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Windsor, Colorado. CGH Injury Lawyers represents burn injury victims in Windsor, Weld County, and Larimer County.
Windsor, Weld and Larimer Counties, Colorado

Windsor Burn Injury Lawyers Who Count Every Cost of a Serious Burn

After a serious burn in Windsor, the bills keep coming long after the first night in the hospital: skin grafts, scar care, therapy, and time away from work that can last for years. A fast insurance offer may not reflect those costs. CGH Injury Lawyers documents them in a Life Care Plan and pursues every responsible party. We serve Windsor and the surrounding Weld and Larimer County communities from our Denver office. No fee unless we win.

No fee unless we win
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Serving Windsor from our Denver Office CGH Injury Lawyers 2701 Lawrence St., Suite 201 Denver, CO 80205 (303) 209-9395 Se habla español
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What you need to know first
  • The degree and location of a burn substantially affect the medical cost and the value of a claim. A third-degree burn requiring grafting is a different case, medically and legally, than a first-degree burn that heals without surgery. We work from your actual medical records, not an estimate.
  • Colorado caps non-economic damages, compensation for pain, suffering, and similar losses, at $1.5 million for claims accruing on or after January 1, 2025, under C.R.S. 13-21-102.5. Claims that accrued earlier fall under a lower cap set by earlier law. Compensation for physical impairment or disfigurement, which includes permanent scarring, is not subject to this cap.
  • Colorado's filing deadline depends on how the burn happened. Most personal injury lawsuits, including premises liability claims, must generally be filed within two years of the injury, under C.R.S. 13-80-102. A burn caused by a motor vehicle crash generally carries a longer, three-year deadline under C.R.S. 13-80-101. Claims against a manufacturer for a defective product carry their own two-year deadline. Claims against a government entity carry a separate, much shorter notice requirement. Because the right deadline depends on who is responsible and how the burn happened, we confirm your specific timeline before anything is filed.
Who we represent

Windsor burn survivors and the people who stand with them

Burns in Windsor can happen in rental homes, at work, on the road, or when a product fails. Each of those settings can point to a different responsible party, and Colorado law offers a way to pursue each one.

Apartment and rental fire victims

A little more than one in five occupied homes in Windsor are rented, according to Census Bureau estimates for 2020 to 2024. If a landlord let wiring fall into disrepair, kept a faulty water heater in service, or did not provide a smoke alarm required by the local fire or building code, a tenant who is burned may be able to pursue a claim under Colorado's Premises Liability Act (C.R.S. 13-21-115). The landlord's responsibility can depend on how much control it kept over the unit or the area where the fire started.

Workplace and industrial burn workers

Workers' compensation generally covers medical treatment after a burn at work and replaces part of your wages within set limits. Pain and suffering falls outside it, though a limited benefit for serious scarring may apply. When a contractor, an equipment manufacturer, or a property owner other than your employer caused the burn, a separate third-party claim may allow you to pursue the losses workers' compensation does not cover.

Vehicle crash burn injuries

A crash on Colorado 392, Colorado 257, or I-25 can cause burns through a fuel fire, an electrical fire, or contact with hot vehicle parts. When a negligent driver caused the collision, the burn is part of the injury claim against that driver, and a lawsuit over a motor vehicle crash generally must be filed within three years.

Defective product burn victims

Defective space heaters, lithium-ion batteries, gas appliances, and industrial or agricultural equipment can cause serious burns. Under Colorado's strict product liability rules, you generally do not need to prove the manufacturer was careless. The claim usually depends on showing that a defect made the product unreasonably dangerous and that the defect caused your burn. These claims generally carry a two-year filing deadline.

The law that governs your case

How Colorado law shapes a Windsor burn injury claim

Four areas of Colorado law often decide the direction of a Windsor burn claim. Identifying which ones apply to you is one of the first steps in building the case.

Premises liability: C.R.S. 13-21-115

Colorado's Premises Liability Act sets the duty a landowner owes based on why a person was on the property. Colorado courts have treated paying customers, and tenants in common areas, as invitees, the group owed the highest duty of care: reasonable care to guard against dangers the landowner knew about or should have known about. For a hazard inside a rented home, a landlord's responsibility often depends on the control it kept, such as repair duties and the right to enter.

