If you’ve been seriously hurt in a car accident in Colorado, you need an attorney who has the experience and the resources to demand justice for you. Attorney Sean Olson and his caring team are here to help you pursue the full and fair compensation that you are owed if someone else’s negligence caused your crash.
Our team firmly believes that if your life has been turned upside down because of someone else’s recklessness or carelessness, you shouldn’t have to pay out of pocket for your medical bills, vehicle repair bills, and other losses. The person who caused the accident should be held accountable, and our respected Colorado car accident lawyer can help. Our firm is widely recognized for providing an unwavering client experience and delivering outstanding results.
The physical and financial toll that a sudden accident can have on your life can be overwhelming, but know that we are here to help you tell your story and seek the money you need to move past this difficult time. Olson Personal Injury Lawyers represents clients on a contingency fee basis, so you won’t have to worry about paying us anything until you obtain a monetary award. Please reach out today so Sean can review your case and answer your questions in a free consultation. Call (720) 730-4325 or contact us online to get started.
What to Do If You’ve Been Hurt in a Car Accident in Colorado
Although it’ easy to feel powerless after a serious car accident, the truth is there are some steps you can take to protect yourself and your claim to compensation:
- Call law enforcement. Police or other first responders can help bring order to a chaotic crash scene. They will conduct an investigation and document their findings in a crash report. Remember to get a copy of the police report, which will contain a lot of useful information.
- Get medical attention. This always needs to be your top priority after a car accident, even if you do not think that riding in an ambulance is necessary. You should always go to a hospital as a precaution because the symptoms of an injury could appear later or worsen over time after the initial shock and rush of adrenaline from the accident has worn off. If you wait until days or weeks after an accident to visit a doctor, this could complicate your injury claim. The at-fault party’s insurance company may argue that you did not seek help right away and use that as an excuse to try to reduce or deny your compensation claim.
- Collect any evidence. Because vital evidence will be removed, cleaned up, or simply disappear, it is important to take pictures of the damage to the vehicles, the road conditions, skid marks, and your injuries while you are at the scene. You may also ask someone else to do this for you. All of this evidence can help as your lawyer works to build your personal injury claim.
- Talk to witnesses. You should also look for other people not involved in the accident who still might have seen how the collision occurred. These individuals could be valuable witnesses when there is any dispute about who was at fault, so ask them for their names, phone numbers, or email addresses so your attorney can get a statement from them later.
- Do not give a statement to the insurance company. You are very likely to be contacted by an insurance company for another driver soon after your accident. It is wise to politely decline to speak with them until you have hired a lawyer to represent you. Remember that these professionals handle accident claims every day, and they are trained to find ways to save their company money, which means paying you as little as possible or nothing at all. Don’t let the insurance adjusters trick you into accepting fault for the crash or diminish your valid injury claim. Let your attorney handle all of the discussions and negotiations on your behalf.
- Call a Colorado car accident attorney as soon as possible. At Olson Personal Injury Lawyers, we can begin working on your claim right away and advise you on further ways to protect your rights after a crash. Call (720) 730-9996 to get started with a free consultation.
How Our Colorado Car Accident Attorney Can Help YOU
Some people are tempted to try to handle their own settlement negotiations with the insurance company, thinking they will be able to keep more money for themselves if they don’t hire a lawyer. If you are suffering from serious injuries, this approach can be disastrous. Our skilled car accident attorney in Colorado understands the law, how insurance companies work, and the many types of damages that victims are entitled to receive.
The dedicated team at Olson Personal Injury Lawyers will be able to immediately commence an independent investigation of your crash. Our lawyer and crash scene investigators will determine what caused the accident, identify who was at fault, and secure the evidence necessary to prove your claim.
We will take the stress off you by handling all conversations with insurance companies on your behalf. Our firm will not allow auto insurance adjusters or health insurance providers to harass you. We will aggressively negotiate for a fair and full settlement to your case that takes into account all of your current and future expenses associated with the crash, including any medical debt that may be piling up while your claim is pending.
If the insurance company proves unwilling to provide an adequate amount of compensation, Sean Olson will file a car accident lawsuit to take your case to court. Our firm will work closely with your medical care providers, long-term care specialists, and financial experts to understand the impact your injuries have had and will have on your life, so we can better tell your story to a jury. We will make sure that all legal deadlines are satisfied and handle the necessary paperwork and filings for you so you can focus on what is most important: recovering from your injuries and getting back on your feet.
