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US 287 corridor through Longmont, Colorado. CGH Injury Lawyers represents catastrophic injury victims in Longmont and Boulder County from our Denver office.
Longmont, Colorado

Longmont Catastrophic Injury Lawyers Who Build Your Life Care Plan to Full Value

A spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, amputation, or severe burn suffered on US 287, SH 119, or anywhere in Longmont can impose lifetime costs that dwarf an insurer's first offer. CGH Injury Lawyers serves Longmont catastrophic injury victims from our Denver office, builds certified Life Care Plans that survive courtroom challenges, and files in Boulder County when insurers refuse to pay what the law requires. You pay nothing unless we win.

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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 catastrophic injury 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 catastrophic injury cases directly from our Denver office, with no additional cost to Longmont clients.
  • Most catastrophic injury claims in Colorado must be filed within two years under the general tort statute (C.R.S. 13-80-102(1)(a)), though motor vehicle cases carry a three-year deadline (C.R.S. 13-80-101(1)(n)). If a City of Longmont vehicle, CDOT truck, or any other government entity contributed to the injury, a written notice of claim must be served within 182 days of discovering the injury under C.R.S. 24-10-109(1), or the government-entity claim is permanently barred.
  • In a catastrophic case, economic damages such as lifetime medical costs and a Life Care Plan are never capped under Colorado law. Compensation for physical impairment or disfigurement is not capped at all under C.R.S. 13-21-102.5(5). Non-economic damages such as pain and suffering are capped at $1,500,000 for claims accruing on or after January 1, 2025. Those two uncapped categories, economic losses and physical impairment or disfigurement, carry the bulk of a catastrophic recovery's value.

Longmont sits at the junction of US 287 and Colorado State Highway 119, two of Boulder County's most documented high-crash corridors. Head-on and broadside collisions on these undivided highways, falls from industrial or construction elevations, and other severe incidents in and around Longmont regularly produce permanent injuries. When the harm is permanent and life-altering, a standard insurance demand falls far short. CGH Injury Lawyers builds certified Life Care Plans with qualified planners and forensic economists, advances the cost of preparing them, and litigates in Boulder County court when the insurer refuses to recognize what the law requires. You pay nothing unless we win.

What qualifies

What counts as a catastrophic injury under Colorado law?

Colorado courts do not apply a single statutory definition of a catastrophic injury. The legal classification depends on whether the harm is permanent and life-altering, whether it produces a measurable whole-person impairment rating under the AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment, and how the damage categories map to Colorado's cap structure. A diagnosis alone does not determine the classification. The legal question is permanence and life impact, not severity at the moment of the incident.

Injuries that commonly qualify

  • Traumatic brain injury with lasting cognitive deficits, memory impairment, or behavioral change requiring lifetime supervision
  • Spinal cord injury, including paraplegia, quadriplegia, and incomplete injuries requiring ongoing mobility assistance and attendant care
  • Limb amputation requiring prosthetics, home modifications, vocational retraining, and replacement cycles across a working lifetime
  • Severe burns covering significant body surface area and requiring skin grafts, reconstructive surgery, and long-term wound management
  • Permanent organ damage requiring transplant evaluation, dialysis, or lifetime medication and management

Why the classification matters for your Longmont case

  • It determines which Colorado damage categories are uncapped and therefore where the bulk of a recovery comes from
  • It shapes the scope and cost of the Life Care Plan, the forensic document that turns a diagnosis into a dollar figure a court can award
  • It controls whether a government-entity notice under the Colorado Governmental Immunity Act must be filed within 182 days of discovery
  • It determines whether your treating physician's letter is enough or whether a certified Life Care Planner with CLCP or CNLCP credentials must sign the plan
Where catastrophic injuries happen in Longmont

The Longmont roads and settings that produce the most serious permanent injuries

Catastrophic injuries in Longmont tend to cluster around specific corridors and environments where collision energy is highest and emergency-to-rehabilitation transit time is longest. Understanding the incident location matters because it identifies not just the at-fault driver but every party with legal exposure, including government entities that may have failed to address known road defects.