  • Scald burns from a water heater the landlord installed or maintained
  • Rental fires involving a smoke alarm that was missing or not functioning
  • Burns caused by worn or poorly maintained electrical systems

Comparative negligence: C.R.S. 13-21-111

Colorado permits recovery in a negligence or premises liability case as long as your share of fault is below 50 percent, and your award is reduced by that share. If a Windsor landlord let a smoke alarm stop working and a pan was left unattended on the stove, fault may be divided, and you may still recover part of your damages. In a defective product case, your share of fault generally reduces the award without barring it. Insurers may try to raise your share of fault, and the evidence is how that gets tested.

Non-economic damages cap: C.R.S. 13-21-102.5

In personal injury claims that arose on or after January 1, 2025, Colorado caps pain, suffering, and other non-economic damages at $1.5 million, with inflation adjustments scheduled to begin in 2028. Compensation for physical impairment or disfigurement is not limited by that cap (C.R.S. 13-21-102.5(5)), and economic losses such as medical bills, lost wages, and Life Care Plan costs are not subject to it. Claims against government entities, medical negligence claims, and wrongful death claims have separate limits. In a serious burn case, the categories outside the cap can make up much of the recovery, which is why a detailed Life Care Plan matters.

The filing deadline in Colorado

A burn injury lawsuit in Colorado generally must be filed within two years (C.R.S. 13-80-102(1)(a)), with the clock usually starting when you knew, or reasonably should have known, about the injury and its cause (C.R.S. 13-80-108(1)). A lawsuit against the driver after a motor vehicle crash generally has three years (C.R.S. 13-80-101(1)(n)). A claim against a manufacturer over a defective product generally has two years (C.R.S. 13-80-106). If a government entity may be responsible, written notice is generally required within 182 days after the injury is discovered (C.R.S. 24-10-109(1)). Children can have extra time, depending on their age and whether a court has appointed a guardian or conservator. Missing a deadline can end the claim, so confirm yours with an attorney.

Local knowledge

Windsor burn cases: Northern Colorado trauma care, two judicial districts, and Colorado 392

Windsor spans Weld and Larimer counties, and a burn case here depends on local facts: the hospital that treated you, which court may hear a lawsuit, and the roads where a crash can start a fire. Here is the ground we work on.

Trauma Care

Medical Center of the Rockies, Level I Trauma Center

Medical Center of the Rockies, at 2500 Rocky Mountain Ave. in Loveland, is a Level I trauma center on Colorado's list of designated trauma facilities. North Colorado Medical Center in Greeley is a Level II trauma center on the same list, and severe burns can be treated at a burn center verified by the American Burn Association, such as UCHealth's Burn and Frostbite Center in Aurora or HCA HealthONE Swedish in Englewood. Each facility's records, from the emergency department forward, help establish the damages in your claim.

Courthouse

Weld County (19th Judicial District) or Larimer County (8th Judicial District)

Windsor sits in two counties: about 34,600 residents live in the Weld County portion and about 9,300 in the Larimer County portion, according to Census Bureau estimates for July 2025. In Weld County, part of the 19th Judicial District, court business is handled at the Centennial Center, 915 10th Street, Greeley, CO 80631. Larimer County is part of the 8th Judicial District, and its justice center is at 201 LaPorte Ave., Suite 100, Fort Collins, CO 80521. Which court hears a case can depend on factors such as where the injury happened and where the parties are located. CGH handles cases in both districts directly.

High-Risk Roads

Colorado 392, Colorado 257, and I-25

Colorado 392 runs through Windsor as Main Street and has an interchange with I-25, and Colorado 257 connects Windsor with Greeley. The Town's 2020 Transportation Master Plan, using crash records from 2013 to 2017, found the largest concentration of crashes along Main Street between 15th Street and Hollister Lake Road and along Colorado 257 between Main Street and Eastman Park Drive, and it identified five traffic deaths in that period. A crash that ignites a fuel or electrical fire can add a burn injury to everything else a collision causes.

