Superior Colorado Truck Accident Lawyers

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A truck accident claim on US-36 near Superior involves federal FMCSA regulations, Colorado safety statutes, and a chain of liability that extends well past the driver to the carrier, cargo loaders, maintenance contractors, and parts manufacturers. These multiple layers are where the largest compensation lives, and where carriers try hardest to conceal evidence before a lawsuit can be filed.
Colorado gives you three years from the date of a crash to file a lawsuit for injuries caused by a commercial motor vehicle (C.R.S. 13-80-101(1)(n)). Engine control module black box data may be overwritten in 30 days and dashcam footage in 30 to 90 days. The first 72 hours after a truck crash are the most critical window for evidence preservation, and a written demand to the carrier is the only reliable way to stop the clock on that destruction.
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). Economic damages and compensation for physical impairment or disfigurement are never capped under Colorado law, which is why severe truck crash injuries often produce recoveries that substantially exceed the non-economic limit.

Superior sits on the US-36 commuter corridor between Denver and Boulder, a highway that carries not just passenger vehicles but commercial delivery trucks, construction supply vehicles, and regional freight serving the Boulder County area. Post-Marshall Fire rebuilding has increased heavy commercial vehicle traffic through Superior's McCaslin Boulevard and Rock Creek Road corridors, as construction suppliers and contractors serve the active rebuild zones. CGH Injury Lawyers serves Superior and all of Boulder County from our Denver office. We secure the black box data, serve the carrier with a spoliation letter, and build the claim to trial. CGH Injury Lawyers does not have a Superior office. We serve Superior from our Denver office and come to you.

Why truck cases differ

Why a Superior truck accident claim is not the same as a car accident claim

Commercial truck crashes carry more defendants, more regulations, and more evidence than a typical collision. A crash on US-36 involving an 18-wheeler or a heavy construction delivery truck is governed by a layer of federal and Colorado law that most injury attorneys never encounter. Each layer is a place to prove fault, and a place where a carrier will try to bury evidence before you find it.

More parties can be at fault

The driver, for their own negligence including speeding, fatigue, or distracted driving on the US-36 corridor
The trucking company, for negligent hiring, training, supervision, or deferred maintenance on the truck
Cargo loaders and freight brokers when improper loading shifts weight and causes a rollover or lane departure near the McCaslin interchange
The truck or parts manufacturer when a brake defect, tire failure, or steering fault contributed to the crash
Third-party maintenance contractors who serviced the truck before the crash date
General contractors and subcontractors for construction vehicles serving the Rock Creek rebuild area

Critical evidence that disappears fast

Electronic logging device data showing real hours driven versus what the carrier reported, retained under federal law for six months but routinely overwritten if no preservation demand is served promptly
Engine control module black box data capturing speed, braking, and throttle position in the seconds before impact, often stored for only 30 days before automatic overwrite
Forward and driver-facing dashcam footage, typically deleted or overwritten in 30 to 90 days depending on the carrier's system
Maintenance records that reveal whether the carrier deferred brake, tire, or steering repairs on the specific truck that struck you
Driver qualification files, drug and alcohol testing records, and prior inspection reports from the FMCSA safety database

Courts look past the independent contractor label when determining carrier liability. When a trucking company controls the work, it can be vicariously liable under respondeat superior. Even a truly independent driver does not shield the carrier from direct claims for negligent hiring, training, or maintenance. Acting within the first 72 hours to demand preservation of ELD data, ECM data, dashcam footage, and maintenance records is the single most consequential step you can take after a Superior truck crash. The Graves Amendment (49 U.S.C. 30106) limits some claims against vehicle lessors, but does not protect carriers that are also in the trucking business or that negligently maintained the leased vehicle.

Federal Hours of Service (49 CFR Part 395)

11-hour driving limit after 10 consecutive hours off duty for property-carrying drivers
14-hour on-duty window that cannot be extended by short breaks or rest periods taken in the cab
30-minute break required after 8 cumulative hours of driving time without interruption
60 hours on duty in 7 consecutive days, or 70 hours in 8 days, maximum for weekly cycles
Electronic logging devices required since December 2017 under 49 CFR Part 395, Subpart B, making Hours of Service falsification far more difficult to conceal than under paper log systems
The adverse-driving-conditions exception under 49 CFR 395.1(b)(1) allows a 2-hour extension but does not excuse a fatigued driver who should have anticipated Front Range weather before departing

