Denver Drunk Driving Accident Lawyer
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When you get injured by a drunk driver, you’re not the one who chose to drive impaired, but you’re the one who has to deal with the consequences. Now you’re left trying to recover from injuries caused by someone else’s reckless decision. It’s also not unusual for insurance companies to start pressuring you to settle your claim before you know what your recovery will involve.
While the criminal justice system handles the DUI charges, Olson Personal Injury Lawyers fights for you. Our Denver drunk driving accident lawyers represent people injured by drunk or drug-impaired drivers, taking on the legal challenges so you can focus on your recovery. We’ll go the extra mile to pursue compensation that reflects how the accident has affected your life.
Contact us for a free consultation. With our Zero Fee Guarantee, you pay no attorney fees unless we recover compensation for you.
Table of Contents
- Why Choose Olson Personal Injury Lawyers
- How Our Denver Drunk Driving Accident Attorneys Build Your Case
- What Compensation May Be Available After a Drunk Driving Accident?
- Who Can Be Held Liable After a Drunk Driving Accident in Denver?
- How Colorado’s Dram Shop Law Affects Your Claim
- How the Criminal DUI Case Can Affect Your Injury Claim
- Injuries Commonly Caused by Drunk Driving Accidents
- Evidence We Can Gather to Help Prove Your Drunk Driving Accident Claim
- How Long Do I Have to File a Drunk Driving Accident Claim in Colorado?
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Contact Our Denver Drunk Driving Accident Lawyers for a Free Consultation
Why Choose Olson Personal Injury Lawyers for Your Denver Drunk Driving Accident Case?
When you’re recovering from a drunk driving accident, you need an attorney who takes your concerns seriously and knows how to stand up to insurance companies. At Olson Personal Injury Lawyers, we take the time to listen and understand your story. Even if a settlement might be possible, we will still prepare your case as though it could go to trial because that will give your case the best chance of success.
Our firm has a 99.6% success rate, but our commitment to clients goes beyond the results we secure. We want you to feel confident in your decision to work with us, which is why we offer:
- You pay zero legal fees unless we win.
- 30-day guarantee: If you’re unhappy with our representation during the first 30 days, you can end your agreement without a penalty or financial obligation.
- Convenient meeting options: If your injuries prevent you from visiting our office, we can meet you at home, at a medical facility, or over Zoom.
Awards & Recognitions
At Olson Personal Injury Lawyers, you can trust that the attorney handling your case has earned the respect of others in the legal community. Our team has received recognition from Super Lawyers, Best Lawyers in America, and the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, reflecting our experience representing injured clients and handling significant injury claims. View all of our awards and recognitions.
Founder and attorney Sean Olson has been selected to Colorado Super Lawyers and recognized by Best Lawyers for personal injury litigation. He also teaches trial advocacy, bringing his courtroom experience to the next generation of attorneys.
Client Testimonials
Our client testimonials reflect our commitment to clear communication, personal support, and helping injured people feel heard throughout the legal process.
Our Drunk Driving Accident Case Results
Olson Personal Injury Lawyers achieves outstanding results by thinking outside the box, treating every case individually, and most importantly, working as a team.
How Our Denver Drunk Driving Accident Attorneys Build Your Case
Drunk driving accident claims often involve more than proving another driver caused the crash. These cases may include criminal investigations, multiple insurance policies, toxicology evidence, and disputes over the full extent of a victim’s injuries and losses.
Olson Personal Injury Lawyers builds strong claims by:
- Investigating the crash: Reviewing police reports, crash scene evidence, witness statements, and available surveillance footage
- Securing DUI-related evidence: Obtaining blood alcohol concentration, or BAC, test results, toxicology reports, and other records connected to the impaired driving investigation
- Documenting damages: Gathering medical records, treatment information, lost income documentation, and evidence showing how the injuries have affected your daily life
- Handling insurers: Managing communication and negotiations with insurance companies throughout the claim process
- Preparing for litigation: Building every case for trial in the event a fair settlement is not offered
What Compensation May Be Available After a Drunk Driving Accident?