Local Hazards

A fast-growing town with strict burning rules

Windsor has grown from 32,716 residents in the 2020 Census to an estimated 43,840 in July 2025, according to the Census Bureau. Windsor Severance Fire Rescue covers about 100 square miles in Weld and Larimer counties, responded to 5,218 calls in 2025, and partners with UCHealth for ambulance services. Burning is not allowed inside town limits except in grills, portable cooking appliances, and similar approved devices, and a spark from a fire pit or equipment can still cause a serious burn.

Why CGH

Why Windsor burn survivors choose CGH Injury Lawyers

We do not publish settlement amounts for burn cases. A burn claim's value depends on how deep and extensive the burn is, where it is on the body, your age and work, and each party's share of fault, so another case's figure says little about yours. Here is how we approach the work.

The Framework

Burn severity, translated into strategy

We translate the medical classification of your burn into a legal strategy that fits it. The severity of the burn guides the Life Care Plan, and the Life Care Plan guides the settlement demand.

Life Care Plans

A clear record of the care ahead.

Insurers often concentrate on the emergency room bill and the first surgery. A serious burn can also lead to graft revisions years later, scar management, counseling, and lost earning capacity if scarring limits your work. Our team works with medical economists, burn surgeons, and vocational consultants to translate future care into a present value and place it before every responsible party.

Two Districts

Weld County or Larimer County, we handle both.

Depending on the facts, a Windsor lawsuit may be heard in Weld County's 19th Judicial District in Greeley or Larimer County's 8th Judicial District in Fort Collins. CGH handles cases in both districts directly.

Honest Case Review

A frank answer about your case.

If the facts fall within a legal defense, or the evidence cannot support a viable claim, we will say so during the free consultation. We do not take every inquiry, and hearing the answer early lets you choose your next step with confidence.

Trial-Ready

ABOTA advocate. 8 attorneys. Prepared for trial.

Managing Partner Kevin Cheney is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates and has tried over 25 cases to verdict. Insurers can weigh a demand differently when they know the attorneys are ready to try the case. CGH, formerly Cheney Galluzzi & Howard, was founded in 2016. A licensed Colorado attorney handles every Windsor burn case, fronts the case costs, and collects only if you recover.

Bilingual

Hablamos español.

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

After a burn injury

What to do after a burn injury in Windsor

Put your health first, then protect the evidence before it is gone. Here is the sequence we follow with every Windsor burn client.

  1. Get emergency care immediately

    Call 911 for a serious burn. Medical Center of the Rockies in Loveland is a state-designated Level I trauma center, North Colorado Medical Center in Greeley is a Level II trauma center, and patients with severe burns may be transferred to a verified burn center such as UCHealth's Burn and Frostbite Center in Aurora. A burn that looks minor can still become infected, so get examined and keep a record of every treatment.

  2. Preserve the scene and the cause

    Photograph what caused the burn, your injuries, and the area around them. Save any product or clothing involved. If a vehicle was part of the incident, do not let it be repaired or scrapped before it is inspected.

  3. Report the incident

    Tell the right party in writing: the landlord or property manager after a rental fire, your employer after a workplace burn, or law enforcement after a crash. A report made at the time creates a record that is hard for a responsible party to dispute.

  4. Do not give a recorded statement to an insurer

    Adjusters may reach out within days. What you say can be recorded and used to minimize your claim. Talk with an attorney before giving any statement. Call (303) 209-9395.

  5. We investigate and build the Life Care Plan

    We preserve evidence, bring in fire-origin investigators and burn-care physicians, collect maintenance and code records, and work with medical economists to value future costs, including graft revisions and lost earning capacity.

  6. Negotiate or file in Weld or Larimer County

    Many claims resolve once the insurer sees a documented Life Care Plan and attorneys prepared for trial. If an insurer refuses a fair resolution, we file suit in the appropriate district, commonly in Weld County or Larimer County depending on the facts, and prepare the case for trial.

Compensation

What compensation can a Windsor burn injury claim include?

Colorado law sorts damages into two broad categories. Where the caps apply, and where they do not, can decide whether a settlement covers only the first bills or the care you may need for years.

