What to do after a car accident in Colorado
Every rule below is quoted from Colorado law or a state agency, with a link. Checked September 17, 2026.
At fault state
The short answer
Colorado is an at-fault state. Drivers must carry liability insurance that pays for the other person's injuries and property damage when they cause a crash. A driver in a crash with injury, death, or any amount of property damage must immediately report it to the nearest police department. You have 3 years to file a lawsuit for injuries from a car crash.
Deadlines in Colorado
- 3 years
- to sue for injuriesC.R.S. 13-80-101(1) intro and (1)(n)(I)
- 3 years
- to sue for car or property damageC.R.S. 13-80-101(1)(n)(I)
- 2 years
- for a family to sue after a deathC.R.S. 13-80-102(1) intro and (1)(d); see also 13-21-204
- 182 days
- to notify the government if a public vehicle or road was involvedC.R.S. 24-10-109(1) (Colorado Governmental Immunity Act)
Miss one of these and you can lose the right to claim, even with a strong case.
At the scene
Stop, share your information and help anyone hurt
After a crash, drivers must stop at the scene, give their name, address and license plate number, show their license if asked, and help anyone who is hurt.
“shall immediately stop such vehicle at the scene of such accident or as close to the scene as possible”
When you must call the police
A driver in a crash with injury, death, or any amount of property damage must immediately report it to the nearest police department.
“give immediate notice of the location of such accident and such other information as is specified in section 42-4-1603 (2) to the nearest office of the duly authorized police authority”
Moving your car out of traffic
On a divided highway, if the crashed vehicles can still be driven, drivers must move them off the road to a frontage road, the nearest cross street, or another safe spot.
“When an accident occurs on the traveled portion, median, or ramp of a divided highway and each vehicle involved can be safely driven, each driver shall move”
In the days after
Whether you must file a report yourself
If a police officer responded to your crash, you usually do not need to file anything with the DMV unless the Department of Revenue sends you a letter asking for more information. If no officer responded, you can file an online counter report yourself using form DR 2559.
“you do not need to provide any forms unless you receive a letter from the Department of Revenue”
Getting a copy of the crash report
To get a Colorado State Patrol crash report, submit a request through the CSP Records Request Portal. Processing can take up to 10 working days, and the Central Records Unit can tell you the cost.
“All requests for records must be submitted on the appropriate Colorado State Patrol Records Request Portal.”
Who pays for the damage
Colorado is an at-fault state. Drivers must carry liability insurance that pays for the other person's injuries and property damage when they cause a crash.
“property damage to another’s property that are the result of an accident in which you are found to be at fault”
Insurance rules in Colorado
What insurance every driver must carry
Colorado drivers must carry at least $25,000 of liability coverage per person, $50,000 per accident for injuries, and $15,000 for property damage.
“twenty-five thousand dollars to any one person in any one accident and fifty thousand dollars to all persons in any one accident”
Personal injury protection (PIP)
Colorado does not require drivers to carry personal injury protection (PIP). The law requires liability insurance instead, which pays the other driver when you are at fault.
“§ 10-4-701 to 10-4-726. (Repealed)”
If the other driver has no insurance
Insurance companies must include uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage in your policy unless you reject it in writing.
“does not apply if the named insured rejects the coverage described in subsection (1)(a)(I) of this section in writing”
Medical payments coverage
Insurance companies must include $5,000 of medical payments coverage in your policy unless you reject it in writing.
“coverage is provided in the policy or in a supplemental policy for medical payments with benefits of five thousand dollars for bodily injury, sickness, or disease”
If an insurance company treats you unfairly
To file a complaint against an insurance company in Colorado, use the Division of Insurance's online Consumer Portal.
“Complaints are filed through the Consumer Portal, where you will first need to create an account using an email address and password.”
The deadline rules, word for word
Deadline to sue for injuries
You have 3 years to file a lawsuit for injuries from a car crash.
“shall be commenced within three years after the cause of action accrues, and not thereafter”
Deadline to sue for car damage
You have 3 years to file a lawsuit over vehicle or property damage from a car crash.
“All tort actions for bodily injury or property damage arising out of the use or operation of a motor vehicle”
Deadline for a wrongful death claim
Families have 2 years to file a wrongful death lawsuit after a fatal car crash. If the driver committed vehicular homicide and left the scene, the deadline is 4 years instead.
“must be commenced within two years after the cause of action accrues, and not thereafter”
If a government vehicle or road was involved
If a state or local government vehicle or road caused your crash, you must send a written notice of claim within 182 days of discovering the injury, or you lose the right to sue.
“shall file a written notice as provided in this section within one hundred eighty-two days after the date of the discovery of the injury”
Sources on this page
Each one was opened and checked on September 17, 2026.
- C.R.S. 10-4-620; doi.colorado.gov Auto Insurance guide
- C.R.S. 10-4-701 to 10-4-726 (Repealed)
- C.R.S. 13-21-111(1) and (3)
- C.R.S. 13-80-101(1) intro and (1)(n)(I)
- C.R.S. 13-80-102(1) intro and (1)(d); see also 13-21-204
- C.R.S. 24-10-109(1) (Colorado Governmental Immunity Act)
- C.R.S. 42-4-1606(1)
- Colorado DMV, Report a Crash and Obtain a Crash Record
- C.R.S. 10-4-620
- C.R.S. 10-4-609(1)(a)(I) and (II)
- C.R.S. 10-4-635(1)(a) and (b)
- C.R.S. 42-4-1601(1) (injury or death); 42-4-1602(1) (damage only); 42-4-1603(1) (information and aid)
- C.R.S. 42-4-1602(2)
- Colorado State Patrol, Crash Information
- Colorado Division of Insurance (DORA), File a Complaint
- Colo. RPC 1.5(a) and (c)
Know My Claim is not a law firm or a government agency, and this page is not legal advice. Laws change, so check the linked source before you rely on a deadline.