CAR ACCIDENT LAWYERS · COLORADO HIGHWAY 82 CORRIDOR
Injured on One of Colorado's Most Dangerous Roads? We Know This Highway.
From Glenwood Springs to Aspen, Highway 82 threads through canyon walls, blind curves, and some of the heaviest seasonal traffic in the Rocky Mountains. Howry Breen & Herman, LLP represents seriously injured victims and families across the entire corridor — not just Aspen.
47 Miles
Corridor: Glenwood Springs to Aspen
Top 10
One of CO's most dangerous mountain corridors
$1.7M
Top 10 TX motor vehicle settlement, 2022
Why Highway 82 Is Uniquely Dangerous
No road in Colorado packs as many hazards into 47 miles as Highway 82. It is the only route connecting Glenwood Springs to Aspen — a single corridor that handles commuters, ski traffic, commercial trucks, cyclists, and wildlife in all four seasons. There is no detour.
The Roaring Fork Valley's population has grown steadily for two decades, and traffic on CO-82 has risen with it. Summer construction season, winter storms, and the flood of ski visitors between November and April create peak crash windows that repeat year after year. When a serious accident happens anywhere along this road, the consequences are severe — and the responsible parties often have lawyers working immediately.
Known Hazards Along the Corridor
Canyon narrows and blind curves — Between Glenwood Canyon and Carbondale, the road pinches tight. Head-on crashes and run-off-road events are common in this stretch.
Rapid weather changes — Black ice, sudden snowfall, and fog can develop within minutes, often before CDOT has time to treat the road surface.
No alternate route — When this road backs up or closes, all traffic concentrates. Rear-end pileups and aggressive passing attempts multiply crash risk.
Pedestrians and cyclists — The Rio Grande Trail parallels much of the corridor. Intersections at Basalt, El Jebel, and Carbondale see frequent pedestrian and cyclist conflicts.
Commercial and rideshare vehicles — Resort traffic brings a high volume of rental cars, shuttles, and construction trucks operated by drivers unfamiliar with mountain conditions.
Wildlife crossings — Deer, elk, and bear crossings are routine after dark. Collision avoidance maneuvers frequently cause secondary crashes.
Every Community Along the Corridor
Our cases don't start and end in Aspen. We represent injured people across Pitkin and Garfield counties wherever accidents happen on this road.
Location
Key Hazards
Glenwood Springs (Mile 0)
Highway 82 exits I-70 here. Heavy commercial truck traffic, Glenwood Canyon runoff events, and the Grand Avenue bridge intersection are frequent crash sites in Garfield County.
Carbondale (Mile 18)
Four-lane section narrows near Hwy 133. The roundabout at Crystal River and Main Street intersections see high pedestrian volumes and year-round congestion.
El Jebel & Basalt (Miles 24–27)
Dense commercial strip with frequent left-turn conflicts, cyclist crossings, and high-speed differential between through traffic and local turning movements.
Willits & Emma (Miles 28–32)
Rural segment with wide shoulders used by cyclists and pedestrians. Limited lighting and high posted speeds create dangerous conditions after dark.
Snowmass Village & Brush Creek (Mile 35)
Brush Creek roundabout handles Snowmass ski traffic with poor sightlines. Owl Creek Road intersection has a documented history of serious collisions.
Aspen (Mile 47)
Downtown Aspen and the S-curves approaching Main Street funnel high-speed through traffic into a pedestrian-heavy grid. Drunk and impaired driving incidents spike during resort season.
What We Handle
Howry Breen & Herman, LLP represents victims across the full range of motor vehicle accidents on this corridor:
Rear-end and intersection collisions
Head-on and high-speed crashes — particularly on the 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 conditions
Accidents involving rideshare vehicles, commercial trucks, and shuttle operators
We investigate thoroughly — police reports, vehicle data recorders, CDOT maintenance records, road condition logs, and eyewitness testimony — to build the strongest possible case for each client.
Award-Winning Trial Experience
Insurance companies deploy experienced adjusters and defense lawyers the moment a serious crash is reported. Having proven trial counsel on your side from the start changes the dynamic entirely.
Sean Breen
100+ jury trials. Hall of Fame Verdicts and Settlments. 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 (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 a Partner, founded DeShazo & Nesbitt (2007-2024). Admitted to all four U.S. District Courts in Texas and the Fifth Circuit.
Firm Recognition
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.
Injured on Highway 82? Talk to Us — No Cost, No Obligation.