We will prepare you for what to expect every step of the way. Pursuing a car accident injury claim can be a stressful and frustrating process. Sean Olson and his caring team are always available to talk about your case, give you status updates, answer your questions, and alleviate your fears. You are always welcome to call us anytime.
Types of Compensation We Pursue After a Car Accident
One of the advantages of hiring a knowledgeable Colorado car accident attorney is that we know how to fully document and aggressively pursue every bit of compensation you are owed. A car accident can affect your life in many ways, and all of these losses should be accounted for in your settlement or jury award.
Some of the types of compensation our firm seeks for car accident victims include:
- Payment for medical bills, including future expenses that you are expected to face related to your injury
- Lost wages, as well as a loss of earning capacity in the future if you cannot go back to work or are forced to take a lower paying job
- Property damage to your vehicle, such as the cost of repairs or total replacement
- Physical and emotional pain and suffering
- Post-traumatic stress related to the crash
- Loss of consortium for your spouse or family if you are not able to provide the same love, affection, and companionship you did before the accident
- Disfigurement and scarring
- Punitive damages, which may be awarded in rare cases where criminal conduct was involved, such as in a DUI crash
Settlements are the most common outcomes in most car accident cases because insurance companies rarely want to bear the costs or risks of going to trial. Many settlements are actually agreed to right before trials are set to begin. However, as a longtime litigator, Sean Olson prepares every case for trial, so insurance companies know he is serious in his pursuit of maximum compensation for clients.
Understanding Colorado Comparative Fault Laws
What happens if you were partly at fault for your car accident? Colorado uses a modified comparative fault system when it comes to awarding damages. This means that a person could recover damages as long as his or her contributory fault was not more than 50 percent of the total fault of all parties.
However, the compensation amount can be reduced by the percentage of blame assigned to the victim. In other words, if a person who is injured in a motor vehicle accident, such as truck or motorcycle accident, is awarded $100,000 for damages, but the victim was 25 percent at fault, his or her compensation would be reduced by $25,000. So the victim would ultimately receive $75,000.
This modified comparative fault system is a motivator for insurance companies to try to put any blame they can on the victim. It is also a crucial reason for hiring a knowledgeable Colorado car accident attorney who can fight for the full compensation you deserve.
Time Limit for Filing a Car Accident Lawsuit in Colorado
In Colorado, a person has four years from the date of a car accident to file a personal injury lawsuit. This is known as the statute of limitations.
While four years may seem like a long time, you should not wait to take legal action on your injury claim. Thoroughly investigating a car accident takes time, as does negotiating with the insurance company. To give your lawyer the most time possible to handle your case properly, you should act quickly to schedule a consultation to discuss your situation and let your lawyer get to work on your behalf so that you do not miss any critical deadlines.
Another important consideration in some accidents is collisions that involve governmental employees or vehicles. In such cases where a government entity could be liable, then you will only have two years to file a notice of claim with the government agency, and the lawsuit will have to be filed within one year of the notice of claim.
If you fail to file your lawsuit within the established timeline, the court will refuse to hear your case, and you’ll be barred from recovering damages.
We Help Victims Facing All Types of Car Accident Injuries
Car crashes can result in a wide variety of injuries, some of which will heal relatively quickly, while others will lead to a lifetime of physical and financial challenges. Drivers and passengers who are injured in a car crash could be entitled to compensation for their injuries, and the severity of an injury will undoubtedly factor into the amount of compensation they are awarded.
Some of the most common types of injuries stemming from car accidents in Colorado include, but are not limited to:
- Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs)
- Spinal cord injuries
- Whiplash
- Lacerations
- Fractures
- Sprains
- Muscle strains
- Internal organ injuries
- Burn injuries
- Neck injuries
- Paralysis
When a person is killed in a car accident in Colorado, then that individual’s family members could be able to file a wrongful death lawsuit against the negligent party or parties. A deceased person’s spouse, children, parents, or other dependents are the only people who can file wrongful death actions in Colorado.
Talk to a Colorado Car Accident Lawyer Now
Did you suffer catastrophic injuries or was your loved one killed in a car accident in Colorado? You deserve justice, and the Olson Personal Injury Lawyers can help.
Respected car accident lawyer Sean Olson prides himself on treating every client like family and handling each of their problems as though they were his own. Call (720) 730-4325 or contact us online to talk to Sean about your case during a free consultation.
Colorado Car Accident Attorney
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