Compassionate Denver Wrongful Death Lawyers Fighting for Justice

Losing a loved one due to someone else's negligence, recklessness, or intentional actions is one of life's most devastating experiences. No amount of money can replace your loved one, but pursuing a wrongful death claim can provide financial security for your family and hold responsible parties accountable for their actions. At Conduit Law, our Denver wrongful death lawyers combine legal expertise with genuine compassion to guide families through this difficult journey.

We understand that during this painful time, the last thing you want to deal with is complex legal proceedings and aggressive insurance companies. That's why we handle every aspect of your wrongful death case, allowing you to focus on grieving and healing with your family. Our team has recovered over $50 million for Colorado families, and we're committed to securing the maximum compensation available under Colorado law.

Understanding Wrongful Death Claims in Colorado

A wrongful death occurs when a person dies as a result of another party's negligence, recklessness, or intentional misconduct. Under Colorado Revised Statutes § 13-21-201, certain family members have the legal right to file a wrongful death lawsuit to recover damages for their losses. These claims are designed to provide financial compensation for the economic and emotional impact of losing a loved one. For a comprehensive overview of Colorado wrongful death law, including filing rights, damages, and the legal process, see our Complete Colorado Wrongful Death Guide.

Wrongful death cases differ from criminal proceedings. While criminal cases focus on punishing the wrongdoer, wrongful death lawsuits are civil actions that seek monetary compensation for the surviving family members. Even if criminal charges aren't filed or result in acquittal, you may still have a valid wrongful death claim.

Who Can File a Wrongful Death Lawsuit in Denver?

Colorado law strictly defines who has legal standing to file a wrongful death claim. The right to file depends on how much time has passed since the death:

• First Year After Death: The deceased's spouse has the exclusive right to file. If there is no surviving spouse, the deceased's children may file. If there are no children, the deceased's parents may file.
• Second Year After Death: If no lawsuit was filed in the first year, the personal representative of the deceased's estate may file on behalf of the heirs.

It's important to note that even if you have the legal right to file, Colorado's statute of limitations gives you only 2 years from the date of death to file a wrongful death lawsuit in most cases. Failing to meet this deadline can permanently bar your claim, which is why consulting with a Denver wrongful death attorney as soon as possible is critical.

Common Causes of Wrongful Death in Denver

Wrongful deaths can result from many types of negligent, reckless, or intentional conduct. Our Denver wrongful death lawyers have handled cases arising from:

Motor Vehicle Accidents

Car accidents, truck accidents, and motorcycle crashes are among the leading causes of wrongful death in Denver. These fatalities often result from drunk driving, distracted driving, speeding, running red lights, or failure to yield. Commercial trucking accidents can be particularly devastating due to the massive size disparity between trucks and passenger vehicles. Military families stationed at Fort Carson, Peterson Space Force Base, and the Air Force Academy face unique challenges when pursuing wrongful death claims—our Colorado Springs wrongful death attorneys understand SOFA agreements, base jurisdiction issues, and work closely with JAG offices to ensure service members' families receive full compensation. Similarly, when college students tragically lose their lives in accidents near Colorado State University, our Fort Collins wrongful death lawyers help grieving families navigate both civil claims and university administrative proceedings while coordinating with Larimer County authorities.

Pedestrian and Bicycle Accidents

Denver's growing population of pedestrians and cyclists face serious risks from negligent drivers. Fatal pedestrian accidents often occur in crosswalks when drivers fail to yield, and bicycle fatalities frequently result from drivers failing to check blind spots or give cyclists adequate space. These vulnerable road users deserve justice when preventable accidents take their lives.

Medical Malpractice

When healthcare providers fail to meet accepted standards of care, the results can be fatal. Medical malpractice wrongful deaths may involve surgical errors, misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis of serious conditions like cancer or heart disease, medication errors, anesthesia mistakes, birth injuries, or nursing home neglect. The concentration of medical facilities around the Anschutz Medical Campus, including University Hospital and Children's Hospital Colorado, means complex medical negligence cases require attorneys who understand teaching hospital protocols—our Aurora wrongful death attorneys work with medical experts familiar with academic medicine standards to prove deviations from proper care. Similarly, families who lose loved ones due to negligence at Littleton Adventist Hospital or Sky Ridge Medical Center benefit from our Centennial wrongful death lawyers' established relationships with medical professionals throughout the HealthONE and Centura Health systems.

