH 119 (Ken Pratt Boulevard and the Diagonal Highway)

    Colorado State Highway 119 carries the highest rate of severe crashes per mile in unincorporated Boulder County and connects Longmont to Boulder at high vehicle speeds. Cyclists who use the shoulder or the adjacent shared-use path on SH 119 face conflict points at every intersection crossing, where turning drivers frequently fail to yield. The western segment, the Diagonal Highway, has long approaches with high-speed vehicles and limited sight lines at the shoulders.

  3. The US 287 and SH 119 Intersection

    Longmont traffic engineers have identified the intersection of US 287 and SH 119 as the city's highest-crash intersection, with more than 290 crashes in a recent five-year period and more than 70,000 vehicles per day. For cyclists crossing or navigating that intersection, the sheer volume of turning movements and the signal timing that prioritizes motor vehicle throughput creates documented danger. A bicycle crash at this intersection raises immediate questions about signal sequencing and whether the design adequately protects vulnerable road users.

  4. St. Vrain Greenway and Trail Road Crossings

    The St. Vrain Greenway provides off-street cycling along the creek corridor through Longmont, but cyclists must cross vehicle roads at multiple points to connect segments. At uncontrolled or poorly marked crossings, drivers who do not expect a cyclist to appear from a trail entry are a persistent cause of right-of-way collisions. A crash at a trail crossing that involved an inadequate sign or faded pavement marking may implicate the City of Longmont or Boulder County, triggering the 182-day notice requirement under C.R.S. 24-10-109(1).

  5. Downtown Longmont and the Main Street Dooring Zone

    Downtown Longmont along Main Street generates concentrated parallel parking adjacent to travel lanes and bike routes. Occupants who open a car door without checking their mirror can strike a passing cyclist with enough force to cause broken clavicles, facial fractures, or traumatic brain injury. This is a dooring crash, and the liability rests squarely with the person who opened the door into the path of a lawful cyclist.

After the crash

What to do immediately after a bicycle accident in Longmont

The decisions made in the hours after a Longmont bicycle crash shape what you can recover. Cyclists who are upright and walking may not feel the full extent of their injuries for hours. These steps protect your health and preserve the evidence an insurer will later try to dispute in Boulder County court.

  1. Call 911 and request a police report

    A Longmont Police Department or Boulder County Sheriff report creates an official record of the crash, the involved vehicle, and the other party's insurance information. Even a minor-seeming collision can involve spinal injury, concussion, or internal bleeding that is not apparent immediately. Request both police and emergency medical response.

  2. Get evaluated at Longmont United Hospital

    Longmont United Hospital at 1950 Mountain View Ave, Longmont, CO 80501 is a Level III Trauma Center designated by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and certified as a DNV Comprehensive Stroke Center. Cyclists are particularly vulnerable to traumatic brain injury and internal trauma that adrenaline can mask at the scene. Getting examined within hours creates a medical record that directly ties your injuries to the crash.

  3. Document the Longmont scene

    Photograph your bicycle, your injuries, the vehicle that struck you, the road surface, lane markings, any signage, and the surrounding area. Note the exact location, whether it was at the US 287 and SH 119 intersection, a trail crossing on the St. Vrain Greenway, or a downtown dooring. Collect witness names and contact information before they leave.

  4. Preserve your bicycle and gear

    Do not repair or discard your bicycle, helmet, or clothing. The damage pattern on your bike and gear is physical evidence of how the crash happened and the force involved. We document that evidence from the start of every Longmont bicycle claim we handle.

  5. Watch for government-entity involvement

    If a City of Longmont vehicle, CDOT maintenance truck, or a road defect such as a failed pavement surface or an unmarked trail crossing contributed to your crash, a written notice of claim must be filed within 182 days of discovering the injury under the Colorado Governmental Immunity Act (C.R.S. 24-10-109(1)). Missing that notice bars the government-entity portion of your claim entirely.

  6. Contact a Longmont bicycle accident attorney

    Colorado gives you three years from the date of the crash to file a bicycle accident lawsuit when a motor vehicle caused your injuries (C.R.S. 13-80-101(1)(n)). Evidence from intersections and nearby business cameras can disappear within days. A free consultation with CGH Injury Lawyers costs you nothing and clarifies which deadlines apply to your specific Longmont bicycle crash.

Compensation

What you can recover after a Longmont bicycle crash, and how comparative fault affects it

Colorado law lets an injured cyclist pursue the full documented cost of the crash and the human cost of living with a serious injury. Two broad damage categories apply, and the comparative fault rule controls whether you can recover at all.

