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

Longmont DUI Accident Lawyers Who Pursue the Driver, the Bar, and Every Dollar You Are Owed

A drunk or drugged driver on US 287, Ken Pratt Boulevard, or any Longmont road can shatter your life in seconds. The criminal case that follows punishes the driver. Your civil claim is the separate process that puts money in your hands for medical bills, lost income, and everything you have been through. CGH Injury Lawyers serves Longmont DUI accident victims from our Denver office, files in Boulder County court when insurers refuse to be fair, and collects nothing unless we win for you.

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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 DUI 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 DUI injury cases directly from our Denver office.
  • Colorado gives you three years from the date of the crash to file a lawsuit for injuries caused by a motor vehicle (C.R.S. 13-80-101(1)(n)). A dram shop claim against a bar or restaurant that overserved the driver runs on a much shorter clock: the lawsuit must be filed within one year after the alcohol was sold or served (C.R.S. 44-3-801(3)(a)(II)). Do not wait for the criminal case to close before pursuing either claim.
  • 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. If you are found 50 percent or more at fault, you recover nothing. Against an impaired driver, that argument rarely holds, but insurers use it anyway on high-volume corridors like US 287 and SH 119.

Longmont's undivided US 287 corridor and the high-speed approaches to the SH 119 intersection create concentrated crash risk every day. When an impaired driver makes that risk a reality, you are left facing emergency bills, lost wages, and an insurer that is already building its case. CGH Injury Lawyers pursues the driver, the bar or restaurant that put them on the road, and your own UM and UIM coverage when no one else can pay. We serve Longmont from our Denver office, and you owe nothing unless we recover for you.

The law that governs your case

Why a DUI driver in Longmont is already presumed at fault: negligence per se

A crash on US 287 normally requires you to prove the other driver was careless. A DUI crash is different. Driving while impaired is a violation of a safety law written to protect the public, and that changes what you have to prove in your civil case.

Colorado follows the doctrine of negligence per se. When a person violates a safety statute designed to prevent the kind of harm that happened, to a person the statute was meant to protect, that violation can itself establish negligence. Drunk and drugged driving laws exist precisely to keep impaired drivers from injuring others on roads like the US 287 and SH 119 corridor through Longmont. An impaired driver who causes a crash fits that doctrine exactly.

In practical terms, you usually do not have to argue about whether the driver did something wrong. The fact of impairment, once established through toxicology and arrest records, does most of that work. The real fight in a Longmont DUI injury case is almost always about the full value of your harm and which insurance policies have to pay it, not about who caused the crash. That is where we focus.

Every source of recovery

Who can be held responsible beyond the drunk driver in a Longmont DUI crash

The impaired driver is the obvious defendant. But in Longmont, where downtown bars and restaurants along the Main Street corridor sit minutes from US 287, the establishment that overserved the driver may share responsibility. And your own insurance may be the real source of recovery when the driver is uninsured or underinsured.

Dram shop liability: the bar or restaurant

  • Colorado's Dram Shop Act (C.R.S. 44-3-801) lets you sue a licensed vendor that willfully and knowingly served alcohol to a visibly intoxicated patron who then caused the harm.
  • The same statute covers serving anyone under 21. A private social host can also face liability under C.R.S. 44-3-801(4) for giving a minor alcohol or a place to drink.
  • A dram shop recovery is in addition to the driver's own liability, giving you a second source of compensation. The catch is the one-year filing deadline: the claim must be filed within one year after the alcohol was sold or served (C.R.S. 44-3-801(3)(a)(II)), regardless of when the criminal case ends.
  • Bar video and point-of-sale receipts showing the driver's purchases are destroyed within weeks. If a Longmont venue may have overserved the driver, we need to act immediately to preserve that evidence.