Economic damages (not subject to the non-economic cap)

  • Emergency treatment, hospital care, and intensive care
  • Debridement and skin graft surgery, including future revisions
  • Wound care, scar management, and compression garments over time
  • Physical and occupational therapy to help prevent contractures
  • Counseling and mental health care
  • Lost wages during recovery and reduced earning capacity
  • Home modifications and assistive equipment

Non-economic damages (capped, with exceptions)

  • Pain and suffering (subject to the cap in C.R.S. 13-21-102.5)
  • Permanent scarring and disfigurement (not limited by the cap under C.R.S. 13-21-102.5(5))
  • Compensation for physical impairment (not limited by the cap)
  • Emotional distress and psychological trauma
  • Loss of enjoyment of life
  • Loss of consortium for a spouse or family member

Colorado caps non-economic damages at $1.5 million in personal injury claims that arose on or after January 1, 2025 (C.R.S. 13-21-102.5), with inflation adjustments scheduled to begin in 2028. Economic losses such as medical bills and lost wages are outside that cap, and compensation for physical impairment or disfigurement is not limited by it (C.R.S. 13-21-102.5(5)). Claims against government entities are subject to separate limits on the total recovery. For third- and fourth-degree burns, the categories outside the cap can be where much of the recovery comes from, which is why documenting future costs in a Life Care Plan is so important.

Defenses insurers raise

How insurers contest Windsor burn claims, and how we answer

Insurers depend on a familiar set of arguments to reduce or deny burn claims. Knowing what Colorado law requires for each one helps keep a valid claim moving forward.

  1. "You were comparatively at fault"

    An adjuster may overstate your share of fault to lower the payment. In negligence and premises cases, Colorado's modified comparative negligence rule (C.R.S. 13-21-111) allows recovery when your share of fault is less than 50 percent, with the award reduced by that share. We counter those claims with fire-origin analysis, maintenance records, and qualified witness testimony.

  2. "We only owe the emergency bill"

    An early offer may cover today's treatment and overlook the graft revision years ahead, the scar care, the counseling, and the income you may lose. A Life Care Plan prepared with a medical economist puts those future costs in writing. We finish that plan before the demand goes out.

  3. "The property was posted" or "You were not an invitee"

    Under Colorado's Premises Liability Act (C.R.S. 13-21-115), a landowner's duty depends on why the injured person was on the property. Colorado courts have treated paying customers, and tenants in common areas, as invitees owed the highest duty. Inside a rental unit, the landlord's responsibility often depends on how much control it kept, so a sign posted after the fact, or a claim that a tenant had no reason to be in a shared area, may not decide the question.

  4. "Workers comp is your only remedy"

    Against an insured employer, workers' compensation is generally the only claim available for an on-the-job injury. A contractor, equipment manufacturer, subcontractor, or property owner that is not your employer may still face a separate third-party claim, which can include losses such as pain and suffering that workers' compensation does not pay.

Who pays

Insurance in Windsor burn injury cases

Who pays depends on how the burn happened. We look for every coverage source that may apply so no policy is left out.

  • Rental home fire: the landlord's liability policy may respond, and a renters policy may apply in some situations. A landlord who owns several rental properties in Windsor may carry commercial coverage with higher limits than a typical homeowner policy.
  • Workplace burn: workers' compensation generally pays for medical care and part of lost wages within set limits, includes a limited benefit for serious scarring, and does not pay for pain and suffering. A third-party claim against a manufacturer or contractor can proceed alongside it.
  • Vehicle crash fire: the at-fault driver's auto liability policy is usually the primary source. If that driver was underinsured, your own uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage may add another layer.
  • Defective product: the manufacturer, distributor, and sometimes the retailer may each carry product liability insurance, so more than one policy may be available.
  • An insurer's aim is to pay as little as it can. Your attorney's role is to document the full loss and hold the insurer to its obligations, which is why representation from the start can matter.
Questions

Windsor burn injury claims: frequently asked questions

How long do I have to file a burn injury lawsuit in Windsor?

A burn injury lawsuit in Colorado generally must be filed within two years (C.R.S. 13-80-102(1)(a)), usually counted from when you knew, or reasonably should have known, about the injury and its cause. If a motor vehicle crash caused the burn, a lawsuit against the driver generally has three years (C.R.S. 13-80-101(1)(n)). If a government entity may be responsible, the Colorado Governmental Immunity Act generally requires written notice within 182 days after the injury is discovered (C.R.S. 24-10-109(1)), and missing that notice can bar the claim. Children can sometimes file later, depending on age and whether a court has appointed a guardian or conservator, though the 182-day government notice generally still applies to minors. Confirm your deadline with an attorney.

