If you or a loved one have been injured in a Colorado bicycle accident, you know how terrifying it can be to navigate hospitals and insurance companies on your own.
Colorado’s open spaces and outdoor lifestyle draw bicycle enthusiasts from all over the world.
Unfortunately, this also attracts bicycle accidents.
The good news is that you do not have to handle a bicycle accident all alone.
In this article, the team at the Tenge Law Firm, LLC, will explain what to do after you have been injured in a bike accident in Colorado.
We will explain the Colorado statute of limitations for bicycle accidents and help you understand the urgency of filing your claims as soon as possible.
If you have questions, please contact us today.
Understanding Colorado’s Statute of Limitations for Bike Accidents
Your first priority after a bike accident is ensuring your health and safety. But next, you want to realize that the clock is now ticking on your ability to file a lawsuit.
In Colorado, all bicycle accident lawsuits have to be filed before the civil statute of limitations has expired.
This means that if your bike accident resulted from a car crash, you have three years to file a lawsuit. If no automobile was involved, you need to file a lawsuit within two years.
An experienced personal injury lawyer can discuss the pros and cons of filing a Colorado bicycle accident lawsuit with you.
The Tenge Law Firm, LLC team has decades of experience in personal injury law and in Colorado bicycle accidents.
But be aware: If you wait until the statute of limitations is about to expire, the time crunch can pose serious hurdles to your case.
When Should You File a Colorado Bicycle Accident Lawsuit?
Ideally, you should file a Colorado bicycle accident lawsuit as soon as possible after your accident.
At that time, witnesses have fresh recollections, and evidence is easy to identify.
Waiting months or years to bring a case can make it difficult and expensive to locate people who saw your crash or recall evidence related to the accident.
Speaking with a Colorado personal injury lawyer like a member of the Tenge Law Firm, LLC, can help you feel confident in your claim.
Our skills as trusted counselors and advisors run deeper than simply rushing you into court.
When we work with you as a client, we truly want to achieve the best result for you, whether that is through negotiation, litigation, or other types of dispute resolution.
What Are My Rights After a Bike Accident in Colorado?
After a Colorado bicycle accident, you have rights to certain types of damages. A bicycle accident lawsuit aims to compensate you for direct damages and monetary losses you suffered.
Direct, compensatory damages include things like medical bills and lost wages. However, you might also collect punitive damages, depending on the facts of your case.
Compensatory Economic and Non-Economic Damages
Compensatory damages aim to compensate you for financial losses arising out of the crash. Economic damages are direct financial losses.
Non-economic damages are less tangible and cannot be proven by showing a bill, but these damages are just as serious.
Such damages might include:
- Compensation for past and future medical bills related to the accident;
- Recovery of lost income;
- Payment for loss of future wages, promotions, and opportunities;
- Compensation for physical and mental pain and suffering; and
- Compensation for loss of consortium for your family.
If you have been involved in a Colorado bicycle accident, be sure to save all evidence of your expenses, damages, and costs.
Scrambling to find bills, receipts, and other evidence years after the fact is another reason that waiting two or three years to file a lawsuit can present a challenge.
Punitive Damages
Unlike compensatory damages, punitive damages are not designed to compensate for losses.
Instead, they are designed to punish the person who caused the crash–hence the name “punitive” damages.
The goal is to deter the person and others from engaging in similar bad conduct in the future.
However, these damages are quite rare in personal injury lawsuits. Colorado also has caps on non-economic damages, and these caps increase at regular intervals to keep up with inflation.
You can find the current damages cap on this Certificate published by the Colorado Secretary of State.
The Tenge Law Firm Difference
At the Tenge Law Firm, LLC, our legal team handles car accident cases in Boulder and throughout the Front Range corridor.
We can negotiate on your behalf with an insurance company and take your case to trial if necessary.
Our creative, dedicated Colorado injury accident attorneys have won numerous multi-million dollar awards and settlements for clients. We can help you, too–so contact us today.