Roaring Fork Valley Car Accident Lawyer

We Serve Every Community Along the Corridor

Our practice is not limited to Aspen. We handle motor vehicle accident cases for injured clients throughout Pitkin and Garfield counties, including:

• Glenwood Springs — Garfield County’s largest city, where CO-82 exits I-70. Heavy truck traffic, the Glenwood Canyon approach, and the Grand Avenue Bridge intersection are frequent crash sites.
• Carbondale — a growing community where the four-lane section narrows near Highway 133. The Crystal River roundabout and Main Street intersections see year-round congestion and pedestrian conflict.
• El Jebel and Basalt — a dense commercial strip with left-turn conflicts, cyclist crossings, and a dangerous mismatch between high through-traffic speeds and local turning movements.
• Willits and Emma — a rural segment with wide shoulders, limited lighting, high posted speeds, and significant bicycle and pedestrian use after dark.
• Snowmass Village and Brush Creek — the Brush Creek roundabout handles heavy ski traffic with poor sightlines; the Owl Creek Road intersection has a documented history of serious collisions.
• Aspen — the S-curves approaching downtown channel high-speed traffic into a pedestrian-heavy grid; impaired driving incidents spike sharply during resort season.

Each of these communities has its own law enforcement agencies, first responders, and typical crash patterns. By working with people across the valley, we see how injuries from a wreck in Glenwood Springs may play out very differently from a collision at the Brush Creek interchange, even when the vehicles and impact look similar. That experience helps us anticipate the issues insurers will raise and tailor our approach to the specific stretch of Highway 82 involved.

Types of Cases We Handle

Our attorneys handle the full range of motor vehicle injury claims along the Highway 82 corridor and throughout the Roaring Fork Valley:

• Rear-end and intersection collisions
• Head-on and high-speed crashes, including on the narrow two-lane segments between Carbondale and Aspen
• Drunk or drug-impaired driving accidents
• Distracted driving and texting-related crashes
• Pedestrian and bicycle collisions
• Multi-vehicle pileups during winter weather
• Accidents involving rideshare vehicles, rental cars, commercial trucks, and resort shuttles
• Wrongful death cases arising from fatal crashes on the corridor

We investigate each case thoroughly — police reports, vehicle data recorders, CDOT maintenance records, road condition logs, weather data, and eyewitness testimony — to build the strongest possible case for every client.

Award-Winning Trial Experience In The Roaring Fork Valley

Insurance companies assign experienced adjusters and defense lawyers the moment a serious crash is reported. Having proven trial counsel on your side from the start changes the outcome. Our attorneys bring decades of real courtroom experience — not just negotiating experience — to every case.

Because we prepare cases as if they will be tried in front of a jury, we focus early on the details that matter most in a Roaring Fork Valley car accident: how the collision happened, how your injuries affect your work and daily activities, and how long your recovery is likely to take. That trial-driven approach often leads to stronger settlement negotiations, because insurers know we are ready to present the case in court in Pitkin County, Garfield County, or the appropriate Colorado venue if that becomes necessary.

Sean Breen

100+ jury trials. Hall of Fame verdicts and settlements. Best Lawyers in America® 2025 — Personal Injury Litigation, Commercial Litigation, and Construction Law. Lawyer of the Year, Austin, Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs (2020). Super Lawyers® every year since 2004. Texas Verdicts Hall of Fame (2011, 2016, 2020). Top 10 Motor Vehicle Accident Settlements in Texas, California, and Colorado. Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum. National Top 100 Trial Lawyers.

Randy Howry

100+ jury trials. Best Lawyers in America® since 2006, with recognition for Bet-the-Company Litigation (2009) and Commercial Litigation (2006). AV Preeminent® rating from Martindale-Hubbell® since 2018. Texas Super Lawyers® 2003–2026. Top American Lawyers since 2017.

Scott DeShazo

50+ jury trials to verdict with record-setting results. Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law — a distinction held by fewer than 10% of Texas lawyers. Elected to the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) in 2013. Texas Super Lawyers®. Prior to rejoining the firm as partner, founded DeShazo & Nesbitt (2007–2024). Admitted to all four U.S. District Courts in Texas and the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Why Experience Matters After a Serious Crash

Insurers move fast. Their goal after a major crash is to contain their exposure — not to make sure you are fully compensated. They will investigate the accident, assess your injuries, and often reach out with a settlement offer before you fully understand what your case is worth.

Our attorneys have spent decades on the plaintiff’s side of high-value injury cases. We know how insurers evaluate claims, where they undercount damages, and when a case deserves to go to trial. That knowledge — backed by a record of actual courtroom results — is what levels the playing field.