After a drunk driving accident, you might be unable to return to work or require ongoing treatment that your insurance doesn’t fully cover. Compensation can help address these expenses and any other ways your injuries have affected your everyday life.
Depending on your circumstances, you may be able to recover:
- Medical expenses: Emergency treatment, hospital bills, and future medical care.
- Lost income: Wages missed during recovery and reduced future earning capacity.
- Rehabilitation costs: Physical therapy and other treatment needed to regain independence.
- Property damage: Repairs or replacement costs for your damaged vehicle.
- Pain and suffering: Physical discomfort, emotional distress, and loss of enjoyment of life.
In certain cases, you may also qualify for exemplary damages, which punish especially reckless conduct rather than compensating you for your losses. These damages require additional proof and aren’t automatically awarded because the other driver was impaired.
Who Can Be Held Liable After a Drunk Driving Accident in Denver?
The drunk driver is typically the primary party responsible for a DUI accident because driving while impaired is considered negligent behavior. However, other parties may also share liability depending on how the crash occurred.
Potentially liable parties may include the following:
- The impaired driver: Drivers who operate a vehicle under the influence of alcohol or drugs may be responsible for injuries and damages caused by the crash.
- Bars or restaurants: Under Colorado dram shop laws, businesses that knowingly serve alcohol to visibly intoxicated people or minors may share liability in limited situations.
- Employers: If the impaired driver was working at the time of the crash, for example, if an impaired commercial truck driver causes a crash, an employer such as a trucking company may also face liability.
How Does Colorado's Dram Shop Law Affect a Drunk Driving Accident Claim?
If the driver who injured you was drinking at a bar or restaurant before the crash, the establishment could share responsibility. Under Colorado’s dram shop law, licensed alcohol vendors can be held liable if they willfully and knowingly served someone who was visibly intoxicated or under 21, and that service contributed to your injuries.
Proving liability requires more than showing the driver purchased alcohol. Our attorneys can investigate the circumstances surrounding the alcohol service to determine whether the establishment violated the law.
You generally have just one year from the date alcohol was sold or served to file a dram shop claim, and separate limits apply to the establishment’s liability. That’s significantly less time than Colorado allows for most motor vehicle injury lawsuits.
Case Study: Liability May Extend Beyond the Drunk Driver
In one case, our firm pursued accountability from a hotel after its negligent eviction of intoxicated guests contributed to a severe crash. Learn how a negligent hotel eviction contributed to a serious drunk driving crash.
How the Criminal DUI Case Can Affect Your Injury Claim
After a drunk driving accident, the impaired driver may face criminal DUI charges, while the injured victim can also pursue a separate civil injury claim. Although these cases are related, they serve different purposes.
The criminal case focuses on penalties against the driver, while the civil claim seeks to recover compensation for the victim’s injuries and losses. Evidence from the DUI case, such as police reports, BAC test results, or a guilty plea, may help support the injury claim. However, compensation does not depend on a criminal conviction.
Injuries Commonly Caused by Drunk Driving Accidents
After a drunk driving accident, the impaired driver may face criminal DUI charges, while the injured victim may also pursue a separate civil injury claim. Although these cases are related, they serve different purposes.
The criminal case focuses on penalties against the driver, while the civil claim seeks to recover compensation for the victim’s injuries and losses. Evidence from the DUI case, such as police reports, BAC test results, or a guilty plea, may help support the injury claim. However, compensation does not depend on a criminal conviction.
Evidence We Can Gather to Help Prove Your Drunk Driving Accident Claim
You don’t have to gather evidence against an impaired driver on your own. Our Denver drunk driving accident lawyers can investigate what happened, establish who was responsible, and document how the crash has affected your life.