Workplace Accidents

Construction sites, manufacturing facilities, and other workplaces can be dangerous environments. Fatal workplace accidents may result from falls from heights, equipment malfunctions, electrocution, chemical exposure, or inadequate safety protocols. The Suncor Energy refinery and surrounding industrial complexes along Brighton Boulevard create particularly hazardous work environments where chemical exposures and explosion risks require specialized safety protocols—our Commerce City wrongful death lawyers investigate these complex industrial fatalities, working with OSHA investigators and chemical safety experts to prove violations of workplace safety standards. In southern Colorado, the steel mills and manufacturing facilities around Pueblo present unique dangers, and our Pueblo wrongful death attorneys have decades of experience handling industrial accident claims involving molten metal injuries, crane accidents, and toxic exposure cases in the Arkansas River industrial corridor.

Premises Liability Incidents

Property owners have a legal duty to maintain safe premises for visitors. Fatal premises liability accidents can include slip and falls, inadequate security leading to violent crimes, swimming pool drownings, carbon monoxide poisoning, or building collapses. When property owners neglect their safety obligations, resulting in death, they must be held responsible.

Defective Products

Manufacturers, distributors, and retailers can be held liable when defective products cause fatal injuries. This includes defective vehicles or vehicle components, dangerous pharmaceutical drugs, defective medical devices, toxic products, or unsafe consumer goods. Product liability wrongful death cases often involve multiple defendants and complex litigation.

Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect

Colorado's elderly residents deserve quality care and respect. Sadly, nursing home neglect and abuse claim lives every year through bedsores leading to sepsis, malnutrition and dehydration, medication errors, inadequate supervision leading to falls, or outright physical abuse. These facilities must be held accountable for failing to protect vulnerable residents.

Criminal Acts and Violent Crimes

When wrongful death results from intentional criminal acts like assault, robbery, or homicide, families may pursue both criminal justice and civil compensation. Property owners may also be liable if inadequate security enabled the crime. While criminal proceedings focus on punishment, a wrongful death lawsuit focuses on compensating your family.

Damages Available in Colorado Wrongful Death Cases

Colorado law allows surviving family members to recover various types of damages in wrongful death claims. Understanding what compensation is available helps families pursue full and fair recovery.

Economic Damages

Economic damages compensate for measurable financial losses, including:

• Funeral and Burial Expenses: The costs of funeral services, burial or cremation, and memorial services.
• Medical Expenses: Medical bills incurred before death, including emergency care, hospitalization, surgery, and end-of-life care.
• Lost Financial Support: The income and benefits your loved one would have provided to the family for the rest of their expected working life, calculated by forensic economists.
• Lost Benefits: The value of health insurance, retirement contributions, and other employment benefits the deceased would have earned.
• Loss of Inheritance: The estate's loss of what the deceased would have earned and saved during their expected lifetime.

Non-Economic Damages

Non-economic damages address the intangible losses that families suffer:

• Loss of Companionship: The loss of love, affection, comfort, and emotional support from your spouse, parent, or child.
• Loss of Guidance and Counsel: The loss of advice, wisdom, and guidance, particularly significant when a parent dies leaving minor children.
• Emotional Pain and Suffering: The grief, anguish, and emotional trauma of losing a loved one.
• Loss of Consortium: The loss of the marital relationship, including companionship and intimacy, when a spouse dies.

Colorado caps non-economic damages in most wrongful death cases at approximately $641,180 (adjusted annually for inflation). However, exceptions to this cap apply when clear and convincing evidence shows certain factors, and your Denver wrongful death lawyer will pursue the maximum compensation allowed.