Economic damages (no cap)

  • Medical expenses, past and future, including emergency care at Longmont United Hospital, surgery, and ongoing rehabilitation
  • Lost wages from time missed at work while recovering from crash injuries
  • Loss of future earning capacity when a crash injury affects your ability to work long-term
  • Bicycle replacement or repair and damage to other personal property
  • Physical therapy, assistive devices, and home care costs
  • Out-of-pocket transportation and caregiver costs directly caused by the crash

Non-economic and other damages

  • Pain and suffering from the crash and the recovery process
  • Emotional distress and anxiety, including the fear of cycling again after a traumatic collision
  • Loss of enjoyment of life when an injury limits cycling and other activities you valued
  • Loss of consortium when an injury affects a spouse or family relationship
  • Compensation for physical impairment or disfigurement, which carries no cap under Colorado law

The damages cap, the comparative fault rule, and the helmet defense

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. Economic damages such as medical bills and lost wages are never capped. Compensation for physical impairment or disfigurement is also uncapped under C.R.S. 13-21-102.5(5), which makes those categories the engine of serious Longmont bicycle crash claims where injuries are permanent.

Colorado's modified comparative negligence rule (C.R.S. 13-21-111) means you can recover damages as long as you were less than 50 percent at fault. Your award is reduced by your share of fault. If you are found 50 percent or more at fault, you recover nothing. Insurers use this rule relentlessly on Longmont bicycle claims, inflating the cyclist's fault to trigger the bar. The Safety Stop law and the three-foot rule are our principal tools for keeping fault where it belongs.

Colorado does not require adults to wear helmets while cycling. Not wearing a helmet is not automatic negligence. An insurer may argue that going without a helmet contributed to head injuries, and that argument can reduce your recovery under comparative negligence, but it does not bar your claim. We work with medical experts to show the driver's negligence caused the harm regardless of helmet use.

Insurance coverage

Your own auto policy may pay your bicycle crash claim

Most Longmont cyclists do not know that their own auto insurance can cover them while riding a bicycle. Understanding all available coverage is what separates a partial recovery from a full one.

Uninsured and underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage

If an uninsured driver hits you while you are on your bicycle, or if the at-fault driver's liability limits fall short of your damages, your own UM/UIM coverage may step in to pay your medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering. This is the coverage that matters most in hit-and-run crashes on Longmont roads and whenever a driver carries the state minimum in liability insurance. We identify every available policy at the start of every Longmont bicycle crash case.

Government-entity crashes and CGIA caps

When a City of Longmont vehicle, a CDOT maintenance truck, or a road design failure contributed to your bicycle crash, the claim involves a public entity and the Colorado Governmental Immunity Act applies. For claims accruing on or after January 1, 2026, CGIA caps recovery from a public entity at $505,000 per person and $1,421,000 per occurrence (C.R.S. 24-10-114). The notice requirement, 182 days from the date of discovering the injury under C.R.S. 24-10-109(1), is strict and separate from the main filing deadline. Missing it bars the government claim entirely.

Local knowledge

Longmont courts. Longmont trauma care. Longmont cycling corridors.

A Longmont bicycle accident claim lives in Longmont: the road or trail where the crash happened, the hospital that treated you, and the courthouse where a lawsuit would be filed. Here is the ground we work on for every Boulder County bicycle crash client.

Courthouse

Boulder County Combined Court, Longmont (20th Judicial District)

Longmont bicycle accident lawsuits above the county-court jurisdictional limit are filed at the Boulder County Combined Court, 1035 Kimbark St, Longmont, CO 80501, (720) 564-2522, in Colorado's 20th Judicial District. Court hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. The 20th District handles civil claims over $15,000, including all personal injury matters. The Longmont courthouse draws a Longmont-area jury pool, and the defense firms CGH attorneys face there are the same ones that handle Boulder County car crash and commercial liability cases. CGH Injury Lawyers handles 20th Judicial District bicycle crash cases directly from our Denver office, with no additional charge to Longmont clients.

Trauma Care

Longmont United Hospital, Level III Trauma Center

After a serious bicycle accident in Longmont, patients are typically treated at Longmont United Hospital (CommonSpirit Health), 1950 Mountain View Ave, Longmont, CO 80501. Longmont United is designated a Level III Trauma Center by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and is certified as a DNV Comprehensive Stroke Center. Bicycle crash injuries, including traumatic brain injury, spinal fractures, and internal trauma, may require specialist consultations beyond what Level III care can provide. When patients are transferred to a Level I or Level II facility in Denver or Aurora, we coordinate records from every treating location. The trauma records from Longmont United document the scope of your injuries and become the foundation of the damages claim.

