Home › Personal Injury Laws by State › Colorado Personal Injury Laws

Colorado generally requires many tort actions, including negligence claims, to be filed within two years after the claim accrues, while tort actions for bodily injury or property damage arising from the use or operation of a motor vehicle generally have a three-year period. Different rules, accrual questions, exceptions, tolling provisions, and notice requirements may apply depending on the claim and the parties involved. This page cannot determine which deadline applies to any particular situation; only a licensed Colorado attorney reviewing the facts can do that.

Colorado generally follows an at-fault system for motor-vehicle injury claims. Liability ordinarily depends on who caused the collision. The compensation available in any particular matter generally depends on the injuries or losses involved and the insurance coverage that applies. How these rules apply in any individual situation depends on its facts, and if the parties involved cannot agree on liability, the court process may be necessary to resolve it.

Colorado follows a modified comparative-negligence rule. In general terms, compensation may be reduced according to an injured person's share of fault, and recovery is generally barred when that person's fault is equal to or greater than the fault attributed to the opposing party or parties. Fault allocation is fact-dependent, and how it applies in any particular matter depends on its facts and may have to be determined by a court of law.

Colorado generally requires vehicle owners to maintain liability insurance that meets minimum requirements established by state law. Insurers also generally provide uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage unless the policyholder rejects or reduces that coverage in writing. The coverage available in any particular situation depends on the policies involved and current law.

Colorado law limits certain categories of damages in some kinds of civil cases. The existence and application of a limit can depend on the type of claim, when it arose or was filed, and other statutory rules. Because these provisions and amounts may change, this page does not state a dollar figure or determine whether any limit applies to a particular matter.

Colorado personal injury lawsuits may be filed in the state's district courts, which have general civil jurisdiction, or in county court for some more limited civil matters. Many injury claims are resolved through insurance processes or negotiation without a lawsuit being filed. Which court, if any, would be appropriate depends on the nature of the claim, the relief involved, and other facts that a licensed Colorado attorney can evaluate.

A licensed Colorado attorney can explain how rules involving deadlines, fault, insurance, damages, and procedure may apply to a specific situation—something a general reference page cannot do. This platform helps injured people seek connections with participating local personal injury attorney offices in the Colorado communities listed below, based on availability. Requesting a connection is free and carries no obligation to hire an attorney.