Punitive Damages

In cases involving particularly egregious conduct—such as drunk driving, extreme recklessness, or intentional harm—Colorado law allows punitive damages designed to punish the wrongdoer and deter similar conduct. Punitive damages are awarded in addition to economic and non-economic damages and can significantly increase the total recovery.

Survival Action Damages

In addition to a wrongful death claim, families may file a "survival action" on behalf of the deceased's estate. This separate claim recovers damages the deceased would have been entitled to if they had survived, including pain and suffering experienced before death, medical expenses, and lost wages between the injury and death. Survival action proceeds become part of the estate and are distributed according to Colorado probate law.

The Colorado Wrongful Death Statute of Limitations

Time is critical in wrongful death cases. Under Colorado Revised Statutes § 13-21-202, you generally have 2 years from the date of death to file a wrongful death lawsuit. However, important exceptions can extend or shorten this deadline:

• Motor Vehicle Accidents: The statute of limitations may extend to 3 years when death results from a motor vehicle accident.
• Vehicular Homicide: Cases involving vehicular homicide may have a 4-year statute of limitations.
• Government Defendants: If a government entity or employee caused the death, you must file a notice of claim within 180 days before filing a lawsuit.
• Discovery Rule: In rare cases where the cause of death wasn't immediately apparent, the statute may begin when the cause is discovered.

Missing the statute of limitations deadline almost always results in your case being dismissed, permanently barring your right to compensation. Don't risk losing your family's right to justice—contact a Denver wrongful death attorney immediately to protect your legal rights.

What to Expect in a Wrongful Death Case

Understanding the wrongful death claim process helps families know what to expect during this difficult time.

Free Initial Consultation

Your journey begins with a free, confidential consultation with our Denver wrongful death lawyers. We'll listen to your story with compassion, review the circumstances of your loved one's death, explain your legal rights and options, and answer all your questions. There's no obligation, and we never charge for this initial meeting.

Investigation and Evidence Gathering

If you choose to work with Conduit Law, we immediately begin a thorough investigation to build the strongest possible case. This includes obtaining police reports, medical records, autopsy reports, and death certificates; interviewing witnesses; consulting with accident reconstruction experts; gathering employment and financial records; working with forensic economists to calculate damages; and preserving critical evidence before it's lost or destroyed.

Filing the Wrongful Death Lawsuit

Once we've completed our investigation and identified all liable parties, we file a wrongful death complaint in the appropriate Colorado court. This legal document formally begins the lawsuit and outlines the factual and legal basis for your claim.

Discovery Phase

During discovery, both sides exchange information through written questions (interrogatories), document requests, and depositions (sworn testimony). This phase can take several months but is essential for building a comprehensive case and understanding the defendant's defenses.

Settlement Negotiations

Most wrongful death cases settle before trial. Our attorneys engage in negotiations with defendants and their insurance companies to secure fair compensation. We leverage our reputation for thorough trial preparation to negotiate from a position of strength. We'll never recommend accepting a settlement unless it truly serves your family's best interests.

Trial

If settlement negotiations fail to produce fair compensation, we're fully prepared to take your case to trial. Our trial attorneys present your case to a jury, including evidence of negligence, testimony from expert witnesses, proof of damages, and powerful testimony about your loved one's life and the impact of their loss. While trials involve additional time and emotional investment, they sometimes result in higher compensation than settlement offers.

Why Choose Conduit Law for Your Wrongful Death Case?

Selecting the right attorney for your wrongful death case is one of the most important decisions you'll make. Here's what sets Conduit Law apart:

Proven Track Record

We've recovered over $50 million for Colorado injury victims and their families. Our results speak to our commitment to maximizing compensation for every client.

Compassionate Client Service

We understand that legal expertise must be paired with genuine compassion. Our team treats every family with the respect, empathy, and personal attention they deserve during this difficult time.

No Fees Unless We Win

We handle all wrongful death cases on a contingency fee basis. You pay nothing upfront and no attorney fees unless we recover compensation for your family. We advance all case costs, so financial concerns never prevent families from pursuing justice.

