If you were injured in a car accident in Pueblo, Colorado, or have incurred considerable vehicle damage, you should consider knowing the personal injury laws. In case the other driver was at fault, you can ask for compensation for your injuries. Right after the accident, you need to get medical attention, even if your injuries are not that severe. Following this, consider meeting a reliable Pueblo car accident lawyer to discuss your case further. In this post, we are sharing the laws related to car accidents in Colorado and some of the other aspects worth knowing.
The basic laws worth knowing
Colorado, like other states, has its statute of limitations, which allows a period of just three years to file a personal injury lawsuit against the party at fault. However, before that, you have to file an insurance claim with the insurance company of the at-fault party. If you claim is denied or you are not offered a fair settlement, you can consider filing a lawsuit. Note that the counting starts from the date of the accident. In case of wrongful death lawsuits, the statute of limitations allows a deadline of two years, and the clock starts ticking from the date of death, which can be different from the date of accident.
Note that Colorado follows the “modified comparative negligence” rule. This means that if you had part role in the accident, your share of compensation will reduce accordingly. For example, if you were awarded $30,000 in compensation, and your share of fault is marked at 20%, you will only get $24,000 and not the full amount. However, if you have more than 50% share of blame, you cannot recover any compensation.
Meeting a lawyer
If you are meeting a car accident lawyer in Pueblo, you need to know their work profile and the possible outcomes of your case. Consider asking questions like –
- How often do you deal with car accident claims and lawsuits in Colorado?
- Can you share details of your top cases and settlements?
- What do you think would be a fair compensation for my case?
- Will you work on an hourly rate, or contingency basis?
- Will you handle my case personally?
Make sure that the lawyer has the time and expertise to devote to your case. Also, be honest in sharing details of the car accident, because that largely determines what the lawyer can recommend or do for your circumstances.
