DUI Accident Lawyers in Pueblo | CGH Injury Lawyers

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CGH Injury Lawyers does not have a Pueblo office. We serve Pueblo and Pueblo County from our Denver office, file DUI injury cases at the Pueblo County District Court, and come to you. CGH Injury Lawyers represents people in Pueblo who were hurt by drunk or drugged drivers, pursues every available source of recovery, and charges no fee unless we win.
A DUI crash claim against the at-fault driver must be filed within three years of the crash date (C.R.S. 13-80-101(1)(n)). A dram shop claim against any Pueblo bar or restaurant that overserved the driver carries a much shorter one-year deadline from the date the alcohol was served (C.R.S. 44-3-801(3)(a)(II)). Missing either clock quietly ends part of the claim.
Pueblo sits at the junction of I-25 and US 50. Both corridors carry heavy commercial truck traffic around the clock, which means a DUI crash on those roads can involve a drunk driver in a personal vehicle colliding with a truck, or a drugged commercial driver hitting an ordinary passenger car. Each scenario changes how many defendants and insurance policies are in play.

Your civil DUI injury claim is completely separate from the criminal case the district attorney files against the driver. The criminal case can punish the driver and order limited restitution. Your civil claim is the process built to recover full compensation for medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and every other loss the law allows. The two cases run on parallel tracks, and your civil rights do not wait for the criminal case to finish. Call us at (303) 209-9395 from anywhere in Pueblo County.

Colorado follows the doctrine of negligence per se. When a person violates a safety statute designed to protect the public from a specific type of harm, that violation can by itself establish negligence in a civil claim. Drunk and drugged driving laws exist precisely to keep impaired drivers from injuring others on roads like I-25 and US 50. An impaired driver who causes a crash fits that doctrine squarely.

In practice, this means the fight in a Pueblo DUI injury case is almost never about whether the drunk driver did something wrong. Impairment, once established through the crash report, field sobriety results, and toxicology, does most of that work. The real contest is over the full scope of your harm and which insurance policies have to pay for it. That is a very different fight, and it is the one we prepare for from the first consultation.

This distinction matters especially in Pueblo because the I-25 and US 50 corridors produce high-speed impacts that generate both visible injuries and invisible ones. Soft-tissue damage, concussions, and psychological harm from a violent collision are all real losses that insurers routinely undervalue, and negligence per se means we spend our energy documenting those injuries rather than arguing about whether the impaired driver was at fault.

The bar or restaurant: dram shop liability

Colorado's Dram Shop Act (C.R.S. 44-3-801) lets injured people 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 licensed vendor, and in that narrow situation a private social host, can be liable 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, so a successful claim against a Pueblo bar or restaurant adds a second source of compensation on top of the driver's policy.
The dram shop lawsuit must be commenced within one year after the alcohol was sold or served (C.R.S. 44-3-801(3)(a)(II)). Bar video and point-of-sale records are overwritten in weeks. We secure that evidence immediately.

Your own coverage: UM and UIM

If the Pueblo drunk driver had no insurance, your uninsured motorist (UM) coverage steps into the at-fault driver's shoes and pays for your losses.
If the driver carried insurance but the limits were too low for your injuries, underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage fills the gap up to your own policy limits.
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 does not match the deadline against the driver, so it must be tracked separately.
We identify every policy that applies to your Pueblo crash, including coverage you may not realize you have, and stack every available source before any settlement is accepted.

The timing trap is one of the most costly mistakes in Pueblo DUI cases. Families wait for the criminal case to finish before thinking about who else to pursue, and by then the one-year dram shop window has often closed. We map every defendant and every deadline at the very first consultation.

The criminal case

Brought by the State of Colorado through the Pueblo County district attorney. You are a witness and a victim, not a party who controls it.
The goal is punishment: jail time, fines, license consequences, probation. It does not make you whole.
The court may order restitution, but restitution is generally limited to specific documented losses and paid by the driver personally, often slowly and partially.
A conviction or guilty plea can become powerful evidence in your civil claim. We track the criminal case and use every admission in your favor.