Your own coverage: UM and UIM

  • If the drunk driver had no insurance, your uninsured motorist (UM) coverage steps into the at-fault driver's shoes and pays your damages directly.
  • If the driver was insured but their limits fall short of your losses, your underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage fills the gap.
  • UM and UIM claims run on their own deadline under C.R.S. 13-80-107.5, the statute the Colorado Supreme Court applied in Pham v. State Farm, 2013 CO 17. That deadline is separate from the deadline against the at-fault driver.
  • We check every policy that could respond, including coverage on vehicles in your household that you may not realize applies to your claim.

Many Longmont DUI victims wait for the criminal case to conclude before thinking about who else to pursue. By then, the one-year dram shop window has often quietly closed. We map every potential defendant and every deadline on day one so nothing is forfeited by waiting.

Two separate legal tracks

The criminal case against the drunk driver versus your civil claim in Boulder County

After a DUI crash in Longmont, two legal processes run on parallel tracks at the same time. They have different goals, different parties, and different outcomes. Knowing the difference is often the first thing our Longmont clients need explained.

The criminal case

  • Brought by the State of Colorado through the Boulder County District Attorney, not by you personally.
  • The goal is to punish the driver: jail time, fines, license revocation, and probation.
  • You are a witness and a victim in the criminal case, not a party who controls the outcome.
  • A conviction or guilty plea becomes powerful evidence in your civil claim, but it is not required for you to win your civil case.
  • The court may order criminal restitution, but restitution is limited and almost never covers your full losses.

Your civil claim

  • Brought by you against the driver, any overserving bar, and any other responsible party.
  • The goal is money: medical bills, lost income, pain and suffering, and the full range of harm the law recognizes.
  • You control the decisions about whether to settle or go to trial in the Boulder County Combined Court.
  • In the vast majority of cases, it is paid by insurance, which has the funds that criminal restitution almost never does.
  • Your civil claim can proceed and win even if the criminal case results in a reduced charge or acquittal.

The criminal case must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Your civil claim only has to prove fault by a preponderance of the evidence, meaning more likely than not. That is a meaningfully lower standard, and it is why some drivers who avoid a criminal conviction are still fully liable to you in the civil case. We do not wait for the Boulder County district attorney's office to finish before protecting your civil rights.

Where Longmont DUI crashes happen

Longmont roads where impaired driving produces the most serious injury claims

Impaired driving is dangerous on any road, but certain Longmont corridors create conditions where a drunk driver's reduced reaction time turns a manageable situation into a catastrophic one. Understanding where your crash happened shapes how we build the case.

  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. An impaired driver on this corridor has no physical barrier to prevent a head-on or wrong-way collision, and the consequences are routinely catastrophic. US 287 also runs through the downtown bar and restaurant district, meaning impaired drivers often enter the highway immediately after leaving a Longmont venue. When a road design factor or a failure to maintain adequate signage contributed to a DUI crash on this corridor, CDOT or the City of Longmont may share responsibility, which triggers a 182-day notice requirement under the Colorado Governmental Immunity Act (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. The Diagonal Highway segment connects Longmont to Boulder at speeds that an impaired driver cannot safely manage. The US 287 and SH 119 intersection, 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. A drunk driver approaching this intersection with slowed reaction time and compromised judgment creates a collision risk that trained investigators can document clearly from the physical evidence.

  3. Downtown Longmont and the Main Street Venue Corridor

    The commercial zone along downtown Longmont's Main Street is dense with bars, restaurants, and breweries. This is the primary zone where dram shop liability begins: drivers who are visibly intoxicated when served leave these venues and enter US 287 or adjacent Longmont streets. When we investigate a downtown DUI crash, we identify each venue the driver visited, obtain point-of-sale records, and request surveillance video before the retention window closes. The one-year dram shop deadline under C.R.S. 44-3-801(3)(a)(II) starts the moment alcohol was last served, not from the crash date.

