Lakewood Motorcycle Accident Lawyers for Riders Who Were Doing Everything Right
A $42 Million Verdict and a $45 Million Settlement for Injured Colorado Riders
Lakewood is where a lot of Front Range rides start. Head west on Morrison Road and you’re at Red Rocks in ten minutes; keep going and Colorado 74 winds up Bear Creek Canyon to Evergreen. Alameda Parkway climbs over Dinosaur Ridge, C-470 and US 285 lead to the southern foothills, and on any summer weekend those roads fill with riders — and with drivers who aren’t looking for them.
Colorado lost 148 motorcyclists in 2025, and the first three months of 2026 were the deadliest start to a riding season since 2017. If you were hurt on your motorcycle in Lakewood or the foothills west of it, Jordan Law has taken riders’ cases to verdict and won, including a $42 million jury verdict and a $45 million settlement. You pay nothing unless we win.
For a free legal consultation with a Personal Injury lawyer serving Lakewood, call (303) 465-8733
Where Riders Get Hurt In and Around Lakewood
Colorado 74 — Bear Creek Canyon — Tight curves, rock walls, guardrails, and a creek a few feet from the road between Morrison, Idledale, and Kittredge. The common crashes are drivers drifting across the center line on curves, gravel washed onto the pavement, and following too closely on the straightaways. Crashes here have sent riders over the guardrail and into Bear Creek.
Morrison Road, Red Rocks, and Alameda Parkway over Dinosaur Ridge — Concert and tourist traffic, drivers looking at the scenery instead of the road, cyclists climbing the ridge, and sharp grade changes.
C-470 and US 285 — High-speed commuting and weekend traffic on Lakewood’s southern and western edges, where lane changes and merges into a motorcycle’s blind spot cause the worst crashes.
Wadsworth Boulevard and Kipling Street — Six lanes with a driveway every few hundred feet. A driver pulling out of a parking lot “into a gap” that actually held a motorcycle is one of the most common crashes we see.
West Colfax Avenue and US 6 — Left-turning traffic across Colfax and short merges on the 6th Avenue freeway at Wadsworth, Kipling, Union, and Simms.
Belmar and neighborhood streets — Parallel parking, opening car doors, and drivers backing out without looking.
“I Never Saw Him”
Most motorcycle crashes aren’t caused by the rider. They are caused by a driver who turned left, changed lanes, or pulled out without looking closely enough for a smaller vehicle. That is what happened in the case behind our $42 million verdict: a car turned left in front of a motorcycle, and the rider and passenger were both ejected. The defense argued the rider was partly to blame. The jury disagreed.
The defense made that argument because insurance companies count on juries carrying a picture of “motorcyclists” in their heads. The way to beat it is to replace the stereotype with the real person — the commuter, the parent, the veteran, the 30-year rider with a clean record. Jason Jordan learned how much that matters by visiting a client at home before trial:
“I walk into a home, and I see a picture of my client next to the Great Pyramids with her father… And we were planning to go back, but then this accident happened, then I had to have the surgery, and then all the recovery, and then he passed away from a heart attack. I never would have known that story had I not gone to the house… They’re not just another client. They’re a human being with a story, with a life, with a family.”
— Jason Jordan, Founding Partner, Jordan Law
We pair that with the physical evidence: scene measurements, vehicle damage, sight lines, surveillance and helmet-cam video, and accident reconstruction.
Lakewood Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Near Me (303) 465-8733
Colorado Motorcycle Laws That Affect Your Claim
Helmets. Colorado requires helmets only for riders and passengers under 18; eye protection is required for everyone (C.R.S. § 42-4-1502). An adult riding without a helmet is riding legally, and it does not prevent a claim. Expect the insurance company to raise it anyway. Read more: Does not wearing a helmet hurt my motorcycle accident case in Colorado?
Lane filtering. Since August 7, 2024, Colorado riders may filter past traffic that is completely stopped, at 15 mph or less, passing on the left, where the lane is wide enough, and without using the shoulder or an oncoming lane. Riding between lanes of moving traffic — lane splitting — is still illegal. The law is set to expire September 1, 2027 unless the legislature extends it. Insurers are already mislabeling legal filtering as illegal splitting. More: Is lane filtering legal in Colorado, and can it be used against me?
Shared fault. Colorado’s modified comparative negligence rule (C.R.S. § 13-21-111) lets you recover as long as you were less than 50% at fault, reduced by your percentage. “He was speeding” and “she came out of nowhere” are arguments, not facts, and can be tested against the physical evidence.
Road hazards and the 182-day deadline. Gravel, rockfall, potholes, and unmarked construction on a canyon road can be the cause of a motorcycle crash. When the road belongs to CDOT, Jefferson County, or the City of Lakewood, written notice is required within 182 days (C.R.S. § 24-10-109). It is the deadline riders miss most.
Other deadlines and caps. Three years to file a motor vehicle injury lawsuit (C.R.S. § 13-80-101); two years for wrongful death (C.R.S. § 13-21-204). Effective January 1, 2025, noneconomic damages are capped at approximately $1.5 million, which a court may exceed on clear and convincing evidence; economic damages are not capped.