  1. US 287 (Main Street) Undivided Highway

    US Highway 287 runs through Longmont as Main Street without a median barrier separating 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. Head-on and left-turn collisions on an undivided highway at posted speeds produce the highest rates of spinal cord, traumatic brain, and internal organ injuries in the region. When a road design or maintenance failure on US 287 contributes to a catastrophic crash, CDOT or the City of Longmont may share responsibility, triggering the 182-day CGIA notice clock under C.R.S. 24-10-109(1).

  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 with Boulder at sustained high speeds. The intersection of US 287 and SH 119, identified by Longmont traffic engineers as the city's highest-crash intersection, recorded more than 290 crashes in a recent five-year period and handles more than 70,000 vehicles per day. High-speed merge and lane-change collisions on the Diagonal Highway segment are among the most common causes of permanent spinal cord damage seen in Boulder County trauma cases.

  3. Construction and Industrial Sites Near Longmont

    Longmont's industrial corridors and active construction zones generate elevation falls, machinery contact injuries, and crush incidents that are a leading cause of catastrophic injury outside of motor vehicles. These cases may involve general contractor liability, equipment manufacturer defects, OSHA violations, and workers' compensation alongside a personal injury claim, creating a layered legal situation where every source of insurance coverage must be identified before any demand is sent.

  4. SH 66 and SH 52 Rural-to-Suburban Corridors

    State Highways 66 and 52 carry significant agricultural, commuter, and recreational vehicle traffic through Longmont and the surrounding Boulder County communities. Rural-to-suburban speed transitions without adequate deceleration lanes create broadside and rear-end crash patterns that produce serious permanent injuries, particularly for cyclists and pedestrians near intersections where shoulder widths narrow sharply.

  5. Flash Flooding and Winter Road Conditions

    The City of Longmont officially classifies floods, flash floods, snowstorms, and ice as primary natural hazards. St. Vrain Creek and local drainage corridors can flood with little warning, covering Longmont roads and stripping surface traction entirely. Longmont maintains a Winter Weather Road Report because icy conditions are an annual documented danger. When a government entity fails to warn about or clear a hazard that contributes to a catastrophic crash, the 182-day notice window under C.R.S. 24-10-109(1) begins running from the date the injured person discovers the injury, not from the crash date.

After a catastrophic injury

What to do after a catastrophic injury in Longmont

The decisions made in the first days and weeks after a catastrophic injury shape whether a full recovery is possible. These steps protect the injured person's rights and preserve the evidence a certified Life Care Planner and forensic economist will need to build a defensible claim in Boulder County.

  1. Get to the right level of trauma care

    Longmont United Hospital at 1950 Mountain View Ave, Longmont, CO 80501 is designated a Level III Trauma Center by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. For the most severe catastrophic injuries, including complete spinal cord injuries and high-severity traumatic brain injuries, Longmont United may stabilize and transfer patients to Level I or Level II trauma centers in Denver or Aurora. Every treatment record from every facility becomes part of the foundation for the Life Care Plan.

  2. Request a whole-person impairment evaluation

    AMA Guides whole-person impairment ratings are the measurement tool Colorado courts use to quantify permanent injury. A documented impairment rating from a qualified physician supports a defensible Life Care Plan and challenges any defense argument that the injury is not permanent. Do not wait for treating physicians to request this evaluation on their own.

  3. Preserve scene evidence before it disappears

    Camera footage from the US 287 corridor, commercial properties, and dashcams from other vehicles is typically overwritten in days. The Longmont Police Department or Boulder County Sheriff report establishes the official record. Photographs of the road surface, vehicles, lane markings, and weather conditions at the time of the incident are critical for establishing fault before evidence deteriorates or is removed.

