What Is the Average Car Accident Settlement in Colorado?

After a serious crash, when looking at bills and lost wages, one of the first questions people ask is simple: What is the average car accident settlement in Colorado?

The honest answer is that there is no reliable “average” settlement that applies to every Colorado car accident claim. A minor rear-end collision with soft tissue injuries will likely settle for much less than a case involving brain injury, spinal cord damage, or permanent impairment.

While settlement amounts can vary widely, national insurance data does give us some insight into averages. In 2024, the average auto liability claim was around $35,057 ($6,770 for property damage and $28,287 for bodily injury). However, these numbers do not reflect the value of every car accident claim and may not have anything to do with your particular situation.

Your settlement depends on the facts of the case, the seriousness of your injuries, your insurance coverage, fault, future medical needs, and lasting complications. How well your case is prepared will also play a role.

This means if you were injured in the city of Denver, along I-25, I-70, Colfax Ave., Speer Blvd., or anywhere else in Colorado, the question is not, “What is the average car accident settlement in Colorado?” But instead, “What is my case worth based on my losses?”

Talk to a Denver Car Accident Settlement Lawyer for Free

Before you accept a settlement, talk to an experienced car accident lawyer. Once you have signed a release and accepted an offer, you may lose your right to seek more compensation, even if your injuries get worse.

At Burg Simpson, our Denver car accident attorneys know how insurance companies value claims, reduce offers, and use delay to pressure you to accept less than you are due. Call us at 303-792-5595 to schedule a free and confidential consultation and let us help you understand how best to proceed with your claim.

What Factors Affect the Average Car Accident Settlement in Colorado?

Car accident settlements in Colorado are based on a combination of economic damages, non-economic damages, liability, and insurance coverage. Depending on your situation, this can include considerations, such as:

• The severity of your injuries
• Whether you need long-term care
• Whether your injuries are permanent
• How your injury has impacted your personal life

Other factors, such as whether the other driver was drunk, distracted, speeding, or reckless, and whether fault is disputed, can also play a role in determining the value of your car accident settlement.

A person who goes to the emergency room, misses a few weeks of work, and fully recovers after a month or so has a very different case value than someone who needs a spinal fusion, cannot return to work, and faces lifelong pain. While that may sound obvious, it is where many bad settlement decisions begin.

When you are willing to accept the average car accident settlement in Colorado, you are working with numbers for injuries that can be considerably different. Do not compare your case to some number you find online. That number does not tell the full story and likely has absolutely no bearing on what your case is worth.

What Is Included in the Average Car Accident Settlement in Colorado?

Each case is different, but economic damages can include:

• Ambulance bills and ER care
• Surgery and hospital stays
• Physical therapy and medication
• Future medical treatment
• Medical equipment
• Lost income and reduced earning capacity
• Vehicle repair or replacement
• Other out-of-pocket expenses

Non-economic damages compensate you for losses that do not come with a fixed price or simple invoice. These include pain and suffering, mental distress, physical limitations, scarring and disfiguration, inconvenience, and loss of enjoyment in life.

In Colorado, economic damages are not capped. This means that you can seek a dollar-for-dollar settlement for those losses. Non-economic damages are capped in Colorado. For cases filed after January 1, 2025, that cap is currently $1.5 million (it will be adjusted for inflation beginning in 2028), an increase over the previous limit of $250,000.

Of course, this does not mean that every car accident case in Colorado will include $1.5 million in non-economic damages. It does mean that seriously injured people now have more room under Colorado law to pursue meaningful compensation for life-altering harm.

How Can You Increase the Value of a Car Accident Claim in Colorado?

The best way to protect your rights and seek the fullest possible recovery after a car crash is with the assistance of an experienced lawyer, but certain steps you take can help as well.

To help protect your settlement value, do:

• Get medical care and follow your treatment plan
• Keep copies of bills, records, and receipts
• Track missed work and new job-related limitations

But do not:

• Give a recorded statement without legal advice
• Post about your crash or injuries online
• Accept an offer without talking to a lawyer

It may seem tempting to talk to an insurance adjuster, get your settlement, and put this whole thing behind you. That is, unfortunately, not how things tend to work out when you are seriously injured.

If your settlement is inadequate, which it very well may be, you could be left with no way to recover additional damages. Even if your search for the average car accident settlement in Colorado suggests your offer is typical, without the facts of your case, you may accept substantially less than you are due.

What Role Does Shared Fault Play in a Colorado Car Accident Settlement?

Colorado follows a modified comparative negligence rule (C.R.S. § 13-21-111). If you are partly at fault, your car accident settlement can be reduced by the percentage of fault you are assigned. For example, if your damages are $200,000 and you are 10% at fault, your total compensation can be reduced by that percentage to $180,000.

Guess who knows this rule well? Insurance companies. They may try to shift more blame onto you to try to minimize your settlement. When you are not to blame, this is incredibly frustrating and entirely unfair.

Establishing fault is important. The car accident attorneys at Burg Simpson can help push back against these claims by investigating your accident, identifying its causes, and holding those responsible accountable for your damages.

Let Burg Simpson Help You Get the Settlement You Deserve

At Burg Simpson, we understand that a settlement is more than a number. It is your mortgage or rent, your medical care, lost income, and stability. It can help restore your dignity and give you the best chance to move forward.

Our award-winning lawyers are not concerned with average car accident settlement amounts because your experiences are not average. You deserve compensation for how your injury has and will continue to impact your life, things too subtle for a formula or average to account for.

We pay attention to you. We listen to your story, carefully calculate your economic and non-economic damages, and fight for a settlement or judgment that is reflective of your experience. This is how we have helped our clients recover more than $2 billion in verdicts and settlements.

When you work with us, our team can:

• Investigate your crash
• Identify all involved insurance policies
• Work with medical and financial experts
• Calculate past and future losses
• Handle insurance communications
• Negotiate for a fair settlement
• Take your case to trial when insurance is being unreasonable

Knowing the average car accident settlement in Colorado might give you something interesting to mull over, but it may not be representative of what you are actually due. Our car accident lawyers can evaluate your claim free of cost and obligation to help you understand your rights, your options, and what kind of settlement you might be able to pursue.

Contact Us for a Free Case Review Today

If you are wondering if the average car accident settlement in Colorado is relevant to your claim, use our online contact form or call our Denver office to schedule your free case review today. Based in Metro Denver, we serve communities throughout Colorado, including Boulder, Pueblo, Fort Collins, and Sterling.