Englewood, Colorado Car Accident Lawyer

Personal Injury Attorney for Crashes on Hampden Avenue (US 285), South Broadway, and Santa Fe Drive, and for Patients Treated at Swedish Medical Center and Craig Hospital

Rampart Injury Lawyers represents Englewood crash victims and patients treated at Swedish Medical Center and Craig Hospital for injuries sustained anywhere on the I-25 corridor. We have spent over 26 years handling the types of catastrophic injury cases that end up in Englewood’s operating rooms and rehabilitation wards. If your injuries brought you here, we can help you fight for what those injuries are worth.

When a crash on I-25 is bad enough that the paramedics call for a helicopter, the helicopter flies to Englewood. When a truck wreck on Monument Hill leaves someone with a spinal cord injury, the ambulance that eventually carries them to long-term rehabilitation drives to Englewood. When a motorcycle collision on Santa Fe Drive produces a traumatic brain injury that will reshape every remaining day of someone’s life, the neurosurgeons who stabilize them work in Englewood.

Englewood is home to Swedish Medical Center, one of only three Level I Trauma Centers in the state of Colorado, and Craig Hospital, ranked number 8 in the nation for rehabilitation of traumatic brain injuries and spinal cord injuries. Together, these two facilities form the most advanced trauma-to-rehabilitation continuum in the state. Crash victims from Castle Rock, Monument, Parker, Highlands Ranch, Lone Tree, and every point along the I-25 corridor are transported here when their injuries are too severe for the local hospitals to handle. Englewood is where the worst cases land.

But Englewood is not just a destination for trauma patients from other communities. It is a city of 33,659 people with its own dangerous roads, its own crash patterns, and its own residents who are injured on Hampden Avenue, South Broadway, and Santa Fe Drive every week. A $1.4 million mobility and safety study confirmed what Englewood residents already knew: Hampden Avenue has higher crash and injury rates than comparable state roadways. Cars have crashed directly into businesses near the Shoppes at Cherry Hills. A pedestrian was struck and killed by two vehicles on South Broadway. This is a city where the roads that carry traffic to the trauma center are themselves producing patients for it.

The Most Dangerous Roads and Intersections in Englewood, Colorado

• Hampden Avenue (US 285): Higher Crash Rates Than Comparable State Roads

  A $1.4 million mobility and safety study conducted in 2023, involving CDOT, RTD, Arapahoe County, and four cities, confirmed that Hampden Avenue through Englewood has higher crash and injury rates than other CDOT state roadways. That is not an anecdotal observation from frustrated commuters. It is the conclusion of a formal engineering study funded by the state.

  The crash pattern on Hampden is driven by a road that tries to be too many things at once. Hampden is simultaneously a US highway (US 285), a commercial corridor lined with businesses, a transit route serving the Englewood RTD station, and a residential throughway for 33,000 people. The result is a road where highway-speed traffic interacts with turning vehicles, pedestrians, transit users, and commercial driveways in ways that produce collisions with regularity. A fatal motorcycle crash occurred on Hampden west of South Broadway in July 2023. A fatal two-car crash was documented at Hampden and Franklin. Near the Shoppes at Cherry Hills, a dangerous curve has sent at least four vehicles crashing directly into storefronts, three of them in a single year, prompting business owners to request barriers.

  When four cars crash into buildings in one year at the same curve, the problem is not four bad drivers. The problem is the road. But under Colorado law, proving that road design contributed to a crash requires establishing that the responsible government entity had notice of the hazard and failed to act. The $1.4 million study is that notice, documented and public. Rampart Injury Lawyers uses engineering studies, CDOT crash data, and expert reconstruction to build cases that identify every responsible party, whether that is the other driver, a trucking company, or a government entity that knew about a dangerous curve and did nothing.

