Car accidents can change a person’s life in seconds. One moment you are tooling down Highway 50 and the next your car could be in a ditch or flipped over. Even worse, you might be so badly injured that you cannot return to work, all the while medical bills are mounting. Car accidents put enormous stress on individuals and families who often do not know where to turn.
At Cimarron Ridge Legal Group, we work hard to obtain the maximum compensation for our clients to cover their expenses following a car wreck. Negotiating a settlement is never easy, and accident victims would benefit by contacting our Montrose car accident lawyers for help.
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Prime Causes of Car Accidents
Many car accidents are caused by negligence, which is the failure to use appropriate care when driving. There are many examples of negligence, including:
- Failure to yield
- Failure to check blind spots when changing lanes or backing up
- Failure to use mirrors
- Drifting into oncoming traffic
- Driving while distracted
- Texting while driving
- Eating while driving
- Tending to a pet when a vehicle is in motion
Other accidents are caused by reckless drivers, who appreciate that their conduct is dangerous but go ahead anyway. Common examples of recklessness include speeding, tailgating, illegally passing, driving into a crowd, and driving while intoxicated.
Whether caused by negligent or reckless motorists, car accidents are serious business. Let our Montrose car accident lawyers review the facts and circumstances to assess liability.
How a Montrose Car Accident Attorney Can Help
Obtaining a settlement is not as easy as you might hope. At our law firm, we meet with men and women who have struggled for months to get an insurance company to take their claim seriously. Our lawyers know that insurance companies aggressively deny claims or try to minimize a person’s pain and suffering so they do not have to pay out fair compensation. Sometimes it is hard to even get an insurance adjuster on the line.
Our attorneys can help you from the moment you are involved in the wreck. We can begin gathering evidence to prove fault. Colorado is a fault state, which means that the motorist responsible for the wreck must pay compensation to those injured. We can collect evidence that shows another driver bears the majority of blame for the accident.
We can also help clients document their losses. Our clients often receive compensation for lost income, medical expenses, future medical bills, and property damage. We will pull together all receipts, bills, and repair estimates that back up a claim.
Many of our clients also qualify for pain and suffering and/or emotional distress damages arising out of their injuries. Someone with a broken back, for example, can experience excruciating pain and become depressed because of their immobility. Our team has deep experience documenting these types of intangible losses and can present them in a compelling way to an insurer.
Colorado Car Accident Laws
Several state laws can affect a car accident claim. For example, Colorado’s statute of limitations (C.R.S. § 13-80-101) requires that victims bring a lawsuit within 3 years for personal injuries caused by a motor vehicle accident. As an example, someone injured on July 1, 2020 must file a lawsuit by July 1, 2023, otherwise they can lose the ability to sue.
Colorado is also a comparative fault state. Under C.R.S. § 13-21-111, a person’s own negligence does not prevent a recovery for damages so long as their negligence was “not as great” as the defendant’s. This means that our clients can be up to 49% responsible for an accident—but not 50%. Many insurers use the comparative negligence law to their advantage, claiming our clients are equally responsible for their injuries.
Another state law that comes into play involves exemplary damages, also called punitive damages. In some cases where the defendant’s conduct was particularly bad, we can seek exemplary damages as a form of punishment. For example, the defendant might have driven onto the sidewalk or into a crowd, exhibiting indifference to the safety of others. This type of conduct warrants punishment.
Speak with a Montrose Car Accident Lawyer Today
At Cimarron Ridge Legal Group, we have handled some of the most complex car accident cases in Montrose and surrounding areas. Our lawyers have negotiated settlements big and small, but we always keep our clients’ wellbeing at the forefront of everything we do. To speak with one of our lawyers, please call us today to schedule a free consultation in a confidential setting.
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