Silverthorne CO Personal Injury Lawyer
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Injured in Silverthorne? You Have Options
Silverthorne is the first town you reach coming west out of the Eisenhower Tunnel, at the bottom of a long, steep descent. Everything that goes wrong on that grade ends up here.
Wade Zobel represents people injured in Silverthorne, Dillon, and across Summit County. You talk to the attorney handling your case, not an intake center. The first conversation costs nothing, and you pay no fee unless we recover money for you.
Call (720) 434-6674 for a free consultation, in English or Spanish.
Where Accidents Happen in Silverthorne
The I-70 Descent from the Eisenhower Tunnel
The Eisenhower Johnson Memorial Tunnel is the highest point on the Interstate system at 11,158 feet. From the west portal, I-70 drops toward Silverthorne at a 6 to 7 percent grade alongside Straight Creek. There are runaway truck ramps built into that descent at Hamilton Gulch and south of Ptarmigan Peak, which tells you what the road does to brakes.
Crashes near the tunnel routinely close the interstate and divert everything onto US-6 over Loveland Pass. If you were injured in one of those closures, the crash report and the CDOT closure record both matter to your claim.
Exit 205, the Outlets, and Dillon
Exit 205 is the junction of I-70, Highway 9, and US-6, and it is also the entrance to the Outlets at Silverthorne and the route into Dillon. Shoppers, skiers, buses, and local traffic all use the same few intersections. Parking lot and low-speed collisions are common here, and so are pedestrian strikes.
US-6 Toward Keystone and Loveland Pass
US-6 runs east from Silverthorne past Dillon to Keystone and up to Loveland Pass and Arapahoe Basin. Overheight trucks and vehicles carrying hazardous materials are prohibited from the tunnel and are routed over the pass instead. That puts heavy commercial traffic on a two-lane mountain road with switchbacks, shared with skiers and commuters.
Injury Cases We Handle for Silverthorne Clients
Car Accidents on the I-70 Descent
Loss of control on ice, chain-reaction crashes in stopped traffic, and collisions at the bottom of the grade where the highway meets town.
Commercial Truck Accidents
Brake failure and runaway incidents on the descent, and hazmat and overheight traffic on the Loveland Pass detour. Truck cases involve more parties than the driver alone, and the carrier’s insurer moves quickly.
Pedestrian Accidents
Crossings around the outlets, the transit stops, and the Blue River corridor through downtown. A pedestrian struck by a vehicle suffers serious injuries even at parking lot speeds.
Drunk Driving Crashes
A criminal DUI case against the other driver does not compensate you. That requires a separate civil claim.
Where Your Silverthorne Case Will Be Heard
Summit County cases are filed at the Summit County Justice Center, 501 N. Park Avenue, Breckenridge, CO 80424, which is part of Colorado’s Fifth Judicial District. The Fifth District also covers Eagle, Lake, and Clear Creek counties.
Most personal injury claims settle without a trial. But the court where a case would be filed still matters, because insurance companies evaluate claims differently depending on where they would have to defend them.
Getting Treated After an Accident in Silverthorne
There is no hospital in Silverthorne. The nearest is St. Anthony Summit Hospital in Frisco, about ten minutes west, a Level III trauma center and the mountain base for Flight For Life Colorado.
Get evaluated even if you feel like you can walk it off. Adrenaline and cold both mask injuries, and a gap between the accident and your first medical visit is the most common argument insurers use to reduce a claim.
Keep every record. If you were treated in Frisco and then again at home, those are two separate sets of records, and both matter.
Colorado Law That Affects Your Claim
How Long You Have to File
In Colorado, injury claims arising from the use or operation of a motor vehicle generally must be filed within three years of the accident (C.R.S. 13-80-101(1)(n)). Most other injury claims, including slip and falls and premises cases, must be filed within two years (C.R.S. 13-80-102).
Claims against a government entity have a much shorter notice deadline. If a city, county, or state vehicle or property was involved, talk to an attorney quickly.
What Happens If You Were Partly at Fault
Colorado uses modified comparative negligence with a 50 percent bar (C.R.S. 13-21-111). If you are found partly responsible, your recovery is reduced by your share of fault. If you are found 50 percent or more responsible, you recover nothing.
This is exactly why insurers push the idea that you were speeding, distracted, or driving on bad tires. In a winter crash, that argument comes up almost every time.
Colorado's Traction Law and Winter Crashes
From September 1 through May 31, Colorado’s Traction Law is in effect on I-70 between Dotsero and Morrison, and CDOT can activate it on any state highway when conditions require. It requires tires with at least 3/16-inch tread that are winter, all-weather, or mud-and-snow rated, or chains or an approved traction device.
This matters for your claim. If the other driver was not in compliance, that is evidence of negligence. If you were not, expect their insurer to raise it. Neither fact decides the case by itself.
Why Clients in Silverthorne Call Wade Zobel
Wade Zobel handles his own cases. When you call, you are not routed through a screening department and handed off to a case manager you never chose.
He is also fully bilingual and represents clients in Spanish himself. Silverthorne has one of the largest year-round working populations in Summit County, and a substantial share of it speaks Spanish at home. That is not a staff member translating. It is the attorney.
Zobel Legal Group is a small firm by design. Free consultation, contingency fee, and virtual meetings available so you do not have to drive to Denver.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do personal injury lawyers charge?
Zobel Legal Group works on contingency. There is no fee for the consultation and no fee unless we recover money for you. The percentage is set out in writing before you sign anything.
The insurance company already called me. What should I do?
Do not sign anything and do not give a recorded statement yet. You can tell them your attorney will be in touch. That is enough, and it does not hurt your claim.
What if the accident was partly my fault?
You can still recover, as long as your share of fault is under 50 percent. It is worth the call even if you think you caused it, because people routinely assign themselves more blame than the evidence supports.
How long does a personal injury case take?
It depends on how long your medical treatment lasts and whether the insurer disputes fault. Straightforward claims can resolve in months. Serious or contested cases take longer.
Do I have to drive to Denver?
Usually not. Most of the process is handled by phone, email, and video.
Talk to a Silverthorne Personal Injury Lawyer Today
If you were injured in Silverthorne, Dillon, or anywhere in Summit County, the consultation is free and there is no obligation.
Call (720) 434-6674 or send us your information through our contact form. Se habla español.