Criminal courts serve as a means of punishing wrongdoers for their actions, but a state’s civil justice system focuses on tort law, a branch of the justice system aimed not at punishing an individual’s actions but as a means of legal recourse for victims who suffer losses due to the actions of another. When someone else’s reckless actions or gross negligence causes injuries and the various consequences that come with those injuries, the civil court offers victims a means of…

When someone sustains a serious injury due to the actions of someone else, Colorado personal injury law gives them the legal means to address the wrong through compensation for damages. The word “damages” in a personal injury claim refers to all of the consequences of an injury caused by another individual or business entity’s negligence, reckless actions, or intentional wrongdoing. Common personal injury claims stem from car accidents, slip-and-fall injuries, and injuries from defective products. When an injury victim makes…

Car accidents quickly become expensive. Just as you’re caught up in dealing with the pain and trauma of a serious accident, you also have to deal with mounting medical bills and other accident-related damages. When car accident injuries are serious, you may be unable to return to work in your previous capacity—or at all—but your bills and expenses can’t wait. So what do you do after a car accident when serious injuries delay or prevent you from returning to work?…

Most people outside of legal circles think of evidence as an integral part of criminal cases, but evidence is a critical factor in civil cases as well, including personal injury claims. When a person sustains a serious injury through no fault of their own but due to another party’s negligence, reckless behavior, or intentional wrongdoing, the party at fault for the injury must pay damages. Compensation for damages usually comes through the appropriate insurance company, such as personal injury protection…

Every state imposes time limits for both criminal and civil cases to be brought to court. These statutes of limitations on cases serve to ensure that evidence is still available when a case comes to court and that eyewitness testimony to the event remains fresh and reliable. Colorado courts set specific statutes of limitations on cases ranging from when prosecutors can bring forward criminal charges to when an injury victim can bring a lawsuit for compensation for their damages. Colorado’s…