Colorado-specific duties on US-36 and the Front Range

C.R.S. 42-4-235 sets minimum commercial vehicle safety equipment standards for vehicles operating in Colorado; a violation establishes negligence per se without requiring separate proof of unreasonableness
CDOT Code 16 chain law requires commercial trucks to chain up on affected corridors when activated; trucks routing through the US-36 and I-70 interchange area must comply when Code 16 is in effect on connected routes
Commercial trucks must carry chains on I-70 mountain corridors between September 1 and May 31; carriers delivering through Superior toward I-70 must plan for compliance
Gross weight limits of 80,000 pounds on interstate routes, 20,000 per single axle, and 34,000 per tandem axle apply to trucks operating on the US-36 corridor through Superior
C.R.S. 42-4-1010 governs mandatory brake check stations before major grades; trucks descending approaches to the Front Range on routes connecting to US-36 must comply before entering the corridor

Front Range weather on US-36 can include ice, blowing snow, and rapid visibility drops near the foothills west of Superior, conditions that activate Code 16 on nearby corridors and demand that carriers adjust speed and equipment before entering the corridor. Carriers that allow drivers to proceed without proper equipment, or that fail to train drivers on chain law compliance, lose the bad-weather defense when the crash happens on a foreseeable route. A post-Marshall Fire construction delivery truck that hits you on McCaslin Boulevard or Rock Creek Road may also face direct FMCSA scrutiny if it was operating as a for-hire carrier subject to federal safety rules regardless of the local job site nature of the work.

Courthouse

Boulder County District Court, 20th Judicial District

A Superior civil lawsuit exceeding the county court jurisdictional limit is filed in the 20th Judicial District of Colorado at the Boulder County District Court, 1777 Sixth St., Boulder, CO 80302. The 20th Judicial District covers all of Boulder County, including Superior. Every serious Superior truck accident claim that goes to litigation lands in this court, before a Boulder County jury. CGH Injury Lawyers does not have a Superior office. We serve Superior from our Denver office, file in Boulder County District Court, and come to you. We handle 20th Judicial District cases directly from our Denver team with no surcharge for Boulder County clients.

Trauma Care

Foothills Hospital (Boulder) and Longmont United Hospital

Superior does not have its own acute-care hospital. Foothills Hospital in Boulder is approximately eight miles from central Superior and is the nearest full-service hospital for many crash and injury victims in the area. Longmont United Hospital is approximately 14 miles away and provides additional care for Boulder County residents. A commercial truck crash on US-36 at highway speed can produce orthopedic, spinal, and traumatic brain injuries severe enough to require transfer from the initial receiving facility to a higher-level Denver-area trauma center. Every record from first transport through final treatment forms the foundation of the damages case. We gather records from all treating facilities from the beginning of every Superior truck accident claim, without waiting for the client to track them down.

Truck Corridors

US-36, McCaslin Boulevard, and Rock Creek Road

US Highway 36 runs directly through Superior and is the primary commuter and commercial artery connecting Boulder County communities to the Denver metro. At peak travel times, high-speed traffic mixes with commercial delivery trucks, construction supply vehicles, and regional freight carriers on this corridor. The McCaslin Boulevard interchange is where local traffic exits and enters US-36, creating lane-change and merge conflicts between passenger vehicles and commercial trucks traveling at highway speed. McCaslin Boulevard itself is the principal north-south arterial through Superior, serving thousands of Rock Creek residential neighborhood residents daily while also carrying commercial vehicles to and from US-36. Rock Creek Road feeds the interior of the Rock Creek community, where post-Marshall Fire reconstruction has significantly increased heavy construction vehicle traffic near residential streets. The December 2021 Marshall Fire displaced many Rock Creek area residents and triggered a sustained rebuilding effort that brought construction vehicle traffic into streets not designed for heavy commercial loads.

Get emergency care immediately

Commercial truck crashes at highway speed on US-36 produce forces far beyond a typical passenger car collision. Injuries that feel manageable at the scene can involve hidden spinal, nerve, or internal damage that shows up over the days following the impact. Let emergency responders transport you to Foothills Hospital in Boulder, approximately eight miles from central Superior, or to the nearest appropriate facility. Keep every record from that visit forward, because the chain of medical documentation is what builds your damages case and supports future care projections.
Document the scene while you can

If you are physically able, photograph the vehicles, the road surface, skid marks, road signs, weather conditions, and your injuries. On US-36 or at the McCaslin Boulevard interchange, look for the truck's DOT number on the door panel and the carrier name on the cab door. Get the contact information of any witnesses before they leave the scene. Traffic and roadway camera footage from the US-36 corridor may preserve evidence for only a short window before automatic overwrite.
Call us within 72 hours, before evidence disappears

ECM black box data may be overwritten after 30 days and dashcam footage after 30 to 90 days. We send a spoliation letter to the carrier demanding preservation of ELD data, driver logs, ECM data, dashcam footage, and maintenance records. Once that letter is served, the carrier has a legal duty to preserve the evidence. Delay in making that demand is how cases are lost before they are filed. Call (303) 209-9395 now.
Do not give the carrier's insurer a recorded statement

