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Longmont, Colorado. CGH Injury Lawyers represents riders injured in electric scooter crashes across Colorado.
Longmont, Colorado

Longmont Scooter Accident Lawyers Who Take On the Dismount Zone Argument

If a driver, a defective scooter, or a hazard in the road left you hurt on an electric scooter in Longmont, you can still recover compensation even when you were partly at fault. Longmont is one of the few Colorado cities with an ordinance that names scooters directly, and an insurer will try to use it against you. We serve Longmont from our Denver office. No fee unless we win.

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  • Colorado gives electric scooters their own category at C.R.S. 42-1-102(28.8). A scooter is a vehicle, it is not a motor vehicle, and no driver's license is required.
  • Longmont's Dismount Zone ordinance names scooters and covers specific blocks of Main Street, where riders must dismount and walk.
  • Under C.R.S. 13-21-111 a rule violation does not end a claim. You recover while your share of fault stays under half.

Longmont is one of the few cities in this batch where the local rule was written with scooters in mind. The local rules published across these Front Range cities aim largely at e-bikes, and a rule built for one device does not automatically reach another. Longmont's Dismount Zone is different: it names bikes, e-bikes, scooters and skateboards together, and it applies to named blocks of Main Street.

That specificity cuts both ways. It gives a rider a clear answer about where to walk, and it gives an adjuster a clean ordinance to point at. CGH Injury Lawyers represents injured Longmont scooter riders from our Denver office, and a large part of that work is keeping an ordinance question from swallowing the question of who actually caused the crash. You pay nothing unless we recover for you.

The law that governs your case

How Colorado classifies electric scooters, decoded for Longmont

C.R.S. 42-1-102(28.8) defines the device, and the definition decides which duties attach and which coverage arguments follow.

What makes an electric scooter

  • Weight under 100 pounds.
  • Handlebars and an electric motor.
  • Powered by that motor.
  • A maximum of 20 mph on a paved level surface on motor power alone.

What the classification does, and does not, require

  • No driver's license and no permit. House Bill 19-1221, titled Regulation Of Electric Scooters, moved these devices out of the toy vehicle category into the vehicle category and gave riders the same rights and duties as riders of electrical assisted bicycles.
  • On the road you carry a vehicle operator's rights and duties, under C.R.S. 42-4-1412(1).
  • A scooter is not a motor vehicle. C.R.S. 42-1-102(58)(a) excludes it by name.
  • A low-power scooter is a moped. C.R.S. 42-1-102(48.5) covers a different machine, up to 50cc or 4,476 watts, and that is the one carrying a license requirement.

Why the classification matters in a Longmont claim

An insurer will treat the scooter as outside the auto policy when money is at stake, then treat it as vehicle-like when they want to load you with a driver's duties. Settling the category early ends the argument that you rode unlicensed, and it reopens the coverage question, because uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage turns on the car that struck you.

State rules and local rules

State law versus Longmont's Dismount Zone

C.R.S. 42-4-111(1)(ff) lets local authorities regulate the operation of an electric scooter consistent with title 42, and C.R.S. 42-4-1412(1) subjects riders on city streets to those ordinances. C.R.S. 42-4-1412(10) already contemplates exactly this: you may not ride on a sidewalk where local ordinance prohibits it, and you must dismount before entering a crosswalk where an ordinance requires it.

What Longmont's ordinance says

Longmont's Dismount Zone, ordinance number O-2019-41, prohibits riding bikes, e-bikes, scooters and skateboards on the sidewalk on the west side of Main Street between 2nd Avenue and Longs Peak Avenue, and on the east side of Main Street between 3rd Avenue and Longs Peak Avenue. Inside the zone, everyone dismounts and walks. Riding is permitted in the alleys, breezeways, and the parallel streets and sidewalks. This is one of the few local rules in Colorado that names scooters directly, so the usual argument that a rule was written for a different device does not help here.

Why it matters after a crash

Because the zone is real and specific, an adjuster who learns you were near downtown will reach for it immediately and try to assign you most of the fault. Under C.R.S. 13-21-111 that is not how it works. You recover while your negligence was not as great as the other party's, with the award reduced by your share. At an even split recovery ends, which is exactly why the assigned percentage is worth fighting over. The first thing we establish is whether you were inside the zone at all, since it covers named blocks and named sides of one street, and the zone's edges are closer than people remember.