• South Broadway: Englewood’s Busiest and Most Deadly Avenue

  South Broadway is the highest-traffic avenue in Englewood, carrying commuter, commercial, and local traffic through the heart of the city. The pedestrian who was hit and killed in June 2022 at the intersection of South Broadway and East Mansfield Avenue was struck twice by two different cars. Once from the first car, he was hit once again by the second car. This accident exemplifies how dangerous it can be for pedestrians when they cross over Broadway: It is so very wide and there is so much speed with all those vehicles speeding by and most drivers are focusing on other vehicles and not on people who are walking.

  Although Englewood has made many investments in its pedestrian infrastructure (such as the City Center area, which was designed to be a pedestrian friendly, transit-oriented community around the RTD light rail station), the pedestrian infrastructure works only as long as the driver continues to pay attention. Colorado law (C.R.S. § 42-4-802) requires drivers to yield to pedestrians in crosswalks. When two vehicles strike the same pedestrian in the same intersection, the failure of driver attention is catastrophic and compounding.

• Santa Fe Drive (US 85): High-Speed Corridor on Englewood’s Western Edge

  Santa Fe Drive runs along the western boundary of Englewood, carrying high-volume north-south traffic between Denver, Sheridan, Englewood, Littleton, and points south. The road functions as a de facto highway through a densely developed urban area, with speeds and traffic volumes that produce frequent crashes. Rear-end collisions, sideswipes from lane changes, and left-turn conflicts at unprotected intersections are the dominant crash types. Santa Fe through Englewood connects directly to the Santa Fe corridor through Littleton, where the intersection at Santa Fe and Mineral was identified as the most dangerous in that city.

Swedish Medical Center and Craig Hospital: Where the Corridor’s Worst Injuries Are Treated

Swedish Medical Center is one of only three Level I Trauma Centers in the entire state of Colorado. That designation means Swedish has the highest level of surgical and critical care capability available, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The hospital has 504 licensed beds, more than 1,400 physicians, and treats over 200,000 patients annually. It operates Colorado’s first Comprehensive Stroke Center, a Burn Center, and a regional referral center for neurotrauma. AirLife Denver provides air medical transport to Swedish for crash victims who cannot wait for a ground ambulance.

Craig Hospital, three blocks south at 3425 South Clarkson Street, is ranked number 8 in the nation by U.S. News & World Report for rehabilitation. Craig specializes exclusively in two injury categories: traumatic brain injuries and spinal cord injuries. When a crash on I-25 leaves someone paralyzed, when a truck wreck produces a TBI that erases someone’s ability to work, drive, or recognize their own family, Craig Hospital is where they go to begin the process of relearning how to live.

Together, Swedish and Craig form a continuum that handles the most devastating injuries the I-25 corridor produces. A patient may arrive at Swedish by helicopter with a spinal cord injury, undergo emergency surgery to stabilize the fracture, spend weeks in the ICU, and then transfer to Craig for months of intensive rehabilitation. The medical records generated across that continuum, the surgical reports, the ICU notes, the rehabilitation assessments documenting what the patient can and cannot do, form the evidentiary foundation of a personal injury or wrongful death case that may be worth millions of dollars.

Rampart Injury Lawyers has over 26 years of experience handling catastrophic injury cases involving patients treated at Level I trauma centers. We understand the medical records. We work with the treating physicians to document the full scope of the injury, the future medical needs, the lost earning capacity, and the impact on quality of life. If your loved one is at Swedish or Craig because of someone else’s negligence, call us. These cases are too important and too complex for a firm that handles them as an afterthought.

Where Englewood Personal Injury Cases Are Filed: The 18th Judicial District

Englewood is in Arapahoe County, which falls under Colorado’s 18th Judicial District. This is a different judicial district from the Douglas County communities to the south (Castle Rock, Lone Tree, Highlands Ranch, Parker), which fall under the 23rd Judicial District. The distinction matters because it determines where your lawsuit is filed, which judges oversee your case, and which jury pool hears your trial.

Personal injury lawsuits from Englewood crashes are filed at the Arapahoe County Justice Center, 7325 South Potomac Street, Centennial, CO 80112. Phone: (303) 645-6600. Some matters may also be handled at the Arapahoe County Courthouse, 1790 West Littleton Boulevard, Littleton, CO 80120. Phone: (303) 798-4591.

