Head-On Collision Settlement for a Douglas County First Responder: The Crash That Ended a Career
Result Snapshot
| Case type | Head-on collision; underinsured motorist (UIM) claim |
|---|---|
| Injuries | Right foot fracture, left knee injury, low back pain, mild traumatic brain injury |
| Location | Sedalia, Douglas County, Colorado |
| Resolution | Full $100,000 liability policy limits recovered, then UIM litigation in federal court; combined recovery of $110,000 |
| Attorneys | Todd A. Travis and Jordan M. Travis |
| Year resolved | 2025 |
Introduction
He spent his career running toward other people’s emergencies. Then, on a snowy winter morning near Sedalia, the emergency was his.
Rampart Injury Lawyers represented a career first responder after a head-on collision on an icy Douglas County road. We recovered the full $100,000 policy limit from the at-fault driver’s insurer, then kept going. When his own underinsured motorist carrier would not pay what the claim was worth, we filed suit and litigated the UIM claim in federal court. The case resolved in 2025 for a combined $215,258.50.
This page tells the story of that case: what happened, what the insurance companies argued, and the work it took to push back.
What Happened
The morning was cold and the road was ice. Our client was driving his SUV on a familiar two-lane road near Sedalia, in southern Douglas County, when an oncoming driver lost control, slid across the center line, and hit him head-on. The impact was violent. The damage to his SUV was severe. The responding officer cited the other driver for careless driving at the scene.
Our client walked away that day. That detail matters, because it shaped everything the insurance companies argued later. If he could walk away, how badly could he really be hurt? Six years later, he was still living with the answer.
Injuries and Medical Impact
The emergency room documented a broken bone in his right foot, an injured left knee, and pain across his lower back. What no one diagnosed that morning was a mild traumatic brain injury. Mild TBI hides in plain sight. There is no cast for it. It shows up later, in small failures: the lost word, the missed step in a familiar routine, the task that takes three times longer than it used to.
Over the next three years, our client moved through chiropractic care, podiatry, primary care, and repeat neuropsychological testing. The cognitive testing confirmed real deficits in attention and processing speed. A prescription medication brought him close to his old baseline, but only while it was active. After more than a year of trying to push through at work, he made the hardest call of his professional life. He retired early from the career that had defined him, because he no longer trusted himself to make the split-second decisions the job demanded.
Legal and Insurance Challenges
A late-diagnosed brain injury is exactly the kind of claim insurance companies attack. No TBI diagnosis in the ER records. A client who walked away from the scene. Years between the crash and the full picture of the harm. Defense playbooks are built for cases like this one.
There was a second problem: money. The at-fault driver carried a $100,000 liability policy. For a man who lost his career, that was nowhere close to the full measure of the loss. Our client had been responsible enough to carry underinsured motorist coverage on his own policy, the coverage Colorado law requires insurers to offer under C.R.S. § 10-4-609. When the early UIM offers from his own carrier fell well short, the dispute became a lawsuit.
How Rampart Built the Case
We built the medical record the way we build every case: carefully, and for trial. That meant gathering and organizing years of treatment records across multiple providers, securing a thorough independent medical evaluation, and using serial neuropsychological testing to document the cognitive deficits objectively, rather than asking anyone to take our client’s word for it.
We recovered the full $100,000 policy limit from the at-fault driver’s insurer. That was the floor, not the ceiling. We then pursued the UIM claim against our client’s own carrier. When negotiation stalled, we filed suit. The case moved into federal court. We completed depositions of the carrier’s representatives and kept advancing the case until it resolved.
Todd A. Travis and Jordan M. Travis handled the case together, from the first records request to the final resolution.
The Result
The case resolved in 2025 for a combined recovery of $215,258.50: the full liability limits plus the UIM resolution reached through federal litigation. Every case is different. This result reflected the specific facts here, including documented cognitive deficits, a clear liability picture, and the insurance coverage actually available. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes.
What did the resolution mean for our client? Accountability, mostly. The crash took a career from a man who spent decades keeping his community safe. The legal system cannot give that back. It can hold the responsible parties to account, and it did.
Colorado Injury Law Takeaway
Two lessons from this case apply to almost every serious crash on Colorado roads.
First, check your own policy for underinsured motorist coverage. Under C.R.S. § 10-4-609, UIM coverage pays the difference between the at-fault driver’s liability limits and the damages you actually sustained, up to your own UIM limits. Colorado insurers must offer the coverage, and a named insured can only reject it in writing. For our client, that coverage was the difference between a claim capped at $100,000 and the ability to keep fighting.
Second, watch the clock. Colorado law generally gives you three years to file a tort action for bodily injury arising out of the use or operation of a motor vehicle under C.R.S. § 13-80-101(1)(n). UM and UIM claims run on their own timeline under C.R.S. § 13-80-107.5, which can shift depending on when the underlying liability claim is preserved or paid. These deadlines are unforgiving, and a late-emerging injury like a mild TBI does not pause them on its own. Talk to a lawyer early, even if you walked away from the crash.
Frequently Asked Questions
UIM coverage on your own auto policy pays for bodily injury damages a negligent driver caused when that driver’s liability limits are not enough to cover your losses. Colorado requires insurers to offer it under C.R.S. § 10-4-609, and a named insured can only reject it in writing.
Late-diagnosed injuries are common after crashes, and mild traumatic brain injuries are missed often. Keep treating, report every symptom to every provider, and get evaluated when symptoms persist. Objective tools like neuropsychological testing can document deficits the ER never looked for.
Generally three years for tort claims arising from the use or operation of a motor vehicle under C.R.S. § 13-80-101(1)(n). UM and UIM claims follow their own limitation rules under C.R.S. § 13-80-107.5. The deadlines turn on your facts, so confirm yours with a lawyer rather than guessing.
Talk to a Colorado Injury Lawyer
If a crash near Sedalia, Castle Rock, or anywhere in Douglas County changed your life, call Rampart Injury Lawyers at (303) 766-8766. The consultation is free, and you will talk to an attorney, not an intake script. We handle injury cases on a contingency fee: no fee unless we win. Clients may be responsible for costs and expenses regardless of outcome. Wondering whether your injuries are serious enough to call about? That is exactly the question a free consultation answers.
Disclaimers
Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Each case is unique and depends on its specific facts and circumstances, including injury severity, available insurance coverage, liability evidence, and applicable Colorado law.
The information on this page is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Reading this page or submitting a contact form does not create an attorney-client relationship with Rampart Injury Lawyers.
No fee unless we win. Clients may be responsible for costs and expenses regardless of outcome.
Rampart Injury Lawyers, a trade name of Travis Legal Offices, LLC | 333 Perry Street, Suite 203, Castle Rock, Colorado 80104 | (303) 766-8766 | Responsible attorney: Todd A. Travis. Built Case by Case.