  4. Watch the government-entity notice deadline

    If a City of Longmont vehicle, a CDOT maintenance crew, or a public road defect contributed to the injury, a written notice of claim must be served within 182 days of discovering the injury under C.R.S. 24-10-109(1). That clock runs from the date of discovery of the injury, not from the crash date, but it moves quickly. Missing it bars the government-entity claim entirely, no matter how strong the facts are. Call us before that window closes.

  5. Do not settle before reaching maximum medical improvement

    Insurers sometimes make early offers before the full scope of a catastrophic injury is known. Accepting a settlement before maximum medical improvement is reached almost always leaves money on the table, because future care costs cannot be fully projected until treatment has stabilized. A certified Life Care Plan cannot be built accurately until the treating team has a clear picture of lifelong needs.

  6. Contact CGH Injury Lawyers before talking to the insurer

    The at-fault party's insurer is building its case from the moment the incident is reported. Do not give a recorded statement or sign any release before speaking with an attorney. CGH Injury Lawyers offers a free consultation at no cost and no obligation to injured people across Longmont and Boulder County.

The Life Care Plan

How a Colorado Life Care Plan turns a Longmont catastrophic injury into a documented dollar figure

Health insurance covers medically necessary treatment. It does not cover a life. A Life Care Plan is the forensic economic document that captures everything health insurance will never pay: lifetime attendant care, adaptive vehicles, home modifications, vocational retraining, Colorado-specific medical inflation, and the long-term cost of living with a permanent impairment. Colorado courts require these plans to be defensible, region-specific, and built by certified professionals who can withstand cross-examination.

  1. A certified planner, not a treating letter

    Qualified Colorado Life Care Planners hold credentials such as CLCP or CNLCP. They review medical records, interview treating physicians at Longmont United and any Denver or Aurora facilities, and run functional capacity evaluations to determine future needs. A treating physician's letter stating that a patient will need future care is not admissible as a Life Care Plan. It has no cost breakdown, no inflation adjustment, and no vendor-specific pricing. It will be challenged and may be excluded entirely.

  2. Medical inflation, not general CPI

    General consumer price inflation runs roughly 2 to 3 percent per year. Medical cost inflation consistently outpaces it, running closer to 5 to 7 percent. A Life Care Plan that uses the wrong rate can underestimate lifetime costs by millions of dollars for a young Longmont client with decades of care ahead. The difference between a correct medical inflation rate and a general CPI assumption is often the largest single variable in a catastrophic case.

  3. Colorado-specific cost factors

    National cost databases use U.S. average prices and systematically underestimate Colorado rates for rehabilitation, attendant care, and adaptive equipment. Craig Hospital in Englewood is consistently ranked among the top rehabilitation centers in the country for spinal cord and traumatic brain injury care. Its presence sets the standard Colorado courts and defense experts recognize. Even when a Longmont client treats closer to home, the plan must account for the premium pricing at Colorado's top facilities and the access challenges that come with Boulder County's geography and altitude.

  4. Built to survive Shreck and Daubert

    Colorado applies strict admissibility standards for expert testimony under the Shreck test, Colorado's adoption of Daubert, and CRE 702. The Life Care Planner and the forensic economist behind the plan must show specialized knowledge, a reliable methodology, and region-specific data that can withstand cross-examination. A plan that does not pass this gate is excluded at trial, and the case value collapses with it. We build plans that hold up.

  5. We advance the cost

    A comprehensive Life Care Plan typically takes 60 to 90 days to complete, depending on the complexity of the injury and how quickly medical records from Longmont United Hospital and any Denver-area transfer facilities become available. CGH Injury Lawyers advances the cost of building your plan. You pay nothing unless we win.

Compensation

What you can recover after a catastrophic injury in Longmont

Colorado law creates two broad damage categories in a catastrophic injury case. The categories that drive the most value are the uncapped ones: economic losses and compensation for physical impairment or disfigurement. Non-economic damages such as pain and suffering are subject to a cap, but they are rarely where a catastrophic case is won or lost.

