In a Motorcycle Accident in Denver?

Motorcycle accidents produce some of the most severe injuries of any traffic crash. Without the structural protection of a car, riders absorb the full force of impact. Traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, road rash requiring skin grafts, compound fractures, and internal organ damage are common.

Call 911 immediately. If you are lying in the road and can safely move to the shoulder, do so — but do not remove your helmet if you are wearing one, and do not attempt to stand if you feel any numbness, tingling, or severe pain in your neck or back. Spinal injuries can be worsened by movement.

Colorado law (C.R.S. § 42-4-1606) requires reporting any accident involving injury, death, or property damage exceeding $1,000. Given the severity of most motorcycle crashes, virtually every motorcycle accident meets this threshold. The responding officer's crash report will be critical evidence for your claim.

Denver Health Medical Center at 777 Bannock Street is Denver's primary Level I trauma center, with the Moore Shock Trauma Center admitting over 3,000 trauma patients annually. UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital on the Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora and Swedish Medical Center in Englewood are additional Level I trauma facilities. If you are airlifted or transported by ambulance, you will likely be taken to one of these three hospitals.

If your injuries allow it, photograph everything at the scene: your motorcycle (showing the damage and its resting position), the other vehicle(s), the road surface and conditions, traffic signals and signs, skid marks, debris, weather conditions, and your injuries including road rash, bruising, and any damaged gear.

Exchange information with the other driver: full name, phone number, insurance company and policy number, driver's license number, and license plate number. If there are witnesses, get their names and phone numbers. In motorcycle accident cases, witness testimony about the other driver's behavior — failure to see you, failure to check mirrors before turning, distracted driving — is particularly valuable.

Do not apologize or admit fault at the scene. Insurance companies frequently blame motorcyclists for accidents, arguing that riders were speeding, weaving through traffic, or riding recklessly — regardless of what actually happened. Under Colorado's modified comparative negligence rule, any fault attributed to you reduces your compensation, and 50% or more fault eliminates it entirely. Let the evidence speak for itself.

Do not repair, discard, or clean your motorcycle, helmet, jacket, gloves, or boots. All of these items are evidence. Your helmet may show impact patterns that prove the severity of the crash. Your riding gear may show road rash marks that corroborate your injuries. The damage to your motorcycle tells the story of how the collision happened.

If your motorcycle is towed, get the name and address of the towing company and the impound lot. Photograph the bike before it is moved if possible. Ask your attorney about having an accident reconstruction expert examine the motorcycle before any repairs are made.

If the other driver's insurance company sends someone to inspect your motorcycle, do not sign anything that authorizes them to take possession or dispose of it. They are building their case, not helping you.

The emergency room stabilizes life-threatening conditions but does not diagnose everything. Concussions, hairline fractures, soft tissue injuries, internal bruising, and nerve damage often show up days after the crash. Follow up with your primary care doctor or an orthopedic specialist within 72 hours.

Road rash — the abrasion injury from sliding across pavement — ranges from minor scrapes to full-thickness wounds that require skin grafts and leave permanent scarring. Even moderate road rash requires proper wound care to prevent infection. Do not minimize these injuries to the doctor.

Keep every medical record, receipt, prescription, and referral. Document your pain levels daily. If your injuries prevent you from working, riding, exercising, or performing daily activities, write it down. These records directly impact the compensation you may be entitled to — including pain and suffering, which Colorado does not cap in most personal injury cases.

The at-fault driver's insurance company will contact you quickly. They may sound sympathetic. They are not on your side — their goal is to minimize what they pay, and with motorcycle accidents, they have a well-established playbook: blame the rider.

Common tactics include arguing you were speeding, lane splitting (which is illegal in Colorado), riding too aggressively, not wearing a helmet, or that the driver "didn't see you" (implying you were riding in a blind spot). They may request your entire medical history, looking for pre-existing conditions they can use to argue your injuries weren't caused by the crash.

You are not legally required to give them a recorded statement. Politely decline and tell them to contact your attorney. If you don't have an attorney yet, say: "I'm not prepared to give a statement at this time." Do not accept any early settlement offers — they are almost always far below the true value of your claim, especially before the full extent of your injuries is known.

Colorado has no universal helmet law. Helmets are required only for riders under 18 (C.R.S. § 42-4-1502). All riders, regardless of age, must wear eye protection — a visor, goggles, or shatterproof glasses. There is no requirement for reflective clothing, though it is recommended.

If you were not wearing a helmet at the time of the crash, the insurance company will almost certainly argue that your head injuries were caused or worsened by your choice not to wear one — even though Colorado law does not require it. Under Colorado's comparative negligence system, this argument could be used to attribute a percentage of fault to you, reducing your compensation.

Of the 165 motorcycle fatalities in Colorado in 2024, 73 riders (44%) were not wearing a helmet. While wearing a helmet is a personal choice for adults in Colorado, the lack of a helmet can complicate your injury claim even if it was perfectly legal. An experienced attorney can help counter these arguments and protect your right to full compensation.

Under C.R.S. § 13-80-101, you have three years from the date of the accident to file a personal injury lawsuit in Colorado. For wrongful death claims, the deadline is 2 years from the date of death (C.R.S. § 13-21-204). Miss either deadline and your claim is permanently barred — Colorado courts do not grant extensions.

If a government vehicle was involved or the crash occurred on a government-maintained road with a dangerous condition (potholes, missing signage, poor drainage), the Colorado Governmental Immunity Act (C.R.S. § 24-10-109) requires written notice within 182 days — roughly 6 months. Road surface hazards that are minor inconveniences for cars can be fatal for motorcyclists, so government liability claims are more common in motorcycle cases.

While the statute of limitations gives you three years, gathering evidence and building a strong case takes time. Surveillance footage gets deleted. Witnesses forget details. Medical records need to establish the full scope of your injuries. Contact an attorney as soon as possible after the crash.

Motorcycle accident claims face an uphill battle that car accident claims do not. Insurance adjusters, jurors, and even judges carry unconscious bias against motorcyclists — a perception that riders are inherently reckless or that they assumed the risk by riding. An experienced motorcycle accident attorney knows how to counter this bias with evidence and strategy.

An experienced Denver motorcycle accident attorney can protect your claim from the insurance company's blame-the-rider tactics, investigate the other driver's actions (distraction, failure to yield, failure to check mirrors), calculate the full value of your claim including future medical care and lost earning capacity, and negotiate with insurance adjusters who handle high-value injury claims for a living.

Initial consultations are free, and motorcycle accident attorneys work on contingency — you pay nothing unless they win. The typical fee is 33% of the settlement before trial. Given the severity of motorcycle injuries and the bias motorcyclists face, professional representation is not optional — it is essential to getting the compensation you deserve.