Do You Need a Lawyer After a Car Accident? 7 Signs You Should Hire One

Not every car accident requires a lawyer. A minor fender-bender with no injuries, clear fault, and cooperative insurance companies can often be resolved on your own. But when injuries are serious, fault is disputed, or the insurance company is playing hardball, having an experienced attorney can be the difference between a fair settlement and getting shortchanged by thousands — or even losing your right to compensation entirely.

Here are seven warning signs that you need professional legal help after a Colorado car accident.

Sign 1: You Suffered Serious Injuries

If your accident resulted in injuries requiring a hospital stay, surgery, ongoing physical therapy, or any treatment beyond a single doctor visit, you should consult an attorney. Serious injuries mean high medical bills, potential lost wages, and long-term impacts on your quality of life — all of which require professional negotiation to value accurately.

Sign 2: Fault is Being Disputed

If the other driver, their insurance company, or the police report assigns you partial or full fault and you disagree, you need an attorney immediately. Under Colorado's comparative fault rule, every percentage point of fault costs you money, and being assigned 50% or more fault means you recover nothing.

An attorney can gather evidence, hire accident reconstruction experts, obtain witness statements, and build a case that accurately reflects the other driver's fault — potentially saving you tens of thousands of dollars.

Sign 3: The Insurance Company Made a Low Offer

Insurance companies are in the business of paying as little as possible. If you receive a quick settlement offer — especially within the first few weeks after an accident — it is almost certainly far below what your claim is worth. These early offers are designed to resolve your claim before you understand the full extent of your injuries and damages.

Use our free settlement calculator to get a data-driven estimate of what your case may be worth before responding to any offer.

Sign 4: A Commercial Vehicle Was Involved

Accidents involving semi-trucks, delivery vehicles, rideshare cars (Uber/Lyft), buses, or other commercial vehicles are significantly more complex than standard car-versus-car collisions. Multiple parties may be liable — the driver, the trucking company, the vehicle manufacturer, the loading company — and commercial insurers have aggressive legal teams that respond immediately.

Commercial vehicle insurers often send investigators to the accident scene within hours. Without your own attorney, you are at a severe disadvantage in these cases.

Sign 5: DUI Was a Factor

If the other driver was under the influence of alcohol or drugs, Colorado law may allow punitive damages in addition to standard compensatory damages. Colorado allows punitive damages (also called "exemplary damages") when the defendant's conduct was willful or wanton. Drunk or drugged driving often meets this standard.

Pursuing punitive damages requires specific legal strategies and evidence preservation that only an experienced attorney can handle effectively.

Sign 6: It Was a Hit-and-Run

Hit-and-run accidents create unique challenges. If the other driver fled the scene, your primary source of compensation may be your own uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage. Filing a UM/UIM claim against your own insurance company is inherently adversarial — they are supposed to protect you, but they also want to minimize payouts.

An attorney ensures your own insurance company treats your claim fairly and helps investigate the hit-and-run driver using surveillance footage, witness statements, and police resources. You can search for your accident in our database to find details that may help identify the other vehicle.

Sign 7: Someone Died (Wrongful Death)

If a loved one died in a car accident, Colorado law allows certain family members to file a wrongful death claim within 2 years of the date of death (CRS 13-21-203). These cases involve complex damage calculations including loss of financial support, loss of companionship, grief and emotional suffering, and funeral and burial expenses.

Wrongful death claims are among the most emotionally and legally complex personal injury cases. An experienced attorney provides not only legal expertise but also a buffer between grieving families and aggressive insurance tactics.

How Much Do Car Accident Lawyers Cost?

The vast majority of Colorado car accident lawyers work on a contingency fee basis. This means:

Research consistently shows that accident victims who hire attorneys receive significantly higher net settlements — even after the contingency fee is deducted — than those who handle claims themselves. The Insurance Research Council found that claimants with attorneys received 3.5 times more in compensation on average.

Ready to explore your options? Browse top-rated Colorado car accident lawyers or use our settlement calculator to estimate your case value before requesting a case review.