Your civil claim

Brought by you against the driver and any other responsible party, including a Pueblo bar or restaurant that overserved them.
The goal is money: medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and every other loss the law allows.
Paid by insurance in the vast majority of cases, which means there are actual funds to collect, unlike personal restitution.
Uses a lower standard of proof than the criminal case. A Pueblo drunk driver can sometimes avoid a criminal conviction yet still be fully liable to you in the civil case.
Proceeds whether or not the driver is ever convicted. We do not wait for the Pueblo criminal docket to close before protecting your civil rights.

Courthouse

Pueblo County District Court, 10th Judicial District

A Pueblo DUI injury lawsuit that exceeds the county-court jurisdictional limit is filed in the 10th Judicial District of Colorado at the Pueblo County District Court, 320 W. 10th St., Pueblo, CO 81003. Pueblo has its own dedicated district court in the city center, which means the jury pool is drawn from Pueblo County residents, the local defense firms your claim faces have 10th Judicial District experience, and the procedures are those of a Pueblo courtroom. That is different from many Colorado cities whose residents must travel to a distant county seat to have their day in court. CGH Injury Lawyers files and tries Pueblo County DUI injury cases directly from our Denver office. CGH Injury Lawyers does not have a Pueblo office. We serve Pueblo County clients from Denver and come to you.

Trauma Care

UCHealth Parkview Medical Center (Level II Trauma) and St. Mary-Corwin Medical Center

UCHealth Parkview Medical Center is Pueblo's primary trauma facility and a designated Level II Trauma Center, meaning it is equipped to handle the most serious injury presentations around the clock without transfer to Denver. When a crash on I-25 or US 50 sends a victim to Parkview, those trauma records, imaging studies, emergency operative notes, and toxicology results become the backbone of the damages claim. St. Mary-Corwin Medical Center also serves the Pueblo community and provides additional care for injured Pueblo County residents. We work directly with both hospitals from the start of every serious Pueblo DUI case, gathering a complete medical picture that supports the full scope of compensation through every stage of litigation. Insurers routinely offer early settlements before the medical picture is complete. Accepting before Parkview or St. Mary-Corwin releases the full records is one of the most common ways DUI victims undervalue their own case.

DUI Crash Corridors

I-25, US 50 (Pueblo Blvd.), Northern Avenue (SH 45), and US 96

Interstate 25 is the north-south spine of Pueblo, carrying commercial trucks, through-traffic, and local commuters at highway speeds through the city and its surrounding county. A drunk driver operating at those speeds produces catastrophic impact energy. US Highway 50 runs east-west through the city as Pueblo Boulevard, one of the primary commercial freight corridors in southern Colorado. The surface arterial nature of US 50 means trucks, passenger vehicles, cyclists, and pedestrians share intersections where an impaired driver's delayed reaction time is especially dangerous. Northern Avenue, traveled as State Highway 45, is a major surface arterial through the northern part of Pueblo with frequent cross-traffic, driveways, and commercial access points, a pattern that produces angle and turning crashes when a driver is impaired. US 96 extends east from Pueblo into more rural territory, where an impaired driver faces fewer visual cues and emergency response times are longer. These corridors concentrate both the frequency and the severity of DUI injury crashes in Pueblo County.

Call 911 and document impairment

Call 911 immediately. A responding Pueblo Police or Pueblo County Sheriff officer can conduct field sobriety tests, request a blood or breath sample, and make an arrest if the driver is impaired. The resulting arrest record, toxicology results, and body-camera footage become critical evidence in your civil case. Do not let the driver leave the scene without law enforcement involvement.
Get medical care at UCHealth Parkview or St. Mary-Corwin

Serious DUI crash injuries in Pueblo are often treated at UCHealth Parkview Medical Center, the city's Level II Trauma Center. St. Mary-Corwin Medical Center also serves Pueblo County. Go to the emergency room even if you feel okay. Concussions, internal injuries, and spinal damage from high-speed impacts are often not felt immediately. Every diagnosis, imaging study, and treatment record from Parkview or St. Mary-Corwin is part of the damages picture your case is built on.
Identify where the driver was drinking