Rules of the road

Where you can ride in Longmont, and the equipment Colorado requires

  1. Roadways, bike lanes, and sidewalks

    On the roadway you carry a vehicle driver's rights and duties. On a sidewalk or path, C.R.S. 42-4-1412(10) reverses the priority: yield to every pedestrian, and give an audible signal before overtaking and passing. Riding or walking the scooter on a sidewalk or through a crosswalk gives you a pedestrian's rights and duties.

  2. Where the local rule takes over

    Outside the Dismount Zone, sidewalk riding is permitted by state law with those duties attached, subject to any traffic control device. Inside the zone you dismount. There is no statewide numeric sidewalk speed limit for scooters, so what governs off Main Street is the yielding duty, the audible signal, and the posted rule.

  3. Parking

    C.R.S. 42-4-1412(11) permits sidewalk parking unless a device or ordinance forbids it, and the scooter must not impede normal pedestrian or other traffic. On a busy downtown block that is a live issue in both directions.

  4. Lighting and brakes

    Equipment sits in C.R.S. 42-4-221. At the times described in C.R.S. 42-4-204 you need a white front lamp visible at 500 feet, a red rear reflector visible at 600 feet, and side reflective material visible at 600 feet or a side-visible lamp at 500 feet. Subsection (7) requires brakes that stop the scooter within 25 feet from 10 mph on dry, level, clean pavement.

  5. The helmet question

    Colorado sets no helmet requirement for electric scooter riders at any age. The under-18 helmet rule sits at C.R.S. 42-4-1412(15), which is written for class 3 electrical assisted bicycles. Insurers argue it anyway, and comparative negligence gives the argument teeth, so we answer with medical evidence.

Local Knowledge

Longmont roads. Longmont trauma care. Boulder County courts.

Trauma Care

Trauma Care

Two designated trauma centers in one city

Longmont carries two designated trauma facilities inside the same municipality. Longmont United Hospital at 1950 Mountain View Avenue and Longs Peak Hospital at 1750 E Ken Pratt Blvd are both Level III on the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment's designated-facility list, verified in August 2026. For a rider that means shorter transport and a real chance the crash and the treatment stay in town. It also means the medical record can be split across two systems if you were seen at one and followed up at the other, and a fragmented record is what an adjuster uses to argue an injury was minor. We pull both.

Roads

Courthouse

Main Street, Ken Pratt, Hover, and the Diagonal

Longmont's traffic risk sits on Main Street, which carries U.S. 287 straight through the middle of town, along with Ken Pratt Boulevard, Hover Street and the Diagonal Highway toward Boulder. Main Street is also where the Dismount Zone sits, which is not a coincidence. It is the block pattern where pedestrians, parked cars, angled traffic and riders all occupy the same narrow space, and it is where a rider is most likely to be hit by a driver turning or pulling out of a space.

Courthouse

Courthouse

Boulder County Combined Court, and Longmont has its own division

A claim arising in Boulder County is filed in the district court for the 20th Judicial District, which covers Boulder County alone. The main location is the Boulder County Combined Court at 1777 6th St. in Boulder, and there is a second location in Longmont itself at 1035 Kimbark St. Having a court division in town affects the practical experience of a case, from filings to hearings. We handle 20th Judicial District cases directly.

Why CGH

Why Longmont scooter accident victims choose CGH Injury Lawyers

Trial-ready attorneys, bilingual help, and no fee unless we win. We do not publish scooter settlement figures, because every crash injury is different and a number on a page tells you nothing about yours.

Why CGH

The Dismount Zone is not a verdict.

It covers named blocks on one street. We establish whether you were inside it at all, and we keep an ordinance question separate from who caused the collision.

The Coverage Fight

Every Policy

Every policy in play.

When an auto carrier says a scooter is not covered, we work the at-fault driver's liability policy, your own uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, and any household policy that could reach a personally owned scooter.

Comparative Fault

Comparative Fault

Partly at fault is not no case.

C.R.S. 13-21-111 permits recovery while your share stays under half, and the percentage is where these cases are won or lost.