Whether your accident happened in Glenwood Springs, Carbondale, Basalt, Snowmass Village, or Aspen, the firm’s trial experience and local presence across the Roaring Fork Valley means you have serious representation from day one.

We also understand that the weeks after a wreck often involve practical worries: how to get to work if your vehicle is totaled, how to follow up with specialists if you live in a smaller community, and how to manage paperwork from multiple insurance carriers. By coordinating closely with local medical providers in Pitkin and Garfield counties and tracking all claim-related documents, we help you stay organized while you focus on healing. That hands-on support is one of the reasons injured people in the valley turn to us after a serious collision.

Compensation After A Roaring Fork Valley Car Accident

After a serious wreck, many people are unsure what kinds of losses can be included in a claim and which bills they are expected to handle on their own. Colorado law allows injured people to pursue compensation for both immediate expenses and the longer-term impact a crash has on their life, but insurers often focus on only a narrow slice of those damages. Understanding the categories of recovery helps you evaluate whether an offer is fair.

Economic losses typically include past and future medical bills, lost wages or income if you miss work, and the cost to repair or replace your vehicle. Non-economic damages can address pain, emotional distress, and the ways your injuries limit your daily activities, hobbies, or ability to enjoy time in the mountains with family and friends.

In some collisions, additional forms of compensation may be available, such as when a drunk driver causes a crash or a company’s conduct shows a serious disregard for safety. Because every situation is different, it is important to look beyond the first settlement number an adjuster suggests and consider how long your recovery may take, whether you will be able to return to your prior job, and what help you might need in the future. We draw on our trial experience and knowledge of how insurers have valued similar Highway 82 cases to help clients make informed choices about when to settle and when to keep pushing.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Long Do I Have To File A Car Accident Claim In Colorado?

Colorado generally has specific time limits, called statutes of limitation, that control how long you have to file a lawsuit after a motor vehicle collision. The deadline can depend on factors such as the type of claim and whether a government entity is involved. Because evidence from a Highway 82 crash can fade quickly and notice requirements may apply, it is wise to speak with an attorney as soon as you can so your options do not narrow over time.

Should I Talk To The Other Driver’s Insurance Company?

You will likely receive calls from one or more insurance adjusters in the days after a wreck, asking for your version of what happened and details about your injuries. You are not required to give a recorded statement to the other driver’s carrier, and what you say can be used later to challenge your claim. Many people choose to get legal advice first so they understand which questions they need to answer and how to avoid guessing about facts that have not yet been fully investigated.

What If I Was Partly At Fault For The Crash?

Collisions on Highway 82 often involve sudden stops, changing weather, or multiple vehicles, so fault is not always clear at the scene. Under Colorado law, your ability to recover compensation can be affected if you are found to share responsibility, but that does not automatically bar a claim. An attorney can review the evidence, including police reports and witness statements, and explain how comparative fault rules might apply in your situation.

Contact Our Roaring Fork Valley Car Accident Lawyers

A serious crash on Highway 82 can upend everything — your health, your work, your family’s financial stability. Our attorneys have the experience and the record to fight for what you actually deserve, not just what the insurance company is willing to pay.

Howry Breen & Herman, LLP is recognized by Best Lawyers in America® Super Lawyers® and other leading national legal directories. We offer free consultations with no obligation, and we work on a contingency fee basis — no recovery, no fee.

When you contact our Roaring Fork Valley car accident attorneys, you can expect:

• A clear initial review that focuses on what happened, your injuries, and any deadlines that may apply to your claim.
• Straightforward guidance about your options, including whether it makes sense to pursue an insurance settlement, litigation, or both.
• Help coordinating care by tracking medical treatment and records from providers in Aspen, Glenwood Springs, and surrounding communities.
• Regular communication so you know what is happening with your case and what to expect in the weeks ahead.

When you reach out to us after a collision in Aspen, Carbondale, or anywhere along the corridor, we start by listening to your account of what happened and reviewing any documents you already have, such as crash reports or discharge paperwork. From there, we can outline your options, explain likely timelines under Colorado law, and give you a clear sense of how a potential claim might affect you and your family. You stay in control of the decisions, and we provide the legal guidance needed to make those decisions with confidence.

Local office: Snowmass Center, 16 Kearns Road, Suite 301F, Snowmass Village, CO 81615
Phone: (512) 430-4844
Email: sbreen@howrybreen.com

Contact us today by calling Social Security Disability Lawyer for Federal Employees | Howry Breen & Herman, LLP for a free consultation. We serve the entire Roaring Fork Valley — Glenwood Springs to Aspen and every community in between.

Serving Pitkin, Eagle, and Garfield counties and the full Highway 82 corridor. Contingency fee representation — no recovery, no fee.