If the impaired driver came from a Pueblo bar or restaurant before the crash, that business may be liable under Colorado's Dram Shop Act (C.R.S. 44-3-801) for willfully serving a visibly intoxicated patron. Note any bar or restaurant the driver mentions, look for receipts in the vehicle, and tell your attorney. Bar surveillance video and point-of-sale records are routinely overwritten within days. The one-year filing deadline for a dram shop claim (C.R.S. 44-3-801(3)(a)(II)) means we have to move on this information immediately.
Photograph everything and preserve evidence

Photograph your injuries, the vehicles, the intersection or highway location, road conditions, any signage, and the license plate. Get the names and contact information of every witness before they leave. On I-25 or US 50, commercial trucks in the area may have dashcam footage that can be sought in discovery. That footage is often overwritten within 30 to 60 days unless a legal hold is placed. We do that immediately.
Call before the insurer does

The at-fault driver's insurer may call you the same day as a Pueblo DUI crash. Do not give a recorded statement or accept any settlement offer before speaking with us. A recorded statement given without legal counsel is one of the most common ways DUI victims in Pueblo reduce the value of their own case. Call (303) 209-9395 from anywhere in Pueblo County.
We build the claim and pursue every policy

We locate the driver's liability coverage, any dram shop or commercial bar policy, and your own UM and UIM coverage. We gather the crash report, the DUI arrest record, toxicology results, body-camera footage, medical records from Parkview and St. Mary-Corwin, and any bar or restaurant evidence. We value the claim across every category the law allows and file at the Pueblo County District Court, 320 W. 10th St., in the 10th Judicial District when an insurer refuses to be fair.

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Economic damages (never capped)

Emergency treatment at UCHealth Parkview or St. Mary-Corwin, including surgery and intensive care
Future medical care, physical therapy, and rehabilitation
Lost wages during recovery and reduced future earning capacity
Property damage to your vehicle and personal property
Out-of-pocket expenses such as prescription costs, medical transport, and in-home care
In a fatal DUI crash, funeral costs and the family's financial losses

Non-economic and punitive damages

Pain and suffering during and after the crash
Emotional distress and PTSD, common after a violent high-speed DUI impact on I-25 or US 50
Permanent scarring, disfigurement, and physical impairment (not subject to any cap under Colorado law)
Loss of enjoyment of life and loss of consortium
Punitive damages: drunk driving is the kind of willful and wanton conduct that can support exemplary damages on top of compensatory recovery, up to the amount of actual damages awarded (C.R.S. 13-21-102)

How the Colorado damage caps apply to a Pueblo DUI case

Colorado caps non-economic damages such as pain and suffering 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. On a serious Pueblo DUI crash involving permanent injury, economic damages alone often exceed the non-economic cap.
Compensation for physical impairment or disfigurement is not capped at all. A crash on I-25 or US 50 at highway speed that leaves a Pueblo victim with permanent physical limitations puts that uncapped category at the center of the claim's value.
Punitive damages against a drunk driver in Colorado generally cannot exceed the actual damages awarded (C.R.S. 13-21-102), but the court may increase them up to three times actual damages when the defendant continues willful and wanton conduct after the lawsuit begins. We evaluate whether the facts of your Pueblo case support a punitive claim.

Colorado uses a modified comparative fault rule (C.R.S. 13-21-111). You can recover compensation from the drunk driver even if you were partly at fault for the crash, as long as you were less than 50 percent responsible. If you are found to be 50 percent or more at fault, you recover nothing.

How it works in practice: if a Pueblo jury finds you were 20 percent at fault and awards $500,000, your recovery is reduced to $400,000. If the jury found you 49 percent at fault, you would recover 51 percent of the award. At 50 percent or more, you recover zero. Insurers use this rule aggressively on busy corridors like I-25 and US 50, where crash facts can be disputed.

Against an impaired driver, the fault-shifting argument usually has very little to stand on. Impairment established by toxicology and the arrest record is powerful evidence that the crash was the drunk driver's fault. We use crash reconstruction, the DUI evidence, and the full police record to keep the fault percentage where it belongs, and to prevent insurers from unfairly shifting blame onto a Pueblo DUI victim.

Your team

The Pueblo 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 Pueblo DUI accident case is handled by a licensed Colorado attorney who files and tries cases in the 10th Judicial District, not by a paralegal. CGH Injury Lawyers does not have a Pueblo office. We represent Pueblo County DUI victims from our Denver office, 2701 Lawrence St., Suite 201, Denver, CO 80205, and come to you.