Rampart Injury Lawyers has experience litigating in both the 18th Judicial District (Arapahoe County) and the 23rd Judicial District (Douglas County). When your crash occurred in Englewood or your treatment took place at Swedish or Craig, we know which courthouse will handle your case and how to present it to an Arapahoe County jury. The jurisdictional crossover between districts is a regular part of our practice because our clients are injured across the entire I-25 corridor, from Monument to Englewood and every community in between.

CityCenter Englewood: A Transit Hub Surrounded by Dangerous Roads

CityCenter Englewood sits on the 55-acre site of the former Cinderella City Mall, which was once the largest enclosed shopping mall west of the Mississippi River. Redevelopment transformed that location into Colorado’s first Transit Oriented Development (TOD) located at the Englewood RTD Station, which serves as a nexus for both the C and D light rail lines, as well as numerous bus routes and the Englewood Trolley. This idea has been forward thinking: create a walkable, mixed-use community surrounding a transit center to allow for residents to work, shop, and reside without the need of personal vehicles.

However, the problem with this plan is that CityCenter is situated adjacent to Hampden Avenue and South Broadway, the two most dangerous roadways in Englewood. Pedestrians and transit riders that CityCenter is intended to provide services for have to navigate these hazardous roadways to access the TOD. Approximately 7% of Englewood residents utilize public transportation; each of them encounters the same dangers associated with crossing these roadways daily. When the goal of creating an area that is transit oriented encounters the harsh realities of a U.S. Highway dividing the city in half, it is the pedestrians and cyclists who will be forced to pay the price.

If you were hit as a pedestrian either near CityCenter, the Englewood RTD Station, or anywhere along the paths of Hampden Avenue or South Broadway, your case may include some special protections afforded to you under the laws of Colorado for pedestrians. Drivers must yield to pedestrians in crosswalks (C.R.S. § 42-4-802). Drivers must exercise due care to avoid colliding with pedestrians on any roadway (C.R.S. § 42-4-805). And when a driver violates these duties and causes serious injury or death, the full range of personal injury or wrongful death remedies is available.

What to Do After a Car Accident in Englewood, Colorado

Call 911 or Englewood Police at (303) 761-7410 for non-emergency crashes. If your crash is on Santa Fe Drive or a highway, dial *CSP (*277) from your cell phone. Go to Swedish Medical Center’s emergency department. Swedish is a Level I Trauma Center located on Hampden Avenue in Englewood itself, so transport times are short. If you are conscious and ambulatory at the scene, do not assume you are fine. The types of crashes that occur on Hampden, Broadway, and Santa Fe are those that result in high energy impacts that can take hours or even days to develop into delayed onset symptoms: concussions that are felt the day after, neck injuries that are only apparent when the swelling has gone down and the person is able to move their head again and internal bleeding that takes hours to develop.

Document all aspects of your accident by taking photographs of the damaged vehicles, the condition of the roadway, including any traffic control devices such as stop lights, signs, etc., the weather and visibility at the time of the crash, and any driveway entrances, curb cuts, or other roadway features that may have contributed to the occurrence of your accident. If you crashed near the Shoppes at Cherry Hills curve on Hampden, document the shape of the curve, signage and any evidence of previous impacts to curbs or barriers. The documentation of this evidence will help support a claim you file against the party responsible for the maintenance of the roadway.

Do not give a recorded statement to any insurance company before consulting with an attorney. If your injuries required treatment at Swedish Medical Center, the severity of your case demands legal representation that understands Level I trauma documentation. An insurance adjuster who calls you at Swedish and asks you to describe your injuries is not gathering information to help you. They are gathering information to limit their company’s exposure. Contact Rampart Injury Lawyers at (303) 766-8766. We will come to you, whether you are at Swedish, at Craig, at home, or anywhere in the corridor.