Commercial carriers maintain large insurance policies and employ experienced claims adjusters who may call you within hours of the crash. Giving a recorded statement before you have an attorney is one of the most damaging things an injured person can do. Refer all contact from the carrier or its insurer to our office. The same rule applies to any construction contractor's insurance company if a construction vehicle struck you on McCaslin Boulevard or Rock Creek Road during the post-Marshall Fire rebuild period.
We investigate every party and build the full claim

We look past the driver to the carrier, cargo loaders, maintenance contractors, and parts manufacturers. We work with accident reconstruction specialists, analyze the ELD data against Hours of Service limits under 49 CFR Part 395, map regulatory violations onto the legal theory, and document every category of damages Colorado law allows: current medical bills and lost wages through future care projections and compensation for physical impairment without limit.
Negotiate or litigate in Boulder County

Most cases settle. When a carrier refuses fair value, we file in Boulder County District Court, 1777 Sixth St., Boulder, CO 80302, within the 20th Judicial District, and try your case before a Boulder County jury. We prepare every case as if it will go to verdict, which is exactly why insurance adjusters respond differently to our demand letters than to those from settlement-only firms. Managing Partner Kevin Cheney has tried over 25 cases to verdict as an ABOTA member. Timothy G. Tarr has been recognized by Best Lawyers every year since 2023.

Economic damages (never capped)

Emergency treatment, surgery, and hospitalization at Foothills Hospital in Boulder or any receiving facility, from the first transport through current date of claim
Ongoing rehabilitation, physical therapy, and specialist care across the full treatment period
Future medical costs for permanent or long-term injuries, supported by life-care planner projections
Lost wages during recovery and reduced future earning capacity across the remaining working life
Property damage to your vehicle and personal property destroyed in the crash

Non-economic and punitive damages

Physical pain and suffering, capped at $1.5 million for claims accruing on or after January 1, 2025 (C.R.S. 13-21-102.5), with inflation adjustments beginning in 2028
Compensation for physical impairment or disfigurement, which is not capped under Colorado law and is often the largest element in serious truck crash cases involving permanent orthopedic or neurological injury
Emotional distress, trauma, and loss of enjoyment of life resulting from the crash and recovery
Wrongful death recovery where a truck crash kills a family member: non-economic damages capped at $2,125,000 for claims on or after January 1, 2025 under C.R.S. 13-21-203(1)(a)
Punitive damages in cases of egregious or willful conduct: up to an amount equal to actual damages under C.R.S. 13-21-102(1)(a), and potentially up to three times actual damages when a court finds the defendant continued willful and wanton conduct after the lawsuit was filed

Colorado's modified comparative negligence rule (C.R.S. 13-21-111) means you can still recover from a truck crash even if you share some of the fault, as long as your share is less than 50 percent. If your share reaches 50 percent or more, you recover nothing. Carriers routinely deploy defense teams whose job is to inflate your fault percentage and shrink the payout. On the US-36 corridor and the McCaslin Boulevard interchange, where merge speeds and lane positions can be contested after a crash, a lawyer who challenges inflated fault assignments with physical evidence and ELD data is essential from the beginning of the claim. Federal minimum liability insurance for commercial carriers under 49 CFR Part 387 starts at $750,000 for general freight and reaches $5,000,000 for certain hazardous cargo operations; many carriers carry substantially more, and freight brokers may hold additional coverage available to injured claimants.

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Your team

Trial lawyers who know the federal trucking rulebook

CGH Injury Lawyers is a Colorado personal injury firm, formerly Cheney Galluzzi and Howard, LLC, founded in 2016. 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. Our truck accident attorneys understand the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations and the chain of responsibility behind a commercial crash. CGH Injury Lawyers does not have a Superior office. We serve Boulder County from our Denver office at 2701 Lawrence St., Suite 201, and come to you. Every case is handled by a licensed Colorado attorney, in English and Spanish.

ABOTA member on the team Tim Tarr: Best Lawyers in America since 2023 Over 25 cases to verdict FMCSA and FMCSR focused Boulder County and 20th Judicial District Bilingual EN / ES Free consultation No fee unless we win

Meet our attorneys

How long do I have to file a truck accident lawsuit in Superior?

Colorado gives you three years from the date of the crash to file a lawsuit for injuries arising from a commercial motor vehicle collision (C.R.S. 13-80-101(1)(n)). That deadline applies to the claim against both the driver and the carrier. If a government entity owned the truck, maintained the road, or contributed to the crash, a separate written notice of claim is required within 182 days of discovering the injury under the Colorado Governmental Immunity Act (C.R.S. 24-10-109(1)). The 182-day notice clock runs from the date you discovered the injury, not necessarily the date of the crash. Missing this notice deadline bars the government claim entirely, regardless of how strong the underlying facts are. Consult an attorney as soon as possible after any commercial truck crash in Superior or anywhere on the US-36 corridor.