When the Driver Doesn’t Have Enough Insurance
Colorado’s minimum auto policy is $25,000 per person — often less than a single night in a trauma unit after a motorcycle crash. When the driver who hit you is underinsured or uninsured, your own policy becomes the most important one in the case: uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage and MedPay. That includes the coverage on your motorcycle policy and, sometimes, on your car policy or a relative’s.
“When you don’t understand what you’re paying for and you’re not paying for the right types of coverages, you end up losing all around.”
— Sarah Freedman, Attorney, Jordan Law
We review every policy that could apply. Learn more about uninsured and underinsured motorist claims and hit-and-run accidents.
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Injuries, Treatment, and Getting Your Life Back
Without a car around you, the injuries are different: traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, multiple fractures, road rash requiring skin grafts, amputations, and internal injuries. St. Anthony Hospital in Lakewood is a Level I trauma center — where many of the most seriously injured riders from the foothills are taken — and Craig Hospital in Englewood is one of the country’s leading rehabilitation hospitals for spinal cord and brain injuries.
Compensation can include medical expenses and future care, lost income and earning capacity, pain and suffering, permanent impairment and disfigurement, the value of your bike and gear, and — in fatal crashes — wrongful death damages for your family. See also our catastrophic injury page.
What to Do After a Motorcycle Crash in Lakewood
- Get medical care, even if you walked away. Adrenaline hides fractures, internal bleeding, and concussions.
- Keep your helmet, jacket, gloves, and boots. Don’t repair, wash, or throw them away, and don’t let the bike be repaired or scrapped. They show how the crash happened and how hard you were hit.
- Photograph the scene — vehicles, sight lines, the road surface, gravel, debris, and skid marks.
- Get the report number and the agency. Lakewood Police inside the city, Colorado State Patrol on C-470, US 285, and Colorado 74, and the Jefferson County Sheriff in the unincorporated foothills.
- Save any helmet-cam or phone video.
- Don’t give the other driver’s insurer a recorded statement, and don’t post about the crash or your riding on social media.
- Talk to a lawyer early — before evidence disappears and before the rider-bias story sets in.
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Why Riders Choose Jordan Law
Results for riders. A $42 million verdict and a $45 million settlement in Colorado motorcycle cases, part of more than $550 million recovered for injury victims. See our results.
We know how these cases are defended. Insurers discount motorcycle claims because they expect juries to blame the rider. That discount shrinks when the firm on the other side has already won these cases at trial.
We prepare you, too. If your case goes to trial, we walk you through the courtroom before the first day — where you’ll sit, where the jury will be, how testifying works — so the most stressful week of the case holds fewer surprises.
Close by, and no fee unless we win. Our office at 5445 DTC Parkway in Greenwood Village is about 25 minutes from Lakewood, and we meet by phone or video. We work on a contingency fee — no retainer, no hourly billing.
Lakewood Motorcycle Accident FAQs
I wasn’t wearing a helmet. Can I still bring a claim?
Yes. Colorado only requires helmets for riders and passengers under 18, so an adult riding without one is riding legally. The insurer may raise it, but it does not bar your claim.
Is lane filtering legal in Colorado?
Yes, within limits. Since August 7, 2024, you may pass completely stopped traffic at 15 mph or less, on the left, where the lane is wide enough and without using the shoulder or an oncoming lane. Lane splitting in moving traffic is still illegal.
Gravel or a road defect in Bear Creek Canyon caused my crash. Who is responsible?
Possibly CDOT, Jefferson County, the City of Lakewood, or a contractor, depending on who maintains the road and what caused the hazard. If a government entity is involved, written notice is required within 182 days.
The driver says they never saw me. Does that help them?
No. Drivers must look for and yield to motorcycles just as they would any other vehicle. “I didn’t see the motorcycle” is usually an admission that they didn’t look carefully enough.
The insurance company says I was speeding. What now?
That is one of the most common defenses in motorcycle cases, and it is often a guess. Speed can be tested against skid marks, damage, video, and vehicle data. You can still recover as long as you were less than 50% at fault.
What if the driver who hit me has little or no insurance?
Your own uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage may apply — on your motorcycle policy, your car policy, or sometimes a relative’s. We review every available policy.
Which court handles a Lakewood motorcycle accident lawsuit?
The 1st Judicial District at the Jefferson County Courthouse in Golden. Lakewood and the nearby foothills are in Jefferson County.
What does it cost to hire Jordan Law?
Nothing up front. The consultation is free, and we are paid only if we win or settle your case.
Hurt on Your Motorcycle in Lakewood? Call Today.
Call Jordan Law at (303) 465-8733 or request a free case evaluation.
Related: Lakewood Personal Injury Lawyer · Lakewood Car Accident Lawyer · Lakewood Truck Accident Lawyer · Denver Motorcycle Accident Lawyer · Littleton Motorcycle Accident Lawyer · Colorado Motorcycle Helmet Laws
