Most people confuse this deadline with a statute of limitations. It’s not. The 182-day rule is a notice requirement under the Colorado Governmental Immunity Act, spelled out in C.R.S. § 24-10-109. That difference matters more than most people realize.
Here’s what it means in plain terms. Before you can file a lawsuit against RTD for a bus accident in Greenwood Village, you must send a written notice to RTD stating that you intend to make a claim. You have exactly 182 days from the date of the accident to get that notice delivered. Miss it by one day, your case is gone. No exceptions, no extensions, no “but I didn’t know.”
We’ve seen this play out too many times.
Someone gets hurt on an RTD bus near the Arapahoe at Village Center station, one of the busier stops along the DTC corridor where buses push through heavy office park traffic every morning. They focus on doctor visits and recovery. They assume they have the standard three-year window that applies to most motor vehicle accidents under C.R.S. § 13-80-101. Six months pass. By the time they call us, the 182-day window has already closed. The three-year statute of limitations still exists for the actual lawsuit, but it doesn’t matter if you never filed the required notice first.
What the Notice Must Include
The written notice isn’t a casual letter. Colorado law requires specific information: the date and location of the accident, a description of what happened, the nature of your injuries, and the amount of damages you’re claiming. It must be sent to the correct government entity. For RTD bus accidents, that means the Regional Transportation District’s legal department, not customer service, not the bus depot.
Getting any of these details wrong creates problems. Sending it to the wrong office creates problems. We handle this process for clients because the stakes are too high for guesswork, one small error gives RTD’s lawyers a reason to throw your claim out entirely.
Why This Deadline Catches People Off Guard
Think about what 182 days actually looks like after a serious bus accident. That’s roughly six months. During those six months, you might still be in physical therapy. You might not even know the full extent of your injuries yet. But the clock doesn’t care about your recovery timeline.
Insurance companies count on you not knowing this. RTD is a government entity, so it operates under different rules than a private driver or a rideshare company. Nobody hands you a pamphlet at the hospital explaining that your bus accident claim has a shorter fuse than a regular car accident case. And RTD certainly isn’t going to remind you.
The 182-day notice requirement also applies to other government entities in Colorado, claims against the City of Denver, CDOT, or local school districts all fall under the same CGIA framework. But RTD bus accidents are the ones we see slip through the cracks most often in Greenwood Village, especially along the busy corridors near the DTC where RTD routes cut through office parks and retail areas along Orchard Road and DTC Boulevard. The sheer volume of bus traffic through that stretch means accidents happen more than people expect.
If you or someone you know was hurt in an RTD bus accident, the single most important thing you can do right now is talk to a bus accident lawyer who understands this deadline. Everything else in your case depends on getting this step right first.
RTD Is a Government Entity, and That Changes Everything About Your Claim
Most people treat a bus accident claim like any other car accident. They figure they’ve got time. They assume the process works the same way.
It doesn’t. Not even close.
RTD is the Regional Transportation District, a government entity created by the State of Colorado. That single fact changes the entire legal landscape of your claim. When a private driver hits you, Colorado’s standard statute of limitations gives you three years to file under C.R.S. § 13-80-101. But RTD doesn’t play by those rules. Government entities in Colorado are protected by the Colorado Governmental Immunity Act, or CGIA. Under C.R.S. § 24-10-109, you must file a written notice of claim within 182 days of the accident. Miss it, your claim is gone.
We’ve seen this play out in Greenwood Village more times than we’d like. Someone gets hurt on an RTD bus along Arapahoe Road or near the Orchard light rail station, spends weeks focused on recovery, deals with doctors and missed work and pain. Filing a legal notice is the last thing on their mind. Then they call us at month seven and hear the worst news possible.
Why the CGIA Exists
The CGIA was built to limit lawsuits against government agencies. Colorado lawmakers decided that public entities like RTD, CDOT, and the City of Greenwood Village need protection from unlimited legal exposure. The tradeoff for injured people? A much shorter window to act.
This isn’t a technicality you can work around. Courts have thrown out cases with strong evidence and serious injuries because the notice arrived on day 183. One day late. Claim gone. No “the client didn’t know” argument holds up, and no judge is going to bend the rule because your injuries were severe.
What Makes RTD Claims Different from Regular Accident Claims
The differences go beyond the timeline. RTD operates as a common carrier under Colorado law, which means it owes passengers the highest duty of care. A regular driver just needs to act reasonably. RTD drivers must exercise the highest degree of care for passenger safety. The legal standard actually favors you, but only if you preserve your right to file in the first place.
Here’s what catches people off guard. The 182-day notice requirement applies whether you were a passenger on the bus, a pedestrian hit by the bus, a cyclist struck at an intersection, or a driver in another vehicle. It doesn’t matter how you were involved. If RTD caused your injuries, the CGIA clock started the moment the accident happened.
And the notice itself has specific requirements. You can’t just send a letter saying “I was hurt.” The written notice must include details about what happened, when it happened, and the injuries you suffered. An incomplete or vague notice can be challenged just like a late one, it’s two different ways to lose the same case.
Insurance companies count on you not knowing this. RTD’s insurer understands the 182-day rule better than anyone. They know a large number of injured people will miss the deadline simply because nobody told them it existed. Every day you wait is a day closer to losing your right to compensation entirely.
If you’ve been hurt in an RTD bus accident anywhere near the DTC corridor or along Greenwood Village’s busy transit routes, the first step isn’t negotiating with an insurance adjuster. It’s getting that notice filed properly and on time. Our bus accident lawyers handle CGIA notices regularly and know exactly what Arapahoe County courts require.