  4. SH 66, SH 52, and Rural Longmont Approaches

    State Highways 66 and 52 carry commuter, agricultural, and recreational traffic through Longmont and surrounding Boulder County communities. These corridors experience rural-to-suburban speed transitions that sober drivers navigate carefully and impaired drivers often do not. Crashes here frequently involve high-speed impacts or rollover events. The relative isolation of some SH 66 and SH 52 segments also means witnesses are few and evidence must be preserved quickly.

After a DUI crash in Longmont

What to do after a drunk driving accident in Longmont

The hours after a DUI crash in Longmont determine how strong your case can be. Evidence that proves both the driver's impairment and your injuries must be captured before it disappears. These steps protect your health and your claim.

  1. Call 911 and make sure impairment is documented

    A Longmont Police Department or Boulder County Sheriff report that documents the driver's impairment, including field sobriety tests, a BAC result, or an arrest, becomes the foundation of both the criminal case and your civil claim. On US 287 or SH 119, move your vehicle off the travel lanes if it is safe before the next vehicle arrives at the scene.

  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 is also certified as a DNV Comprehensive Stroke Center. The adrenaline and shock that follow a violent crash can mask serious injuries for hours. Traumatic brain injury, internal bleeding, and spinal damage often do not produce obvious symptoms at the scene. Getting evaluated immediately protects your health and creates a medical record that connects your injuries to the crash at the exact time they occurred.

  3. Document impairment evidence at the scene

    If it is safe, note any open containers, the smell of alcohol, the driver's speech and behavior, and the name of any bar or restaurant the driver came from. Photograph all vehicles, road conditions, traffic signals, and your injuries. Identify witnesses and collect their contact information before they leave. Ask the responding Longmont Police officer for the report number so you can retrieve it promptly.

  4. Act on the dram shop deadline immediately

    If you know or suspect the driver was drinking at a Longmont bar or restaurant before the crash, the one-year dram shop clock under C.R.S. 44-3-801(3)(a)(II) is already running. Surveillance video at venues along downtown Longmont's Main Street corridor is typically overwritten within 30 to 90 days. Point-of-sale receipts may be retained longer but require a formal preservation request. We send those requests within days of taking a case.

  5. Do not give a recorded statement to any insurer

    The at-fault driver's insurer is not on your side. Neither is your own insurer with a UM or UIM claim. Do not agree to a recorded statement or sign any release before an attorney has reviewed your situation. On high-volume corridors like Ken Pratt Boulevard, adjusters move quickly to lock in a version of events that minimizes the payout.

  6. Call CGH Injury Lawyers for a free case review

    The three-year filing deadline under C.R.S. 13-80-101(1)(n) gives you time to recover before filing suit, but the dram shop clock and the evidence preservation window do not wait. A free consultation costs you nothing and starts the process of protecting every claim you have.

Compensation

What you can recover after a DUI crash in Longmont

Colorado law recognizes two broad categories of damages after any serious crash, and DUI conduct opens the door to a third category that ordinary crash cases rarely reach. Understanding how each category works in your Boulder County claim shapes what your case is actually worth.

Economic damages (no cap)

  • Emergency treatment, surgery, and hospitalization at Longmont United Hospital or a Denver Level I or Level II trauma center if injuries required transfer
  • Future medical and rehabilitation costs, including physical therapy, neurological care, and assistive devices
  • Lost wages for time missed from work during recovery
  • Reduced future earning capacity when a crash injury permanently limits your ability to work
  • Property damage to your vehicle and other personal property
  • In a fatal DUI crash, funeral expenses and the surviving family's financial losses

Non-economic and other damages

  • Pain and suffering from the crash and the recovery process
  • Emotional distress and PTSD, which are common after violent DUI crashes on Longmont's high-speed corridors
  • Loss of enjoyment of life when your injuries prevent activities you valued before the crash
  • Permanent scarring, disfigurement, and physical impairment. Colorado does not cap compensation for these categories at all, which often makes them the heart of a high-value DUI injury recovery.