Depending on your case, we may use:
- Police reports: Document the accident and any signs of impairment officers observed
- BAC and toxicology results: Help establish whether the driver was under the influence of alcohol or drugs
- Witness statements and footage: Show how the driver behaved before the crash or what happened during the collision
- Accident reconstruction: Can establish fault when the circumstances of the crash are disputed
- Alcohol service records: Help determine whether a business could share liability
- Medical and employment records: Document your injuries and resulting financial losses
What Are Colorado's Legal Blood Alcohol Limits for Drivers?
Colorado recognizes two alcohol-related driving offenses with different standards:
- DUI per se: A blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08% or higher is sufficient to establish this offense without separately proving the driver’s ability was impaired.
- DWAI (Driving While Ability Impaired): A BAC above 0.05% but below 0.08% creates a permissible inference that alcohol impaired the driver’s ability to drive safely.
A driver can still be found impaired at lower BAC levels based on other evidence. These thresholds apply to criminal offenses, but BAC results can also help support your civil injury claim.
How Long Do I Have to File a Drunk Driving Accident Claim in Colorado?
In Colorado, you typically have three years from the date of a drunk driving accident to file a personal injury lawsuit. However, the deadline depends on the circumstances of your case and who you’re pursuing compensation from. Some claims have shorter deadlines:
- Dram shop claims: Lawsuits against licensed alcohol vendors generally must be filed within one year of the sale or service of alcohol.
- Claims involving government entities: You may need to provide formal notice within 182 days of discovering your injury.
Our attorneys can review the circumstances of your accident to determine which deadlines apply and help preserve important evidence before it’s lost.
What Should I Do Immediately After Being Hit by a Drunk Driver?
After being hit by a drunk driver, seek medical care, call the police, document the scene if possible, and avoid discussing fault with insurance companies before understanding your legal rights.
Can I Anonymously Report a Drunk Driver?
Yes. In many situations, you can anonymously report a drunk driver to local law enforcement if you believe someone is driving under the influence.
What if the Drunk Driver Has Minimal Coverage or No Insurance?
If the drunk driver has little or no insurance coverage, you may still have options through uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage or other potential sources of liability.
Could There Be Repercussions for Reporting a Drunk Driver?
In most situations, there are few or no repercussions for reporting a drunk driver, especially if the report is made anonymously and in good faith.
What if I Was Partially at Fault for the Accident?
Colorado follows a modified comparative negligence rule, which means you may still recover compensation if you were partly responsible for the accident, as long as you are not 50 percent or more to blame. However, your recovery will be reduced in proportion to your share of fault.
How Much Is My Drunk Driving Accident Case Worth?
The value of a drunk driving accident claim depends on factors such as the severity of your injuries, medical expenses, lost income, available insurance coverage, and the long-term impact the accident has had on your life.
Can I Recover Compensation if the Drunk Driver Wasn't Convicted of DUI?
Yes. You can pursue compensation even if the driver wasn’t convicted of DUI. Criminal convictions require proof beyond a reasonable doubt, while civil injury claims use a lower standard of proof. Even if criminal action was not taken against the driver, you still have a valid claim if the evidence establishes that the driver’s negligence caused your injuries.
What if the Driver Was Impaired by Marijuana or Other Drugs?
You may still have grounds for compensation if the driver who injured you was impaired by marijuana or another drug, including prescription medication. Colorado prohibits driving while impaired, regardless of whether the substance is legal. Our attorneys can investigate the driver’s impairment and how it contributed to the crash.
Can I File a Civil Claim While the DUI Case Is Still Pending?
Yes. You don’t have to wait for the criminal DUI case to conclude before pursuing compensation for your injuries. Your civil claim can proceed separately, and evidence gathered during the criminal investigation can help establish the driver’s responsibility for the crash.
Contact Our Denver Drunk Driving Accident Lawyers for a Free Consultation
After a serious DUI accident, it is normal to feel overwhelmed about what comes next. Our team at Olson Personal Injury Lawyers is here to help you understand your options, protect your rights, and pursue compensation for the harm the accident has caused.
Call us today at (303) 997-3571 to schedule your free consultation.
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