Two Hospitals

Why CGH

One complete medical record.

With two designated centers in town, records get split. We pull both so a gap does not become an argument that you were not badly hurt.

The Braking Standard

Why CGH

A measurable benchmark.

C.R.S. 42-4-221(7) requires a stop within 25 feet from 10 mph on dry, level, clean pavement.

Bilingual

Bilingual

Hablamos espanol.

Spanish-speaking staff and attorneys serve Longmont's Spanish-speaking community.

No Win, No Fee

No Win, No Fee

Contingency only.

No out-of-pocket legal fees. We advance costs and collect from a settlement or verdict.

One honest thing up front: we do not take scooter cases we cannot stand behind. If the facts put you at half the fault or more, Colorado law bars recovery, and you will hear that in the free review.

The Ordinance Fight

After the crash

What to do after a scooter accident in Longmont

  1. Call 911 and get medical care

    Ask for a Longmont Police response even when it looks minor, and get evaluated the same day at Longmont United or Longs Peak. A report fixes the location and the time, which matters more here than in most cities because the Dismount Zone turns on which block and which side of Main Street you were on.

  2. Photograph the scene, including the block you were on

    Your injuries, the scooter, the vehicle, the pavement, and the street signs at the corner. If you were anywhere near downtown, photograph the cross streets. The difference between 2nd Avenue and 3rd Avenue, and between the east and west sidewalk, is the difference between being inside the Dismount Zone and outside it.

  3. Keep the scooter unrepaired

    Do not fix it or replace the brakes. On a personally owned scooter the machine is the evidence, and C.R.S. 42-4-221(7) provides the standard. Keep the receipt, model, serial number and any recall notice.

  4. Do not admit fault or give a recorded statement

    An apology becomes an admission in a claim file, and so does a guess about which block you were on. Give the officer facts you are sure of. Decline a recorded statement until you understand the claim.

  5. Call CGH Injury Lawyers

    Downtown business video is routinely overwritten on a short retention cycle, and on Main Street there is usually more of it than anywhere else in town. We send preservation letters immediately. Call (303) 209-9395.

Liability and compensation

Who pays after a Longmont scooter crash, and what you can recover

Comparative negligence in Colorado

C.R.S. 13-21-111 allows recovery while your negligence was not as great as that of the party you seek recovery from, with damages reduced in proportion. An even split ends recovery. If a driver pulls out of an angled space on Main Street and a jury assigns the driver 80 percent and you 20, a $100,000 loss recovers $80,000.

The at-fault driver

A motor vehicle striking a rider is the common case: a driver reversing from a space, a right turn across a bike lane, a failure to yield. Their liability insurance is normally first.

The manufacturer, retailer, or assembler

A failed brake, a folding stem that collapsed, a battery or controller fault, a throttle that stuck. On a personally owned scooter these run against whoever made, sold or assembled it, with no rental waiver in the way.

A government entity

A pavement defect, a broken curb ramp or a failed signal can bring in the city, the county, or the state on a corridor like U.S. 287. C.R.S. 24-10-109(1) requires written notice within 182 days of the discovery of the injury, and compliance is a jurisdictional prerequisite whose absence forever bars the action.

What your recovery can include

Economic damages cover medical care, future treatment, lost wages and lost earning capacity, never capped in Colorado. Non-economic damages cover pain, suffering and loss of enjoyment of life, limited to $1,500,000 under C.R.S. 13-21-102.5 for claims accruing on or after January 1, 2025, with inflation adjustments beginning in 2028. Physical impairment or disfigurement is not capped.

The deadline depends on the cause. Three years under C.R.S. 13-80-101(1)(n)(I) where the claim arises out of the use or operation of a motor vehicle. Two years under C.R.S. 13-80-102(1)(a) where no motor vehicle was involved. Accrual under C.R.S. 13-80-108(1) runs from the date both the injury and its cause are known or reasonably should have been known.

Riding impaired is a DUI. C.R.S. 42-4-1301 reaches a person who drives a motor vehicle or vehicle, and a scooter is a vehicle.