Economic damages (never capped)

  • Past and future medical expenses, including all treatment at Longmont United Hospital and any Denver or Aurora facilities
  • Lifetime attendant and nursing care projected through a certified Life Care Plan
  • Home modifications such as ramps, widened doorways, accessible bathrooms, and structural reinforcement
  • Adaptive vehicles and specialized equipment with replacement cycles built into the plan
  • Lost wages and loss of future earning capacity, projected by a forensic economist
  • Vocational rehabilitation and retraining costs when a permanent injury prevents returning to prior work

Non-economic and other damages

  • Pain and suffering, capped at $1,500,000 for claims accruing on or after January 1, 2025, under C.R.S. 13-21-102.5
  • Compensation for physical impairment or disfigurement, which is not capped at all under C.R.S. 13-21-102.5(5)
  • Emotional distress and loss of enjoyment of life
  • Loss of consortium when a spouse or family member is affected by the permanent injury

How Colorado's collateral source rule protects your Life Care Plan

Under Colorado's collateral source rule, the at-fault party cannot reduce what it owes just because you carry health insurance. If the Life Care Plan projects lifetime care costs at a certain amount, the defendant cannot argue that an insurer will cover part of it and shrink the bill. Health insurance carries lifetime limits, excludes home modifications and adaptive vehicles, and defines medically necessary care far more narrowly than a Life Care Plan does. The plan establishes the true economic need, and the collateral source rule keeps the defendant responsible for all of it.

Comparative fault in a Longmont catastrophic case

Colorado follows modified comparative fault under 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 found 50 percent or more at fault, you recover nothing. At a congested Longmont intersection like US 287 and SH 119, where conditions are disputed, insurers often argue inflated fault percentages against the injured party to push claims toward or past the 50 percent bar. Defending against that tactic with physical evidence and expert reconstruction is a critical part of every catastrophic case we handle.

Local knowledge

Longmont courts. Longmont trauma care. Longmont crash corridors.

A Longmont catastrophic injury case lives in Longmont: the road or site where the harm happened, the hospital that stabilized you, and the courthouse where a life-changing award may be decided. Here is the ground we work on for every Boulder County catastrophic injury client.

Courthouse

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

Longmont catastrophic injury 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 every Longmont personal injury matter. Catastrophic injury trials in the 20th Judicial District draw a Longmont-area jury pool, face local defense firms with Boulder County practice experience, and apply the same district-specific procedural rules as every other Boulder County civil case. CGH Injury Lawyers handles 20th Judicial District catastrophic injury cases directly from our Denver office, with no additional cost to Longmont clients.

Trauma Care

Longmont United Hospital, Level III Trauma Center

After a catastrophic injury in Longmont, patients are typically taken first to 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. It provides initial stabilization, emergency surgery, and neurological assessment for the most common catastrophic presentations: traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, and severe trauma. When the severity requires Level I or Level II care, patients are transferred to Denver or Aurora, and the records from every treating facility form the medical foundation of the Life Care Plan. We coordinate those records from the outset of every Longmont catastrophic injury case.

High-Injury Roads

US 287, SH 119, SH 66, SH 52, and the Industrial Zones Near Longmont

US Highway 287 runs through Longmont as Main Street, an undivided corridor averaging approximately 830 crashes per year on the Erie-to-Boulder County line segment and accounting for 29 percent of all fatal crashes in Boulder County, with no median barrier between opposing lanes. Colorado State Highway 119, known as Ken Pratt Boulevard and the Diagonal Highway, carries the highest rate of severe crashes per mile in unincorporated Boulder County. The US 287 and SH 119 intersection, Longmont's documented highest-crash intersection, recorded more than 290 crashes over a recent five-year window and handles more than 70,000 vehicles daily. SH 66 and SH 52 add rural-to-suburban arterial corridors to the risk profile. Industrial areas north and east of Longmont, areas near Vance Brand Municipal Airport at 229 Airport Road, and construction sites throughout the city generate elevation fall and machinery contact injuries alongside road crash cases.

