Denver Pedestrian Accident Injury Lawyer

The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) notes that, over the last 10 years, more than 1,000 pedestrians were killed in traffic crashes in Colorado, and more than 3,300 were injured. Between 2021 and 2025, 591 pedestrians were killed on Colorado roads, which is a 36% increase in fatalities over the previous five years. Nationally, some 5,000 pedestrians are killed and 70,000 injured each year in traffic crashes. The seriousness of pedestrian crashes is on the rise, due to a number of factors, with one of which being the increasing size of vehicles. Check out our recent blog on this topic here. Often, drivers will be responsible for the injuries and related damages that result from a pedestrian accident, as drivers in large motor-driven vehicles generally have a duty to yield to persons on foot.

If you have been injured in a pedestrian accident, you may have the right to claim damages linked to your injuries, including medical bills, lost earnings, and pain and suffering. To determine what your options are, an experienced pedestrian accident attorney from Ready Law is available to review your case.

Who is considered a pedestrian?

Generally, anyone on foot or in a wheelchair, who is not protected by a vehicle. Pedestrians are classified as “vulnerable roadway users” under Colorado law. In Colorado Revised Statute § 42-4-1402.5, this includes people walking, people walking with their pets, people on skateboards, people on scooters, and more.

When are drivers at fault for pedestrian accidents?

Drivers are responsible for driving safely, responsibly, and attentively while following the rules and laws governing the road. When a driver fails in their responsibility to drive safely and causes an accident, they will generally be liable for the resulting damages. In Colorado, pedestrians have the right-of-way in crosswalks and intersections when traffic signals indicate it is safe to cross, even if there are no crosswalk markings on the road. While pedestrians have to yield the right of way to vehicles when crossing a road outside of a marked crosswalk or intersection, a driver may still be liable for injuries caused to a pedestrian if there is an accident, depending on the circumstances of the case. Examples may include neighborhood or residential areas where crosswalks or traffic signals may not exist, or in areas where pedestrians have no choice but to travel in or alongside a roadway.

The Denver metro area includes many intersections that are extremely busy and often, dangerous, for pedestrians. Roads like Colfax Avenue and Federal Boulevard in Denver account for a disproportionate number of fatalities, and also include a large population of residents without access to a car. One study cited Colfax Avenue and Colorado Boulevard as the most dangerous intersection in all of Colorado. Other studies and news stories have cited areas like Union Station in downtown Denver, where Denver Police Department has said that the intersection at 20th and Market Streets is highly dangerous to pedestrians, likely because of the heavy foot traffic for nearby venues like Coors Field. Aurora contains a disproportionate number of dangerous intersections, with many of the state’s worst intersections located in the city, according to crash data from CDOT, including Iliff Avenue and Tower Road. Colorado Springs isn’t exempt either, and check out our blog on the city’s dangerous intersections here.

Common reasons that drivers are liable for pedestrian accidents include the following, although any time a driver breaks a rule of the road, they will likely be liable for the damage they caused.

Drunk or intoxicated driving

In 2025 in Colorado, intoxicated or impaired drivers were involved in 34% of all traffic fatalities, according to CDOT. Drunk or intoxicated drivers are incapable of responding to changes in road conditions and may be incapable of stopping when they fail to notice a light or when a pedestrian steps into a crosswalk. They may also be less aware of the environment around them and could swerve, weave, change lanes, accelerate, or stop unpredictably. All drunk driving accidents are preventable, and all drunk drivers will be responsible for the damages they cause.

Distracted driving

In 2024 alone, there were 3,208 persons killed on the road due to distracted driving, which is considered one of the most dangerous driving behaviors in the US. In Colorado, 676 people have lost their lives in the decade between 2014 and 2024. Distracted driving is engaging in any activity while driving that takes a driver’s attention away from the road.