Our Snowmass Village office puts us where you are. Serious injuries deserve serious lawyers who will fight the full case, not settle fast.
Local Office: Snowmass Center, 16 Kearns Road, Suite 301F, Snowmass Village, CO 81615 Phone: (512) 430- 4844 Email: sbreen@howrybreen.com
Free consultations. Contingency fee representation — no recovery, no fee. Serving Pitkin, Eagle and Garfield counties and the full Highway 82 corridor.
I could not have found more caring people, better lawyers or a better law firm than Howry Breen & Herman.
M.A.
“We are so grateful they believed in us and partnered with us to handle this case!”
We don’t have enough words to describe how thankful we are for everything HBH did to win our business case for us. We are so grateful they believed in us and partnered with us to do it. They are amazing at what they do and we could not have had a better team. They made an enormous, positive difference for us and our business. I could not recommend them more highly.
J.K.
“We were always one step ahead!”
My lawyers at HBH were so smart and aggressive – we were always on offense and one step ahead. They just kept hammering and the other side had no answer.
T.B.
“Best in the Business, Strongly Recommend”
HBH went above and beyond to help out following a crisis. Over the course of a 3 year case, I was always kept in the loop by their amazing team. Their preparation and execution was flawless and made the whole process run smoothly. Cannot speak highly enough of their team and how they care for their clients. Will never recommend another personal injury firm besides HBH.
Since 1997, the "Lead Counsel Verified" status has been granted to attorneys who possess:
- The Right Professional Experience
- A Spotless Record
Law.com: Top 100 Verdicts 2024
Howry, Breen & Herman is proud to have been named a Tier 1, 2 and 3 Austin “Best Law Firm” in 9 practice areas by U.S. News – Best Lawyers® (“U.S. News” and BL Rankings, LLC). Law firms are selected for inclusion in this prestigious ranking based on a series of quantitative and qualitative criteria. Our specialty and tiers are listed here: https://bestlawfirms.usnews.com/profile/howry-breen-herman-llp/overview/36628
The Austin Bar Association was founded in 1893 as a nonprofit professional organization for attorneys. Its mission is to enhance the legal profession, administration of justice, and the community through education, networking, and public service.
Abota Foundation Patriot
Howry Breen & Herman, LLP was selected the Top Personal Injury Law Firm in Austin by Texas Lawyer, “Best of 2020”. The annual special supplement contains the results of Texas Lawyer readers’ poll, wherein readers cast their votes for the best providers of services and goods to the legal profession.
Attorney Sean Breen and Attorney Chris Lavorato placed in California’s Top 100 Settlements for 2019, as tracked by The Recorder and VerdictSearch.
Our law firm is proud to have been recognized in the Texas Verdicts Hall of Fame. Texas Lawyer in conjunction with VerdictSearch, recognize attorneys and law firms for their verdicts of $10 million or more. In 2011 Sean Breen was a Hall of Fame Award Recipient for the #1 Premises Liability Top Texas Verdict, awarded by Texas Lawyer, for the jury verdict award in the case VanDusen v. Aspen Square Management. In 2016 Sean Breen was inducted into the Texas Verdicts Hall of Fame, awarded by Texas Lawyer, for an outstanding verdict in Nester v. Textron.
Selection to America’s Top 100 Personal Injury Attorneys® is by invitation only and is reserved to identity the nation’s most exceptional litigators for high-value personal injury, catastrophic injury, wrongful death, product liability, and medical malpractice matters. HBH is proud that Sean Breen has been selected for this award. Less than one-half percent (0.5%) of active attorneys in the United States will receive this honor — truly the most exclusive and elite level of attorneys in the community. (2017-2022)
Best Lawyers - Lawyer of the Year | Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs (by BL Rankings, LLC d/b/a Best Lawyers and Co., LLC)
Best Lawyers - Lawyer of the Year | Litigation - Trusts & Estates (by BL Rankings, LLC d/b/a Best Lawyers and Co., LLC)
Best Lawyers - Lawyer of the Year | Personal Injury - Plaintiffs (by BL Rankings, LLC d/b/a Best Lawyers and Co., LLC)
Lifetime Achievement selection to America’s Top 100 Attorneys® is by invitation only and is reserved to identify the nation’s most exceptional attorneys whose accomplishments and impact on the legal profession merit a Lifetime Achievement award. Selection is not achieved based on a single accomplishment or a single great year of success, but rather on a lifetime of hard work, ethical standards, and community enriching accomplishments that are inspiring among the legal profession. Both Sean Breen (since 2017) and Randy Howry (since 2018) are honored to receive this award.