Where would a Windsor burn injury lawsuit be filed?

Because Windsor spans two counties, a personal injury lawsuit above the county court limit may be heard in Weld County's 19th Judicial District, where court business is handled at the Centennial Center, 915 10th Street, Greeley, CO 80631, or in Larimer County's 8th Judicial District at the Larimer County Justice Center, 201 LaPorte Ave., Suite 100, Fort Collins, CO 80521. Which court hears the case can depend on factors such as where the injury happened and where the parties are located. CGH handles cases in both districts directly, without referring your case to another firm.

Is there a limit on burn injury damages in Colorado?

For certain damages, yes. In personal injury claims that arose on or after January 1, 2025, Colorado caps non-economic damages such as pain and suffering at $1.5 million (C.R.S. 13-21-102.5), with inflation adjustments scheduled to begin in 2028. Compensation for physical impairment or disfigurement is not limited by that cap (C.R.S. 13-21-102.5(5)), and neither are economic losses such as medical bills and lost wages. Claims against a government entity face their own limits on the total recovery. When a burn is serious, the uncapped damages can be a larger part of the case than the capped ones.

Can I recover if I was partly at fault for the burn?

Often, yes. In negligence and premises liability cases, Colorado's modified comparative negligence rule (C.R.S. 13-21-111) allows recovery when your share of fault is less than 50 percent, with the award reduced by that share. At 50 percent or more, recovery is barred. In a defective product case, your share of fault generally reduces the award without barring it. Insurers may overstate an injured person's fault, and evidence is how that gets challenged.

Which hospitals treat serious burns near Windsor?

Medical Center of the Rockies, at 2500 Rocky Mountain Ave. in Loveland, is a Level I trauma center on the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment's list of designated trauma facilities, and North Colorado Medical Center, at 1801 16th St. in Greeley, is a Level II trauma center on the same list. For severe burns, as of September 2026 the American Burn Association lists two verified burn centers in Colorado: UCHealth's Burn and Frostbite Center on the Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora and HCA HealthONE Swedish in Englewood. Keep every medical record, from the ambulance report onward, because together they document the full extent of your injury.

Can I sue my landlord after a burn injury in a Windsor rental?

In many situations, yes. Under Colorado's Premises Liability Act (C.R.S. 13-21-115), a landlord can be responsible for dangers it knew about or should have known about in areas it controls, such as shared hallways and parking areas. For a problem inside the unit itself, a great deal depends on the control the landlord kept, such as repair duties and the right to enter. A landlord may be held responsible for a burn caused by a defective appliance it supplied, wiring it allowed to deteriorate, or a code-required smoke alarm it left missing or broken. The key questions are usually what the landlord knew, what it did, and whether that failure caused the burn.

I was burned at work in Windsor. Can I sue the equipment manufacturer?

Possibly. Workers' compensation is generally the only claim available against an insured employer, so you usually cannot sue your own employer for negligence. If an equipment manufacturer, subcontractor, or property owner that is not your employer contributed to the burn, a separate third-party claim may be available. For defective equipment, Colorado's strict product liability rules generally do not require proof that the manufacturer was careless, though the manufacturer may raise defenses such as unforeseeable misuse. Pain and suffering, which workers' compensation does not pay, can be part of a third-party claim.

Does CGH Injury Lawyers have an office in Windsor?

No. CGH Injury Lawyers serves Windsor, Weld County, and Larimer County from our Denver office at 2701 Lawrence St., Suite 201, Denver, CO 80205. We handle cases in both judicial districts directly and meet Windsor clients at our Denver office or another convenient location, including by phone or video. Call (303) 209-9395 to schedule a free consultation.

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It's More Than Money.

A serious burn changes the years that follow. We document the full cost and pursue those responsible.

Free consultation. No fee unless we win. Serving Windsor, Weld County, and Larimer County from our Denver office.

Tell us what happened

100% confidential. No fee unless we win.

Call (303) 209-9395 Get my free burn injury case review

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CGH Injury Lawyers · 2701 Lawrence St., Suite 201, Denver, CO 80205