Examples of distracted driving that would make a driver responsible for any damages you suffered as a pedestrian as a result of an accident they caused include:

• Texting while driving (illegal now, thanks to Colorado’s hands-free driving law)
• Talking to passengers in the vehicle
• Eating while driving
• Playing with the center entertainment console in the vehicle

Any activity that takes a driver’s attention away from the road can lead to an accident, even if only briefly. Running a red light or failing to yield to a pedestrian with the right of way prior to making a right turn can all lead to a pedestrian being hit, which is why drivers must be attentive. In our blog on bigger trucks, we also discuss how the design of these trucks makes it harder for drivers to see pedestrians due to increased blind spots. If a driver is not fully attentive to the world outside of their truck, they may not see a pedestrian before turning.

How do I prove what the driver was doing before they hit me?

Understanding when a driver is legally liable for injuries caused by an accident does not mean that collecting full compensation after your pedestrian accident injuries will be effortless or automatic. You will need to prove the elements and factors supporting that conclusion. Was the driver distracted? Were they intoxicated? Were they well rested?

Determining what the driver was doing in the moments prior to the accident can be difficult, because more often than not, people who were distracted do not simply admit that. That does not mean finding out is not possible, and it certainly doesn’t mean it is not important to your case. One of the main reasons to work with a Denver pedestrian accident lawyer like Vern Ready is to have the benefit of your lawyer’s knowledge and experience in collecting evidence. Your lawyer will use legal instruments like requests for production, depositions, subpoenas, and other methods to gather evidence supporting your case. This can be especially important in the case of cell phone or black box vehicle data.

How much is my pedestrian accident injury worth?

You can only collect compensation for damages that you can prove, and to prove your damages, you need evidence. Often, this will come in the form of medical bills and pay stubs for short-term damages. In the long-term, opinions from medical and occupational experts are necessary to determine the full costs associated with your injuries, like whether you will need future surgeries, care support, or equipment. All of those are more or less damages a person can show receipts or paperwork for. The primary value of your case may actually be in permanent impairment and your personal experience of the injury. For this latter category, we call those factors non-economic damages. These are the losses you have suffered in the form of pain, suffering, inconvenience, worry, and stress. The insurance company of the at-fault party will be working against you, seeking to reduce or deny your claim, and will almost certainly seek to ignore non-economic damages entirely. Working with an attorney of your own is the best way to protect your rights.

Your pedestrian accident attorney negotiates with the insurance company

When a driver causes an accident that leads to an injury, they will be liable for the damages that result. Your compensation does not come automatically, and after assembling all the evidence you need to submit a viable claim, you will still need to negotiate with the insurance company to get full and fair value for what you have experienced and lost. Working with a Denver pedestrian accident lawyer as soon as possible after your accident will help to preserve valuable evidence and build the strongest case possible in your favor. When you hire Ready Law and Vern Ready, we are in your corner, helping you with the complexity, keeping you informed every step of the way; you simply focus on recovery.

Our partnership to advocate for pedestrians in Colorado

We are proud to give back to our Colorado community in a variety of ways. We support one great cause by partnering with Pedestrian Dignity, a grassroots advocacy and ARTivism project centering everyone who moves on foot, on wheels, or via transit. This great local organization combines advocacy with art, and calls attention to the challenging circumstances, designs, and driving behaviors non-drivers face every day, especially people who have no choice but to walk, wheel, or ride to meet basic needs. We love their passion for keeping everyone safe on our roadways.

Connect with a Denver personal injury Attorney for help with your pedestrian accident

Being injured in a pedestrian accident that the driver caused will likely entitle you to compensation, but you are unlikely to actually get fair compensation just by asking for it. To collect damages, you will need to gather evidence to prove the driver was at fault, measure your present and future damages, draft a claim, then submit the claim and negotiate the outcome with the appropriate insurance company or companies. A lawsuit may be necessary if a fair settlement that covers the full costs of your accident cannot be reached.

Your initial consultation is free, and we get paid a percentage of what we recover for you. That means we can meet and talk about your case at no cost or obligation to you. Even people who decide not to pursue a claim, after talking to Vern Ready in their consultation, say that we helped them decide what to do, and helped them understand their options. During your initial consultation, we will collect some basic information about your case and, if it is a fit, we will go over exactly how our attorney-client relationship will work.

If you have been injured in a pedestrian accident, reach out to Ready Law by giving us a call at 303-339-8846, or visit our site to schedule a consultation.