America’s Top 100 High Stakes Litigators® is reserved to identify the nation’s most exceptional trial attorneys in high value, high stakes legal matters. To be considered for selection, an attorney must have litigated (for either plaintiff or defendant) a matter (1) with at least $2,000,000 in alleged damages at stake or (2) with the fate of a business worth at least $2,000,000 at stake. These minimum qualifications are required for initial consideration. Thereafter, candidates are carefully screened through comprehensive Qualitative Comparative Analysis based on a broad array of criteria, including the candidate’s professional experience, litigation experience, significant case results, representative high stakes matters, peer reputation, and community impact in order to rank the candidates throughout the state. HBH is privileged to honor Partners Sean Breen (2017- 2022) and Randy Howry 2017, 2019, 2020 and 2021 for selection of this award.
Expertise - Howry Breen & Herman was recognized and featured in an article by expertisecommunity.com as one of the Best Real Estate Lawyers in Austin. 2020
America’s Premier High-Stakes Trial Lawyers®” – 7 Figure Litigators®, 8 Figure Litigators®, is meant to recognize the nation’s most respected and preeminent high-stakes trial lawyers based on their verifiable verdicts and/or settlements. It is a tremendous honor for Sean Breen (member since 2019) and Randy Howry (member since 2020) to be recognized among this elite group.
America’s Premier High-Stakes Trial Lawyers®” – 7 Figure Litigators®, 8 Figure Litigators®, is meant to recognize the nation’s most respected and preeminent high-stakes trial lawyers based on their verifiable verdicts and/or settlements. It is a tremendous honor for Sean Breen (member since 2019) and Randy Howry (member since 2020) to be recognized among this elite group.
The National Trial Lawyers – Top 100, a highly respected legal organization that limits its members to premier trial attorneys who demonstrate superior qualifications of leadership, reputation, influence, stature and public profile measured by strict qualification requirements. Sean Breen Top 100 Civil Plaintiff, since 2009.
Top 10 Business Tort Trial Lawyers by the National Trial Lawyers. Randy Howry 2012-2013; Sean Breen since 2016.
The Best Lawyers in America® recognizes the top 5% of the most skilled attorneys in the nation. The robust selection process requires attorneys to nominate and review fellow lawyers based on their ethics, skill, knowledge, and ability to obtain results for their clients. The Best Lawyers in America® list is a way for plaintiffs to identify the leading attorneys in their region, known for their ability to get results with honesty, strength, and skill. Tim Herman, Sean Breen & Randy Howry have been featured by The Best Lawyers in America® (consecutively from 2006-2023) running alongside some of the most qualified firms in the nation. More info here.
Top Attorneys As Published In Texas Monthly
Sean Breen has been recognized for obtaining the Number 1 Verdict in Texas for electrical injury and utility negligence. This win underscores his relentless commitment to achieving justice for his clients and showcases the firms dedication to exceptional advocacy.
Sean Breen was honored by TopVerdict.com for recovering one of the Top 50 Verdicts in Texas in 2017. This is an honorable distinction, reserved for those attorneys that achieve the highest settlements and verdicts in the state.
Sean Breen was honored by TopVerdict.com for recovering one of the Top 50 Verdicts in Texas in 2016. This is an honorable distinction, reserved for those attorneys that achieve the highest settlements and verdicts in the state.
Sean Breen has been a member of the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum since 2011, a renowned legal organization whose membership is restricted to trial attorneys who have achieved seven-figured settlements and/or jury verdicts.
Martindale-Hubbell® is widely regarded as one of the most renowned peer-review rating organizations in the legal field. Randy Howry (2018), Sean Breen (2001), Tim Herman (1998), and Glen Wilkerson (2014) at Howry, Breen & Herman have achieved the organization’s highest distinction of AV Preeminent®.
Each year, Super Lawyers® magazine publishes its list of peer-nominated/evaluated and independently reviewed attorneys. We are proud to have attorneys who have been selected for inclusion in the prestigious Texas Super Lawyers® List, by Thomas Reuters since 2003, running through 2020.
Membership in Top American Lawyers is limited to only 1% of all attorneys in the United States. Randy Howry is proud to be honored with a Lifetime Charter Membership in this exclusive organization (2017).
Randy Howry was honored by Austin Monthly’s Top Attorneys in 2023.
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