What are the most dangerous roads in Englewood?

Hampden Avenue (US 285) has higher crash and injury rates than comparable CDOT state roadways per a $1.4 million 2023 safety study. Near the Shoppes at Cherry Hills, at least 4 vehicles crashed into businesses at a dangerous curve, 3 in one year. South Broadway is Englewood’s busiest avenue and was the site of a fatal pedestrian crash at Broadway and Mansfield in June 2022. Santa Fe Drive (US 85) carries high-volume traffic with frequent crashes along Englewood’s western edge.

What hospitals treat Englewood crash victims?

Swedish Medical Center (501 E. Hampden Ave) is one of only three Level I Trauma Centers in Colorado, with 504 beds, a Burn Center, and AirLife Denver air transport. Craig Hospital (3425 S. Clarkson St) is ranked #8 nationally for TBI and spinal cord injury rehabilitation. Together they form the most advanced trauma-to-rehabilitation continuum in the state. Crash victims from across the I-25 corridor are transported to Swedish for the most severe injuries.

Which court handles Englewood personal injury cases?

Englewood is in Arapahoe County, part of the 18th Judicial District (different from Douglas County’s 23rd). Cases are filed at the Arapahoe County Justice Center, 7325 S. Potomac Street, Centennial, CO 80112, (303) 645-6600. Rampart Injury Lawyers has experience litigating in both the 18th and 23rd Judicial Districts.

What makes Hampden Avenue so dangerous?

Hampden (US 285) tries to function simultaneously as a US highway, commercial corridor, transit route, and residential throughway for 33,000 people. The result is highway-speed traffic interacting with turning vehicles, pedestrians, transit users, and commercial driveways. A CDOT-funded study confirmed the corridor’s elevated crash rates. Safety improvements are under study but have not yet been implemented, meaning the same hazards that produced the study’s findings continue to produce crashes.

Nearby Communities We Serve

Rampart Injury Lawyers represents injured people throughout the I-25 corridor. If your crash occurred near Englewood or you were treated at Swedish Medical Center or Craig Hospital for injuries sustained anywhere in the corridor, we can help.

Littleton | Centennial | Highlands Ranch | Lone Tree | Castle Rock | Castle Pines | All Service Areas ›

Where Colorado Sends Its Worst Injuries, You Need an Attorney Who Handles the Worst Cases

Englewood occupies a unique position on the I-25 corridor. It is not the largest community, not the fastest-growing, not the most affluent. What it is, is the place where the corridor’s most devastating injuries are treated. Swedish Medical Center and Craig Hospital exist here because someone decided decades ago that Colorado needed a world-class trauma and rehabilitation center, and they built it in Englewood. Every helicopter that lands on Swedish’s roof, every ambulance that backs into Craig’s intake bay, carries a person whose life was changed by a crash that happened somewhere on a Colorado road.

If that person is you, or someone you love, the legal response must match the severity of the injury. A concussion case and a traumatic brain injury case are not the same. A broken arm and a spinal cord injury are not the same. The medical evidence, the expert witnesses, the life-care planning, the vocational rehabilitation analysis, the calculation of future lost earnings, all of it is exponentially more complex when the injuries are catastrophic. This is not a case you hand to a settlement mill that processes fender-benders. This is a case that demands a trial attorney who has spent a career preparing for exactly this kind of fight.

Rampart Injury Lawyers has been representing injured individuals for over 26 years in claims resulting from catastrophic injury. We work with the treating doctors at Swedish Hospital and Craig Hospital; life care planners to estimate future medical needs; and vocational experts to determine loss of earnings. Because we limit the number of cases we accept, we are able to allocate the necessary resources to fully develop and litigate each case. Every case is prepared for trial and, as such, once the opposing party (insurance company) understands the extent of our preparation, they realize that underpaying this claim will cost them much more than if they paid it fairly.

If your injuries brought you to Englewood, call Rampart Injury Lawyers at (303) 766-8766. The consultation is free. The fight for your future starts now.