Lakewood Motorcycle Accident Lawyer

Lakewood’s location offers riders choices, but it also puts motorcycles into complicated traffic patterns.

U.S. Highway 6 cuts directly through the city. West Colfax Avenue connects Lakewood with Denver to the east and the foothills to the west. Wadsworth Boulevard and Kipling Street carry north-south traffic, while C-470 runs along the city’s western edge. To the south, U.S. Highway 285 provides another major route toward the mountains.

Morrison Road presents its own transition, beginning as an urban arterial before leading toward Morrison and roads popular with riders.

Those routes can put motorcyclists alongside commuters, tourists, commercial vehicles, and drivers unfamiliar with their destinations. Interchanges, merging traffic, busy intersections, sudden stops, and vehicles crossing multiple lanes can be especially dangerous when drivers fail to account for a motorcycle.

One lesson Scott learned early in his career is that the first explanation of a motorcycle collision is not necessarily the right one.

A driver may insist that a rider “came out of nowhere.” A police report may contain incomplete information. An insurance adjuster may begin asking questions designed to establish that the motorcyclist was speeding before anyone has examined the physical evidence.

That is why Rider Justice focuses on reconstructing what actually occurred.

Depending on the collision, that may mean examining:

• Photographs of the vehicles and roadway.
• Witness accounts.
• Traffic or surveillance video.
• Skid marks and debris patterns.
• Vehicle damage.
• Electronic vehicle information when available.
• Cell phone evidence when distraction is suspected.

The location itself can matter, too. A collision at a Lakewood intersection may raise questions about turning movements and right of way. A crash on US 6 or C-470 may require closer examination of lane changes, merging, speed, and following distance.

The goal is not to fit the facts into an easy narrative. It is to build the narrative from the facts.

Scott spent part of his career representing insurance companies before turning his practice toward injured people. He knows insurers do not evaluate motorcycle claims in a vacuum.

Motorcyclists are sometimes portrayed as aggressive, reckless, or inherently willing to take risks. When fault is disputed, those stereotypes can influence the questions an adjuster asks and the arguments an insurer makes.

That can have real financial consequences in Colorado.

Because Colorado uses modified comparative negligence, the percentage of fault assigned to an injured rider can affect the amount recovered. If an insurance company can shift additional responsibility onto the motorcyclist, it may be able to reduce what it pays.

Rider Justice pushes back with evidence rather than stereotypes.

Scott earned his law degree from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law and has spent almost three decades handling motorcycle cases. His experience on both sides of insurance disputes helps him recognize when legitimate questions about a crash are becoming attempts to blame the rider unfairly.

Rider Justice has seen how difficult it is to make immediate decisions after a collision, especially when an injured rider is in pain or unsure of what happened.

When possible:

• Photograph the motorcycle, other vehicles, roadway, and visible injuries.
• Collect contact information from witnesses.
• Preserve your helmet, riding gear, and damaged motorcycle.
• Avoid giving the other driver’s insurer a recorded statement before understanding your rights.
• Get medical attention and follow the treatment recommendations you receive.
• Keep records of medical treatment, missed work, expenses, and communications with insurers.
• Speak with a motorcycle attorney before talking with the insurance company, accepting a settlement, or signing a release.

Evidence can disappear quickly. Getting help early can make it easier to preserve information that may later become important.