Punitive damages for DUI conduct, and how the caps apply

  • Drunk driving is the kind of willful and wanton conduct that can support punitive, or exemplary, damages on top of your compensatory recovery. Punitive damages in Colorado generally cannot exceed the amount of actual damages awarded (C.R.S. 13-21-102), and they require clear and convincing proof of willful and wanton conduct. We evaluate whether the facts of your Longmont case support a punitive claim and pursue it where the evidence allows.
  • For compensatory non-economic damages such as pain and suffering, Colorado caps recovery at $1.5 million for claims accruing on or after January 1, 2025 (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 not capped, which is why catastrophic DUI injury cases in Boulder County often build their core value in those uncapped categories.
Fault and the insurer playbook

What happens if the insurer says you were partly at fault for the Longmont DUI crash?

Even when their driver was drunk, insurers look for ways to reduce what they owe you. The most common tool is comparative fault. Knowing how that rule actually works under Colorado law is how we keep your claim at full value.

Colorado follows modified comparative fault under C.R.S. 13-21-111. You can recover damages even if you were partly at fault for the crash, as long as your share of fault is less than 50 percent. If you are found 50 percent or more at fault, you recover nothing. If you are found 25 percent at fault and the jury awards $500,000, you collect $375,000, which is the award reduced by your 25 percent share. Against an impaired driver, the argument that you bear significant fault rarely holds up under crash reconstruction and DUI evidence, but insurers on US 287 and Ken Pratt Boulevard raise it routinely because it costs them nothing to try.

  1. "You were speeding on US 287"

    We use the toxicology report, the crash reconstruction, and the DUI arrest record to establish that the impaired driver's conduct was the primary cause of the collision. A DUI driver's reduced reaction time and compromised judgment are physical facts that survive a speed allegation against the victim when the evidence is properly presented.

  2. "You ran the light at the SH 119 intersection"

    The US 287 and SH 119 intersection has extensive camera coverage because Longmont traffic engineers identified it as the city's highest-crash intersection. We obtain that footage promptly, before it is overwritten, and use it to establish what actually happened in the seconds before impact.

  3. "Your injuries were pre-existing"

    We build a complete medical record from Longmont United Hospital forward, documenting the specific new injuries and the aggravation of any prior conditions, to make clear what the DUI crash actually caused and what it is worth.

Local knowledge

Longmont courts. Longmont trauma care. Longmont DUI crash corridors.

A Longmont DUI injury case lives in Longmont: the road where the crash happened, the hospital that treated you, and the courthouse where the lawsuit would be filed. Here is the ground we work on for every Boulder County DUI client.

Courthouse

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

Longmont DUI 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 all personal injury matters in Boulder County. The Longmont courthouse draws a local jury pool, applies local civil procedure, and involves the specific defense firms that insurers retain in Boulder County. CGH Injury Lawyers files and tries 20th Judicial District DUI 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 serious DUI crash 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 additionally certified as a DNV Comprehensive Stroke Center. The trauma records documenting your injuries at Longmont United are the foundation of your damages claim in a DUI case. When injuries are catastrophic and require Level I or Level II trauma care, patients may be transferred to facilities in Denver or Aurora, and we coordinate records across every treating facility from day one.

High-Risk DUI Corridors

US 287, SH 119, Downtown Longmont, SH 66, and SH 52

US Highway 287 runs through Longmont as Main Street, an undivided highway with no median barrier where CDOT data shows approximately 830 crashes per year on the Erie-to-Boulder County line segment, accounting for 29 percent of all fatal crashes in Boulder County. The adjacent downtown corridor is Longmont's primary commercial and nightlife zone, making it the most common origin point for drivers who drink and then enter US 287. SH 119 (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 recorded more than 290 crashes in a recent five-year period and handles more than 70,000 vehicles daily. SH 66 and SH 52 add arterial DUI exposure on Longmont's eastern and northern approaches.