For a free legal consultation, call (303) 465-8733
What the Written Notice of Claim Must Include to Be Valid
Filing your notice of claim against RTD isn’t like sending a letter to your insurance company. It’s a formal legal document. Leave out required information and RTD can reject it. We’ve seen people do everything right on timing but get tripped up because the notice itself was incomplete, which is a painful way to lose a valid case.
Colorado’s Governmental Immunity Act under C.R.S. § 24-10-109 spells out what your written notice must contain. Miss a single element, the whole thing can be thrown out. That’s not a scare tactic. That’s how government claims work in this state.
The Required Elements
Your name and current address must appear on the notice. Sounds obvious, but we’ve seen notices rejected over something as simple as an outdated mailing address. Use your current, correct information.
A description of the injury or damage must be included too. This doesn’t have to read like a medical chart, it just needs to clearly state what happened to you. A broken collarbone. A torn ligament in your knee. Chronic back pain from the impact. Be specific enough that RTD understands the nature of your injuries, because vague language gives them room to argue later.
The date and location of the incident must appear in the notice. For a bus accident claim in Greenwood Village, that means the exact date and the specific location. “Near the DTC” won’t cut it. Something like “the RTD bus stop at Arapahoe Road and Yosemite Street on March 14, 2025” is the right level of detail. The more precise you are, the harder it is for RTD to claim confusion about which incident you mean.
The amount of damages claimed is required. This is where most people freeze up, and understandably so. How do you know the total when you’re still getting treatment? You don’t have to be exact to the penny. But you do need a reasonable figure that reflects your medical bills, lost wages, and pain. Lowballing yourself here can limit what you recover later, and that’s a mistake we work hard to help clients avoid.
A factual basis for the claim must also be included. In plain terms, that means you explain what RTD or its driver did wrong. The bus ran a red light. The driver braked suddenly without cause. The bus pulled away from the stop before you were seated. Whatever happened, state it clearly.
Where to Send It
Your notice goes to the RTD Board of Directors. Not to the bus driver. Not to RTD’s general customer service line. Sending it to the wrong place can mean it never gets properly received, and that clock doesn’t stop ticking while you wait for a response that may never come.
Most people don’t realize this until it’s too late. The notice has to reach the right office within that 182-day window. Mailing it on day 180 and hoping for the is a gamble nobody should take with their case. We recommend certified mail with return receipt so you have proof of delivery, something RTD can’t dispute.
And if someone died in the bus accident, the notice requirements still apply. Under the wrongful death statute at C.R.S. § 13-21-204, the family member filing has two years for the lawsuit itself, but that 182-day CGIA notice deadline still comes first. Wrongful death damages are now capped at approximately $2.125 million under HB 24-1472, with an exception for felonious killing, but none of that matters if the notice was never filed on time.
If you’re dealing with an RTD bus accident claim and you’re not sure your notice covers every required element, talk to a bus accident lawyer before you submit it. One missing detail can end your case before it starts.
Frequently Asked Questions
What exactly is the 182-day deadline for RTD bus accident claims in Greenwood Village?
The 182-day deadline is a written notice requirement under the Colorado Governmental Immunity Act, not a filing deadline for your lawsuit. You must send RTD a formal written notice within 182 days of your accident. This notice must include the date, location, what happened, your injuries, and your claimed damages. If you miss this window by even one day, your claim is gone. This rule applies to accidents near busy Greenwood Village stops like the Arapahoe at Village Center station.
Is the 182-day RTD notice deadline the same as the regular car accident statute of limitations?
No, and this is one of the most common mistakes people make. Colorado gives you three years to file a lawsuit after a regular car accident under C.R.S. § 13-80-101. But RTD is a government entity, so different rules apply. The 182-day rule is a notice requirement that must happen before any lawsuit. Even if you still have time left on the three-year window, missing the 182-day notice deadline ends your case completely.
Why does RTD have a shorter deadline than a private driver in Greenwood Village?
RTD is protected by the Colorado Governmental Immunity Act, or CGIA, under C.R.S. § 24-10-109. Colorado lawmakers created this law to limit legal exposure for public agencies like RTD, CDOT, and the City of Greenwood Village. The tradeoff is a much shorter window for injured people to act. Courts have dismissed strong cases with serious injuries simply because the notice arrived one day late. No judge will bend this rule, no matter how severe your injuries were.
What happens if I send the RTD notice to the wrong office?
Sending your notice to the wrong office can be treated the same as not filing at all. The notice must go to RTD’s legal department, not customer service or a bus depot. Colorado law requires the notice to reach the correct government entity. RTD’s lawyers can use any error in the notice, including the wrong recipient, to challenge your claim. This is why getting the process right the first time matters so much, especially if your accident happened along busy Greenwood Village corridors like Orchard Road or DTC Boulevard.
Does the 182-day RTD deadline apply if I was a pedestrian or cyclist hit by an RTD bus, not a passenger?
Yes, the 182-day notice requirement applies to you regardless of how you were involved. It covers RTD bus passengers, pedestrians hit by a bus, cyclists struck at an intersection, and drivers in other vehicles. Many people assume this rule only applies to paying riders. It does not. If an RTD bus was involved and you were injured, the same CGIA deadline applies. For more on how RTD bus accident claims work, the parent page on RTD bus accident claims covers the full process.
How do I know if my Greenwood Village RTD bus accident qualifies for a claim under the CGIA?
If an RTD bus was involved in your accident anywhere in Greenwood Village, including near the DTC corridor, Orchard Road, or the Arapahoe at Village Center station, the CGIA applies to your claim. RTD operates as a common carrier under Colorado law, which means it owes passengers the highest duty of care. Whether the driver acted carelessly, the bus was poorly maintained, or the route conditions were unsafe, you may have a valid claim. The key is acting within 182 days so your right to pursue that claim is preserved.