Cycling Corridors

US 287, SH 119, the Diagonal Highway, and the St. Vrain Greenway

US Highway 287 runs through Longmont as an undivided Main Street corridor where CDOT data shows approximately 830 crashes per year and no median protection between northbound and southbound lanes. Cyclists on US 287 face close-pass risk and right-hook collisions at commercial driveways throughout the corridor. SH 119, the Ken Pratt Boulevard and Diagonal Highway segments, carries the highest severe-crash rate per mile in unincorporated Boulder County and creates hazardous crossing points for cyclists at every signalized intersection. The US 287 and SH 119 intersection, identified as Longmont's highest-crash point, presents concentrated danger for cyclists navigating the crossing. The St. Vrain Greenway provides a valuable off-street alternative, but its road crossings produce right-of-way conflicts where drivers do not yield to trail users. Downtown Longmont adds dooring exposure along Main Street's parallel parking lanes.

Your team

The Longmont bicycle accident team behind your case

CGH Injury Lawyers is a eight-attorney Colorado firm founded in 2016, formerly Cheney Galluzzi and Howard. Our attorneys serve on the CDOT Vulnerable Road User Safety Task Force, working directly with state transportation officials and legislators on cyclist safety standards. 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 Longmont bicycle accident case is handled by a licensed Colorado attorney who files and tries cases in the 20th Judicial District, not by a paralegal.

ABOTA member on the team Tim Tarr: Best Lawyers in America since 2023 CDOT Vulnerable Road User Safety Task Force Over 25 cases to verdict 20th Judicial District experience Bilingual EN / ES Free consultation No fee unless we win

One thing we will tell you upfront: CGH Injury Lawyers does not have a Longmont office. We serve Longmont bicycle accident clients from our Denver office at 2701 Lawrence St., Suite 201, Denver, CO 80205. We come to you for meetings when needed, file at the Boulder County Combined Court in Longmont, and try cases in the 20th Judicial District. What you get is the work and the result, not a storefront.

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Frequently asked questions

Longmont bicycle accident frequently asked questions

How long do I have to file a bicycle accident lawsuit in Longmont?

Colorado gives you three years from the date of the crash to file a bicycle accident lawsuit when a motor vehicle caused your injuries (C.R.S. 13-80-101(1)(n)). If a government entity such as the City of Longmont, CDOT, or Boulder County was involved through a vehicle or a road defect, you must also serve a written notice of claim within 182 days of discovering the injury under C.R.S. 24-10-109(1), or the government-entity claim is barred entirely. Evidence from Longmont intersection cameras and nearby business systems can be overwritten within days, so call us promptly.

Where would my Longmont bicycle accident lawsuit be filed?

A Longmont bicycle accident case above the county court jurisdictional limit is filed in the 20th Judicial District of Colorado at the Boulder County Combined Court, 1035 Kimbark St, Longmont, CO 80501, (720) 564-2522. The court handles civil claims over $15,000, including all personal injury matters. CGH Injury Lawyers files and tries 20th Judicial District bicycle crash cases directly, with no extra charge for Longmont clients compared to our Denver-based cases.

What if the driver who hit me was partly at fault and I was partly at fault too?

Colorado follows a modified comparative fault 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 of fault. If you are found 50 percent or more at fault, you recover nothing. Adjusters regularly inflate a cyclist's fault percentage to approach or exceed that bar. We use the Safety Stop law (C.R.S. 42-4-1412.5) and the three-foot passing rule (C.R.S. 42-4-1003) to challenge that assessment with physical evidence and witness accounts specific to the Longmont crash site.

Can I recover if I was not wearing a helmet when I was hit?

Yes. Colorado does not require adults to wear helmets while cycling, and not wearing one is not automatic negligence. An insurer may argue that the absence of a helmet contributed to head or facial injuries, a theory that can reduce your recovery under the comparative negligence rule, but it does not bar your claim entirely. We work with medical experts to establish the cause and extent of your injuries and to show that the driver's negligence, not your choice about headgear, is the reason you were hurt.

My own car insurance covers me on a bike?

Often yes. If you carry uninsured or underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage, that coverage may apply to you as a cyclist when an uninsured or underinsured driver causes the crash. This matters most in hit-and-run cases on Longmont roads and when the at-fault driver has minimal liability limits. We identify every available policy at the start of every bicycle crash case, including UM/UIM, homeowner, and umbrella coverage.

Does CGH Injury Lawyers have an office in Longmont?

No. CGH Injury Lawyers has one office, at 2701 Lawrence St., Suite 201, Denver, CO 80205, (303) 209-9395. We serve Longmont and Boulder County bicycle accident clients from that office, file cases at the Boulder County Combined Court in Longmont, and meet you wherever is convenient. There is no additional charge for Longmont clients. We are available in English and Spanish.

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Read next: Colorado bicycle accident law: what every rider needs to know statewide

CGH Injury Lawyers · 2701 Lawrence St., Suite 201, Denver, CO 80205 · Serving Longmont and Boulder County