The hard part of these cases

Insurance coverage gaps and your own UM/UIM

  • Most auto policies argue a scooter is not a covered vehicle. That reading deserves a challenge.
  • Your own uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage can respond to a hit-and-run or a low-limits driver even though you were on a scooter.
  • A homeowner's or renter's policy can reach a personally owned scooter where an auto policy will not.
  • Many riders end up facing a driver with state minimum limits. We map every source before anyone talks numbers.
Insurer defenses

Defenses insurers use against Longmont scooter riders, and how we answer them

  1. "You were riding in the Dismount Zone"

    First we establish whether you actually were, because the zone covers named blocks and named sides of Main Street. Even inside it, C.R.S. 13-21-111 means a violation does not end the claim; you recover while your share stays under half, and the collision still had a cause.

  2. "You weren't wearing a helmet"

    No Colorado statute requires a helmet for an electric scooter rider at any age. We answer with medical evidence about what a helmet would and would not have changed.

  3. "A scooter isn't covered by the auto policy"

    The exclusion at C.R.S. 42-1-102(58)(a) is the same provision that supports a UM/UIM claim. We pursue every policy instead of accepting the first denial.

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Questions

Longmont scooter accident, frequently asked questions

Where exactly is Longmont's Dismount Zone?

Ordinance O-2019-41 covers the sidewalk on the west side of Main Street between 2nd Avenue and Longs Peak Avenue, and the east side of Main Street between 3rd Avenue and Longs Peak Avenue. Bikes, e-bikes, scooters and skateboards must be dismounted and walked there. Riding is allowed in the alleys, breezeways, and parallel streets and sidewalks. Confirm the current boundaries with the city, since a zone like this can be amended.

Does riding in the Dismount Zone end a claim?

Not by itself. Under C.R.S. 13-21-111 a claimant recovers while their negligence was not as great as that of the party sued, with the award reduced by their share. An ordinance violation is one input into that percentage, not an automatic end to a case, and the other party's own duties still apply. How it comes out depends on the facts, which is what a case review is for.

Do I need a driver's license to ride an electric scooter in Longmont?

No. Colorado gives electric scooters their own category at C.R.S. 42-1-102(28.8), and C.R.S. 42-4-1412 gives riders the rights and duties of a bicycle rider. House Bill 19-1221, titled Regulation Of Electric Scooters, gave riders the same rights and duties as riders of electrical assisted bicycles. The license rule belongs to low-power scooters at C.R.S. 42-1-102(48.5), which is a moped.

Which Longmont hospital handles serious trauma?

Longmont has two designated trauma facilities: Longmont United Hospital at 1950 Mountain View Avenue and Longs Peak Hospital at 1750 E Ken Pratt Blvd, both Level III on the state health department's list. If you were seen at one and followed up at the other, both sets of records belong in the claim.

Can I ride on the sidewalk outside the Dismount Zone?

State law permits it as a baseline, with duties attached: yield to every pedestrian and give an audible signal before passing, under C.R.S. 42-4-1412(10). You may not ride where a traffic control device or local ordinance prohibits it. There is no statewide numeric sidewalk speed for scooters.

My auto insurer says my policy does not cover a scooter crash. Is that the end?

No. We look at the at-fault driver's liability coverage, your own uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, and any homeowner's or renter's policy that may reach a personally owned scooter.

How long do I have to file?

Three years under C.R.S. 13-80-101(1)(n)(I) where a motor vehicle was involved, two years under C.R.S. 13-80-102(1)(a) where none was. A claim against a public entity requires written notice within 182 days under C.R.S. 24-10-109, and that notice is a jurisdictional prerequisite.

Where would my Longmont scooter case be filed?

In the district court for the 20th Judicial District, which covers Boulder County, at the Boulder County Combined Court, 1777 6th St. in Boulder, with a second location in Longmont at 1035 Kimbark St. Most claims settle before a filing, but venue shapes the jury pool and local practice. We handle 20th Judicial District cases directly.

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It's More Than Money.

Talk to a Longmont scooter accident lawyer about your claim today.

Free consultation. No fee unless we win. Available in English and Spanish. Call (303) 209-9395.

CGH Injury Lawyers ยท Serving Longmont from 2701 Lawrence St., Suite 201, Denver, CO 80205

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