Your team

The Longmont DUI accident 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 DUI 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 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 DUI accident 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 DUI accident: frequently asked questions

How long do I have to file a DUI injury claim after a crash in Longmont?

The deadline depends on who you are pursuing. The claim against the at-fault driver must be filed within three years of the crash date under Colorado's motor vehicle statute (C.R.S. 13-80-101(1)(n)). A dram shop claim against any Longmont bar or restaurant that overserved the driver runs on a much shorter clock: you must file within one year after the alcohol was sold or served (C.R.S. 44-3-801(3)(a)(II)). A UM or UIM claim under your own policy runs on its own deadline under C.R.S. 13-80-107.5. Because these clocks start from different events and can run simultaneously, the safest step is to have an attorney confirm every deadline that applies to your case as early as possible.

Can I sue the bar or restaurant that served the drunk driver in Longmont?

Often, yes. Colorado's Dram Shop Act (C.R.S. 44-3-801) lets you sue a licensed vendor that willfully and knowingly served alcohol to a visibly intoxicated patron, or served anyone under 21, who then caused a crash. Longmont's downtown Main Street corridor has numerous bars, breweries, and restaurants where overservice claims arise. A dram shop recovery is in addition to what you can recover from the driver, giving you a second source of compensation. The catch is the strict one-year filing deadline (C.R.S. 44-3-801(3)(a)(II)), which is why these claims must be investigated immediately while bar video and receipts still exist.

Should I wait for the criminal case to finish before starting my civil DUI claim?

No. The criminal case and your civil claim are separate legal tracks that run at the same time. Waiting for the criminal case to close is one of the most expensive mistakes a DUI victim can make because the one-year dram shop deadline can expire while you wait. Surveillance video from Longmont venues and the US 287 corridor disappears within weeks. We start protecting your civil rights immediately while the Boulder County district attorney handles the criminal prosecution on a separate schedule. Any conviction or guilty plea can later strengthen your civil case.

What if the drunk driver who hit me in Longmont had no insurance?

This situation is common, and it is where your own uninsured motorist (UM) coverage becomes the real source of recovery. If you carry UM coverage, your insurer steps into the at-fault driver's shoes and pays your damages. If the driver had some insurance but not enough, underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage fills the gap. Both claims run on their own deadline under C.R.S. 13-80-107.5, the statute the Colorado Supreme Court applied in Pham v. State Farm, 2013 CO 17. We also check every available policy, including coverage on other vehicles in your household, to make sure no available dollar is left behind.

Can I recover punitive damages against the drunk driver who hit me on US 287?

Sometimes. Drunk driving is the kind of willful and wanton conduct that can support punitive damages on top of your compensatory recovery. Under Colorado law, punitive damages generally cannot exceed the amount of actual compensatory damages awarded (C.R.S. 13-21-102), and they require proof of willful and wanton conduct by clear and convincing evidence. We evaluate whether the facts of your specific Longmont case support a punitive claim and pursue it where the evidence is strong enough to meet that threshold.

Does Colorado cap what I can recover after a DUI crash in Longmont?

Economic damages such as medical bills, lost wages, and future care costs are never capped. Non-economic damages such as pain and suffering are capped at $1.5 million for claims accruing on or after January 1, 2025 (C.R.S. 13-21-102.5). Compensation for permanent physical impairment or disfigurement is not capped at all, which is why serious DUI injury cases in Longmont often build their core value in those uncapped categories. Punitive damages, if the evidence supports them, are separately governed by C.R.S. 13-21-102 and generally may not exceed your compensatory damages.

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Related Longmont pages and Colorado DUI practice areas

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It's More Than Money.

A drunk driver hurt you in Longmont. We handle everything else.

Free consultation. No fee unless we win. The dram shop clock is already running. Serving Longmont and all of Boulder County from our Denver office. Available in English and Spanish.

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Read next: Colorado DUI accident law: what you need to know statewide

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