Car accident in Colorado? You need to contact a lawyer!
Collisions, crashes, rear-enders – Traffic accidents are quite common in Colorado. If you end up with injuries in an accident that wasn’t your fault, you must ‘lawyer up’. Colorado is a fault state, so the party responsible for the accident must pay compensation for your damages. No matter the circumstances, contacting a car crash attorney in Colorado may actually help your case. Here are some things to know before you hire an attorney!
Limited time is a concern
The statute of limitations in Colorado allows a period of three years, from the date of accident, to file an injury lawsuit against the party at fault. While that may look like a long time, one must take action and gather evidence from an early stage, and an attorney is your best bet for that. Also, the statute of limitations doesn’t apply to insurance claims, so you must file your claim with the at-fault party’s insurer within a reasonable time. If the accident resulted in someone’s death, you have two years to file a wrongful death lawsuit.
You need advice
Keep in mind that car accident claims are rarely easy to understand. What happens when you have a part share in fault? What if there were multiple vehicles involved? If you were injured, but the other party was injured more, can you still seek compensation? A personal injury attorney can answer all those questions and more. You need an attorney, so that you can evaluate the worth of your claim.
The modified comparative negligence rule
Colorado is a modified comparative negligence state. This means that if your share of fault is more than or equal to 50%, you cannot recover anything at all. You can file a personal injury lawsuit otherwise, but your eventual compensation will be reduced by your share of fault in percentage. In the real world, insurance companies often use bad faith insurance tactics and may use the modified comparative negligence rule against you, even with minor fault. Hire an attorney, so that you don’t have to deal with all that on your own.
Free consultation
The good news is most personal injury attorneys in Colorado will be happy to offer a free initial consultation for your case. They can guide you on the claim, and if you have one in the first place. Also, you don’t need to pay a lawyer upfront. Usually, personal injury attorneys work on a contingency fee, where they charge a fee if and only they win.
