Personal injury lawyer help in Garfield County, Colorado

Garfield County, Colorado includes 7 named communities, the largest being Glenwood Springs, Rifle, Carbondale. Whether an accident happened on a county road, in a small town or in one of the larger communities, the same Colorado rules apply: a 2-year filing deadline for most injury claims, modified comparative negligence (50% bar), and lawsuits filed in the Garfield County District Court. This page is the county-wide guide, with links to a page for each community.

Ask Legal Matters is a free claim-review request service, not a law firm. Requests from Garfield County may be shared with independent attorneys and legal services partners who handle car, truck, motorcycle and pedestrian accidents, slip and fall injuries, workplace injuries and workers' compensation, medical malpractice and wrongful death matters in Colorado. There is no charge to submit a request and no obligation to hire anyone.

Each community below has its own guide with the local court, insurance rules and every type of injury claim.

• Glenwood Springs, COpop. 9,906
• Rifle, COpop. 9,563
• Carbondale, COpop. 6,670
• New Castle, COpop. 4,669
• Battlement Mesa, COpop. 4,471
• Silt, COpop. 3,043
• Parachute, COpop. 1,105

Colorado generally gives an injured person two years from the date of injury to file a personal injury lawsuit (C.R.S. § 13-80-102); medical malpractice claims generally must be filed within two years, and wrongful death claims typically run from the date of death. Injuries caused by a motor vehicle have a three-year period under C.R.S. § 13-80-101(1)(n). Claims against a city, county, school district or state agency require a formal notice of claim far sooner, sometimes within a few months. Once the deadline passes, the Garfield County District Court will dismiss the case regardless of how clear the fault was, so the practical rule in Garfield County is to get legal advice early.

Colorado follows modified comparative negligence (50% bar). In plain terms, you can recover only if you were less than 50% at fault, and your award is reduced by your share of fault. Insurance adjusters apply this rule from the first phone call, which is why the way an accident is described and documented in the days after it happens in Garfield County has a direct effect on what a claim is worth.

After a crash in Garfield County, the at-fault driver's liability insurance is the primary source of compensation. Colorado requires drivers to carry only 25/50/15 in coverage (thousands of dollars for bodily injury per person, per accident, and property damage), which serious injuries quickly exhaust. Underinsured motorist coverage on your own policy and claims against additional responsible parties often make the difference in Garfield County cases.

Lawsuits arising from accidents in Garfield County are typically filed in the Garfield County District Court, the trial court of general jurisdiction for Garfield County, although cases can sometimes be filed where the defendant resides or does business, and claims against out-of-state trucking companies or manufacturers may end up in federal court. Most claims settle before trial, but the credible ability to try a case in Garfield County is what moves insurers to pay fair value.

Employees injured on the job in Garfield County are generally covered by Colorado workers' compensation, administered through the Colorado Division of Workers' Compensation. Report the injury to your employer immediately and file a claim within the state's deadline (generally about two years). Workers' compensation does not pay for pain and suffering, so when a third party such as a subcontractor, driver or equipment manufacturer caused the injury, a separate personal injury claim is often worth pursuing alongside it.

• Pitkin County, CO
• Delta County, CO
• Eagle County, CO
• Rio Blanco County, CO

See the Colorado personal injury guide for every county in the state.