Colorado Accident Verdicts

The average jury verdict in car, truck, and motorcycle accident cases in Colorado is $207,687 according to a recent Jury Verdict Research study. This report also found that only 50% of vehicle accident cases in Colorado lead to plaintiff verdicts and the median verdict when the plaintiff does prevail is $44,050. These Colorado accident payout statistics are older but they are still insightful in 2022.

Not surprisingly, half of the vehicle accident cases in the study were either rear-end car crashes or intersection collisions.

In a completely unrelated story, there was a $15 million verdict in favor of a truck driver in a slip and fall lawsuit against Wal-Mart in Colorado earlier this month.

Example Colorado Verdicts and Settlements

Below are sample settlement amounts and jury payouts in personal injury accident lawsuits in Colorado.

2021, Colorado: $956,297 Verdict. A woman was rear-ended. She suffered brain, neck, back, and shoulder injuries. The woman was left with cognitive impairments, visual disturbances, post-traumatic stress disorder, a concussion, and tinnitus. She alleged negligence against the at-fault driver. The woman claimed he failed to maintain an appropriate lookout, drove while distracted, and tailgated her. She received $956,297.
2021, Colorado: $282,111 Verdict. A woman was T-boned while waiting to turn left. She suffered a concussion and the aggravation of her pre-existing cervical and lumbar conditions. The woman alleged negligence against the at-fault driver. She claimed unsafely operated his vehicle and ran a red light. The jury awarded $282,111.
2021, Colorado: $105,127 Verdict. A woman was cut off. She swerved to prevent a collision. The woman lost control of the vehicle, went off-road, and landed on an embankment. She suffered a scalp avulsion, a brain bleed, three rib fractures, cervical bulges, road rash, and cervical and shoulder pain. The woman experienced cognitive deficits, recurring migraines, and vertigo episodes. She could not work for a year. The woman alleged negligence against the driver that cut her off. She claimed he made an unsafe lane change and failed to watch the road. The jury awarded $105,127.
2020, Colorado: $72,011 Verdict. A woman suffered rotator cuff tear, a cervicogenic headache, dysphagia, and segmental joint dysfunction after her vehicle was struck head-on. Her two passengers sustained undisclosed injuries and filed separate claims. One of the claims settled for an undisclosed amount, while the other’s outcome was unknown. She sued the tortfeasor, alleging that he failed to stop at a red light, drove without regarding the traffic conditions, and proximately caused her injuries. The Boulder County jury awarded the woman a $72,011 verdict.
2020, Colorado: $130,000 Verdict. A 75-year-old man’s Buick Enclave was rear-ended by a Ford Ranger while he was stopped at a red light. He suffered neck and back injuries. The man sued the Ford Ranger’s driver, alleging that she was driving distracted and failed to pay attention to the road. The Ford Ranger’s driver admitted liability but denied that her negligence caused his injuries. A Weld County jury awarded the man a $130,000 verdict.
2020, Colorado: $227,027 Verdict. A woman’s vehicle was rear-ended after she made a left turn on a green arrow. Before the impact, the tortfeasor was traveling in the opposite direction and ran a red light. She suffered C4-5 and C6-7 herniations that led to spinal cord impingement and myelopathy. The woman underwent fusion surgery to her C4-5 disc and disc replacement surgery to her C6-7 disc. She sued the other driver, alleging that she drove while her child distracted her and that she failed to yield to a red light. The other driver denied liability, contending that she was contributorily negligent and that the woman’s injuries were pre-existing. An Arapahoe County jury awarded the woman a $227,027 verdict.
2020, Colorado: $559,256 Verdict. An underinsured motorist’s Mitsubishi Eclipse struck a non-party motorist’s Honda CR-V, which then rear-ended a woman’s BMW 5-Series. The woman suffered unspecified injuries as a result. She sued the tortfeasor, alleging that he drove distracted, failed to maintain a proper lookout, and negligently operated his vehicle. The woman also sued State Farm, seeking her UIM benefits. She settled with the other driver for $300,000. The Arapahoe County jury awarded her a $259,256 verdict.
2019, Colorado: $437,887 Verdict. A woman’s Honda CR-V was rear-ended by a Buick SUV while stopped in traffic. She suffered unspecified personal injuries. The woman sued the Buick SUV’s driver, alleging that she followed her vehicle too closely, failed to avoid a collision, and failed to keep a proper lookout. The Buick’s driver admitted liability but denied that her negligence caused the woman’s injuries. A Pueblo County jury awarded her a $337,000 verdict. The final judgment increased her net award to $437,887, which included the pre-judgment interest.
2019, Colorado: $98,400 Verdict. A woman was traveling on a roadway in the left lane. Another driver, who was traveling on the right lane, changed lanes, entered her lane of travel, and failed to check his blind spot. She took evasive action to avoid a collision. However, this caused her skid and strike the center median. The impact caused her to hit her head on her vehicle’s interior roof. She suffered a concussion and a loss of consciousness, which led to post-concussion syndrome. The woman sued the other driver, alleging that he drove carelessly and failed to ensure that the left lane was free of traffic. A Boulder County jury awarded the woman a $98,400 verdict.
2019, Colorado: $26,514 Verdict. A man’s Dodge Durango was rear-ended by a Chrysler 300 as he was waiting to exit onto a roadway. His wife and three minor children were passengers in the vehicle. All four suffered unspecified neck and back injuries. They sued the Chrysler 300’s driver, alleging that he followed the car too closely and failed to yield to traffic in front of him. The Chrysler 300’s driver denied negligence, claiming that his passenger distracted him. An Adams County jury awarded the family an $18,000 verdict. The court awarded an additional $8,514 in costs, increasing their net award to $25,514.
2019, Colorado: $12,340 Verdicts. A woman’s Ford Fusion was rear-ended after three cars behind her rear-ended each other. She suffered unspecified injuries because of the accident. The woman sued all three drivers for negligence. She alleged that they each followed the vehicle in front of them too closely. The trial only concerned claims against the driver who initiated the chain-reaction collision. A Jefferson County jury ruled in favor of the woman and awarded her a $12,340 verdict.