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

The deadline depends on who you are pursuing. The claim against the at-fault drunk 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 Pueblo bar or restaurant that overserved the driver carries a much shorter one-year deadline running from the date the alcohol was sold or served (C.R.S. 44-3-801(3)(a)(II)). A UM or UIM claim against your own insurer runs on its own deadline under C.R.S. 13-80-107.5, the statute applied by the Colorado Supreme Court in Pham v. State Farm, 2013 CO 17. Because these clocks start from different events, the safest step is to have an attorney confirm every deadline as soon as possible after the Pueblo crash.

Can I sue the Pueblo bar or restaurant that overserved the drunk driver?

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 to anyone under 21, who then caused the crash. A successful dram shop recovery is in addition to the driver's own liability, adding a second source of compensation. The catch is the one-year deadline from the date the alcohol was served (C.R.S. 44-3-801(3)(a)(II)). Bar surveillance video and register records are often overwritten within days. We evaluate and pursue dram shop claims immediately in every Pueblo DUI case where a licensed vendor was involved.

The Pueblo drunk driver had no insurance. Do I still have a claim?

Yes, and this situation is more common than most people expect. If the drunk driver who hit you in Pueblo had no insurance, your uninsured motorist (UM) coverage steps in and pays for your losses up to your own policy limits. If the driver was insured but their limits are too low for your injuries, your underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage fills the gap. These 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 identify every policy that may apply, including coverage you may not realize exists, and pursue every available source before any settlement is accepted.

The insurer says I was partly at fault for the Pueblo DUI crash. Does that end my case?

Not automatically. Colorado uses modified comparative fault (C.R.S. 13-21-111). You can still recover even if you were partly at fault, as long as you were less than 50 percent responsible. Your award is reduced by your percentage of fault. If you were found 49 percent at fault you would recover 51 percent of the award. If you are found 50 percent or more at fault you recover nothing, which is why insurers push hard on fault assignments. Against an impaired driver, that argument usually has very little to stand on, and we use the crash reconstruction and the DUI arrest record to keep the fault where it belongs.

Does CGH Injury Lawyers have a Pueblo office?

No. CGH Injury Lawyers does not have a Pueblo office. We have one office, at 2701 Lawrence St., Suite 201, Denver, CO 80205. We serve Pueblo and Pueblo County clients from that Denver office, file DUI injury cases at the Pueblo County District Court (320 W. 10th St., Pueblo, CO 81003) in the 10th Judicial District, and meet you wherever is convenient. You can reach us at (303) 209-9395. The consultation is free and there is no fee unless we win your case.

Can I recover punitive damages against the drunk driver who hit me in Pueblo?

Sometimes. Drunk driving is the kind of willful and wanton conduct that can support punitive, or exemplary, damages in addition to 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 proof that the defendant acted willfully and wantonly. The court may increase them up to three times actual damages when the defendant continues that conduct after a lawsuit is filed. We evaluate whether the specific facts of your Pueblo DUI case support a punitive claim and pursue it where the evidence allows.

Pueblo

DUI Accidents

Related Practice Areas

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Pueblo DUI Accident Lawyer

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

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

The bar or restaurant: dram shop liability

Your own coverage: UM and UIM

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

The criminal case

Your civil claim

Pueblo courts. Pueblo trauma care. Pueblo DUI crash corridors.

Pueblo County District Court, 10th Judicial District

UCHealth Parkview Medical Center (Level II Trauma) and St. Mary-Corwin Medical Center

I-25, US 50 (Pueblo Blvd.), Northern Avenue (SH 45), and US 96

What to do after a drunk driving accident in Pueblo

Call 911 and document impairment

Get medical care at UCHealth Parkview or St. Mary-Corwin

Identify where the driver was drinking

Photograph everything and preserve evidence

Call before the insurer does

We build the claim and pursue every policy

What you can recover after a DUI crash in Pueblo

Economic damages (never capped)

Non-economic and punitive damages

How the Colorado damage caps apply to a Pueblo DUI case

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

The Pueblo DUI accident team behind your case

Pueblo DUI accident: frequently asked questions

Related Pueblo pages and Colorado DUI practice areas

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