General FAQ

Every injury case in Colorado has what is known as a Statute of Limitation. This is the time frame by which a lawsuit must be filed under Colorado law or the case will be barred and forever lost. In most cases, we are able to resolve the matter through negotiations and by sending what the industry refers to as a "demand letter." However, often a lawsuit is necessary simply because time is about to run or the insurance company makes a low ball offer. Whether or not you actually hire an attorney for your automobile accident or other negligence cases in Colorado, you should immediately contact an attorney to determine the time frame by which your suit must be filed. 

Economic damages are best viewed as monetary losses or "out of pocket expenses." Most cases have at least three types of economic damage. Property damage, medical bills, and wage loss. In Colorado, property damage is often paid for upfront by an insurance company in an automobile accident case. In motor vehicle collision cases, the primary property damage occurs to the car itself. However, other property damage may include items being transported in a car and even clothing which is often cut off by paramedics. It is not unusual these days to have a laptop computer, radar detector, an iPod, or other high tech devices included as part of property damage. Usually, insurance carriers will pay for a rental car under the property damage coverage in Colorado whether there is an automobile accident in Denver, Grand Junction, or Durango.

If you need assistance with a property damage claim, the injury lawyers at Western States Law, P.C. can help. If a lawsuit is not necessary on the issue, the injury attorneys at Western States Law, P.C. usually help their clients with property damage claims free of charge. You are welcome to call for free advice about how to recover money for the damage to your car even if you are not injured or pursuing a personal injury claim. 

Most people think of "pain and suffering" as non-economic type damage related to an automobile accident. However, non-economic damages related to injuries sustained in a motor vehicle collision or from other negligence includes much more. In addition to a claim for pain and suffering, the injury lawyers at Western States Law, P.C. pursue claims for their injured clients such as disability, loss of enjoyment of life, inconvenience, etc. Our main offices are in the Denver-metro area, and all of our lawyers who handle personal injury claims reside in the state. We understand that many people chose to live in Colorado for lifestyle reasons including the mountains, bike trails, riding motorcycles, skiing, and other recreation. When a Colorado resident is involved in a motor vehicle collision, the impact on lifestyle can be significant. It is also important to understand that a car crash that took seconds can affect someone long into the future. As such, the accident and injury lawyers at Western States Law, P.C. always take into account both past and future disability, loss of enjoyment of life, pain and suffering, and other damages specific to you, your family, and the Colorado lifestyle.

Unfortunately, the long term effects of a motor vehicle collision can be serious. Car crash victims may suffer from torn ligaments or tendons, broken bones that don't heal, head injuries, and even brain injuries. Juries are instructed that they may award money for physical impairment to individuals injured in an automobile accident in Colorado. One such instruction reads:

The term "physical impairment" means an alteration of an individual's health status that is assessed by medical means. It is a loss or material impairment of any physical function or capacity or loss of health or detriment to the body. It is separate and different from other categories of damages such as non-economic losses."