Where would a Superior truck accident lawsuit be filed?

Personal injury lawsuits arising from truck crashes in Superior are filed in Boulder County District Court at 1777 Sixth St., Boulder, CO 80302, within the 20th Judicial District of Colorado. Superior sits entirely within Boulder County, so every Superior truck accident case that goes to litigation lands in this court and faces a Boulder County jury. Most cases settle before any lawsuit is filed, but knowing where the claim would be tried affects how carriers and their insurers respond to demand letters. We file and try 20th Judicial District cases directly from our Denver office with no extra charge for Boulder County clients.

Who is liable in a Superior truck accident, the driver or the company?

Both may be liable, and often additional parties are as well. The driver is responsible for their own negligence. The trucking company can be vicariously liable under respondeat superior if the driver was an employee, or directly liable for negligent hiring, training, supervision, or maintenance. Cargo loaders and freight brokers may be liable when improper loading caused a lane departure or rollover on US-36. Parts manufacturers can be liable when a brake or tire defect contributed to the crash. In a post-Marshall Fire construction vehicle case on Rock Creek Road or McCaslin Boulevard, the general contractor or subcontractor may also bear responsibility. Identifying every liable party is how a Superior truck accident claim reaches its full value, and it requires acting quickly before evidence is destroyed.

What is the Hours of Service rule and why does it matter for my Superior claim?

The FMCSA limits commercial truck drivers to 11 hours of driving after 10 consecutive hours off duty, within a 14-hour on-duty window, with a 30-minute break required after 8 cumulative hours of driving (49 CFR Part 395). Exceeding these limits produces driver fatigue, one of the leading causes of commercial truck crashes at highway speed. Since December 2017, electronic logging devices have recorded actual driving time, making it far harder for carriers to hide Hours of Service violations than under the old paper log system. The ELD data from the truck that hit you on US-36 is one of the most powerful pieces of evidence in any fatigue-related claim, and it must be preserved within the first 72 hours before the carrier overwrites it. We send a preservation demand to the carrier as one of the first steps after retention.

Can a Superior truck crash victim still recover if they were partly at fault?

Often yes. Colorado follows a modified comparative negligence rule (C.R.S. 13-21-111). If your share of fault is less than 50 percent, you can still recover damages, though your award is reduced by your percentage of fault. If your share reaches 50 percent or more, you recover nothing. On the US-36 corridor and the McCaslin Boulevard interchange, where lane positions and merge speeds can be disputed after a crash, carriers and their insurers routinely try to inflate the victim's fault percentage as a way to minimize the payout or eliminate recovery entirely. Having a lawyer who can counter that effort with ELD data, physical evidence, and accident reconstruction is essential from the first interaction with the carrier.

Does CGH Injury Lawyers have an office in Superior?

No. CGH Injury Lawyers does not have a Superior office. We serve Superior from our Denver office and come to you. Our only office is at 2701 Lawrence St., Suite 201, Denver, CO 80205. We serve Superior and Boulder County truck accident clients from Denver, file in Boulder County District Court at 1777 Sixth St., Boulder, CO 80302, and meet you wherever is most convenient, including at your home. Reach us at (303) 209-9395. All expert costs are advanced on contingency. You pay nothing unless we win.

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Colorado truck accident lawyers

Practice Areas

Get Help

Superior Truck Accident Lawyers Who Take On Carriers, Not Just Drivers

Why a Superior truck accident claim is not the same as a car accident claim

More parties can be at fault

Critical evidence that disappears fast

The trucking regulations that decide your Superior case

Federal Hours of Service (49 CFR Part 395)

Colorado-specific duties on US-36 and the Front Range

Superior courts. Superior trauma care. Superior truck corridors.

Boulder County District Court, 20th Judicial District

Foothills Hospital (Boulder) and Longmont United Hospital

US-36, McCaslin Boulevard, and Rock Creek Road

What to do after a commercial truck accident in Superior

Get emergency care immediately

Document the scene while you can

Call us within 72 hours, before evidence disappears

Do not give the carrier's insurer a recorded statement

We investigate every party and build the full claim

Negotiate or litigate in Boulder County

Compensation after a Superior truck accident: what Colorado law allows

Economic damages (never capped)

Non-economic and punitive damages

Trial lawyers who know the federal trucking rulebook

Superior truck accident, frequently asked questions

Related pages

Get a free Superior truck accident case review

You were hit by a truck near Superior. We hold the carrier accountable.