Your team

The Longmont catastrophic injury team behind your case

CGH Injury Lawyers is a eight-attorney Colorado firm founded in 2016, formerly Cheney Galluzzi and Howard. 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 catastrophic injury case is handled by a licensed Colorado attorney who files and tries cases in the 20th Judicial District, not by a paralegal. We are built for these cases, not for quick settlements.

ABOTA member on the team Tim Tarr: Best Lawyers in America since 2023 Over 25 cases to verdict 20th Judicial District experience Bilingual EN / ES We advance Life Care Plan costs No fee unless we win

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

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Frequently asked questions

Longmont catastrophic injury frequently asked questions

How long do I have to file a catastrophic injury lawsuit in Longmont?

The deadline depends on how the injury occurred. If a motor vehicle crash on US 287 or SH 119 caused the injury, Colorado gives you three years from the date of the crash under C.R.S. 13-80-101(1)(n). For most other catastrophic injury claims, such as a fall from elevation or a product defect, the general tort statute gives you two years under C.R.S. 13-80-102(1)(a). If a City of Longmont vehicle, CDOT crew, or any other government entity was involved, a written notice of claim must also be served within 182 days of discovering the injury under C.R.S. 24-10-109(1), or the government-entity claim is permanently barred. Because multiple clocks can run at the same time on different defendants, confirm your deadlines with an attorney as early as possible after the injury.

Does Colorado cap what I can recover in a Longmont catastrophic injury case?

Economic damages such as lifetime medical expenses, attendant care, adaptive equipment, and lost earning capacity are never capped under Colorado law. Compensation for physical impairment or disfigurement is not capped at all under C.R.S. 13-21-102.5(5). Non-economic damages such as pain and suffering are capped at $1,500,000 for claims accruing on or after January 1, 2025, under C.R.S. 13-21-102.5. In a catastrophic case, the uncapped economic and impairment categories are almost always the largest components of the recovery. If a government entity is involved, recovery from that entity is separately capped at $505,000 per person and $1,421,000 per occurrence for claims accruing on or after January 1, 2026, under C.R.S. 24-10-114.

Do I really need a Life Care Plan for a Longmont catastrophic injury claim?

In any serious case, yes. A certified Life Care Plan makes your future economic demand objective and defensible. Without one, insurance adjusters treat future care projections as speculative and reduce their offer accordingly. A plan built by a CLCP or CNLCP credentialed planner connects your clinical diagnosis to a specific dollar cost for each category of future care, using Colorado-specific pricing and medical inflation rates rather than national averages. It turns a demand that can be dismissed as a guess into a document a Boulder County jury can rely on. At CGH Injury Lawyers, we advance the cost of building your plan. You pay nothing unless we win.

What if I was partly at fault for the incident that caused my catastrophic injury?

You can still recover under Colorado's modified comparative fault rule, C.R.S. 13-21-111, as long as you were less than 50 percent at fault. Your award is reduced by your percentage of fault. If you are found 50 percent or more at fault, you recover nothing. At a high-volume Longmont intersection such as US 287 and SH 119, where right-of-way disputes are common, insurers work aggressively to push the injured party's assigned fault percentage as high as possible. Defending against that tactic with accident reconstruction experts and physical evidence is a central part of how we build catastrophic injury cases in Boulder County.

Which hospital treats catastrophic injury patients in Longmont?

Longmont United Hospital at 1950 Mountain View Ave, Longmont, CO 80501 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. It handles initial stabilization and emergency care for the most serious Longmont catastrophic injury cases. When the severity requires Level I or Level II trauma capabilities, including complete spinal cord injuries or severe traumatic brain injuries, patients may be transferred to facilities in Denver or Aurora. Records from every treating facility are essential to building a defensible Life Care Plan, and we work with them from the first day of your case.

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 catastrophic injury clients from that office, file cases at the Boulder County Combined Court in Longmont, and meet you wherever is most convenient. There is no additional charge for Longmont clients. We handle consultations in English and Spanish.

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