Thorough Investigation and Preparation

Insurance companies and corporate defendants have teams of lawyers working to minimize their liability. We level the playing field by conducting comprehensive investigations, retaining leading experts, and preparing every case as if it will go to trial.

Personalized Attention

You're not just a case number at Conduit Law. Your attorney will be personally accessible, keeping you informed at every stage and making decisions together with you, not for you.

Trial Experience

While most cases settle, insurance companies pay more when they know your attorney is willing and able to take the case to trial. Our trial experience and courtroom success give us negotiating leverage to secure better settlements.

How Wrongful Death Settlements Are Determined

Many families ask, "What is my wrongful death case worth?" While every case is unique, settlement amounts typically range from $500,000 to well over $1 million, depending on various factors:

• Age and Earning Capacity: Younger victims with higher earning potential generally result in larger settlements due to greater lost financial support.
• Relationship to Survivors: The loss of a spouse or parent typically justifies higher non-economic damages than more distant relationships.
• Number of Dependents: More dependents (spouse and multiple children) generally increases the settlement value.
• Circumstances of Death: Cases involving extreme negligence, intoxication, or intentional conduct often result in punitive damages, increasing total compensation.
• Strength of Evidence: Clear evidence of liability and damages leads to higher settlements as defendants recognize their exposure at trial.
• Insurance Coverage: Available insurance limits can impact settlement amounts, though we pursue all possible sources of compensation.

Our Denver wrongful death lawyers work with forensic economists, vocational experts, and other specialists to accurately calculate the full value of your claim, ensuring no element of your family's loss goes uncompensated.

Frequently Asked Questions About Wrongful Death Cases

Can I file a wrongful death claim if criminal charges are pending?

Yes. Wrongful death lawsuits are civil cases separate from criminal proceedings. You can file a wrongful death claim regardless of whether criminal charges are filed or what happens in the criminal case. The burden of proof is lower in civil cases (preponderance of evidence vs. beyond reasonable doubt), so you may prevail in a civil claim even if criminal charges aren't filed or result in acquittal.

How long does a wrongful death case take?

Most wrongful death cases resolve within 12-36 months, though complex cases can take longer. The timeline depends on factors like the complexity of the case, the number of defendants, insurance company cooperation, court schedules, and whether the case goes to trial. While we work efficiently, we prioritize maximizing your recovery over speed.

Will I have to go to court?

Most wrongful death cases settle before trial, meaning you likely won't have to testify in court. However, you may need to attend a deposition (sworn testimony in an attorney's office) during the discovery phase. If your case does go to trial, your testimony can be powerful in demonstrating the impact of your loss. We thoroughly prepare all clients for any required testimony.

What if my loved one was partially at fault for the accident?

Colorado follows a "modified comparative negligence" rule. You can still recover damages if your loved one was partially at fault, as long as they were less than 50% responsible for the accident. However, your compensation will be reduced by their percentage of fault. For example, if your loved one was 20% at fault and the total damages are $1 million, you would recover $800,000.

Can I sue my loved one's employer in a wrongful death case?

Generally, workers' compensation is the exclusive remedy against an employer, meaning you can't sue them directly. However, exceptions exist when the employer's conduct was intentional or grossly negligent, or when third parties (equipment manufacturers, subcontractors, property owners) contributed to the death. Your wrongful death attorney will identify all potentially liable parties.

Take the First Step Toward Justice

If you've lost a loved one due to someone else's negligence in Denver or anywhere in Colorado, Conduit Law is here to help. We understand that no legal outcome can bring back your loved one, but we're committed to securing justice and the financial compensation your family needs to move forward.

Our compassionate Denver wrongful death lawyers offer free, confidential consultations with no obligation. We'll explain your rights, answer your questions, and help you understand your options. If we take your case, you'll pay no attorney fees unless we recover compensation for your family.

Don't wait—Colorado's statute of limitations means time is critical. Contact Conduit Law today at (720) 432-7032 to schedule your free consultation with an experienced Denver wrongful death attorney. Let us handle the legal fight while you focus on what matters most—your family.