The truck accident statute of limitations in Colorado appears to be 3 years (motor vehicle) from the date of the crash (C.R.S. § 13-80-101(1)(n)). Wrongful death generally runs 2 years from the date of death. If a government vehicle or entity was involved, formal written notice is generally required first, on its own clock: 182 days. The evidence clock is shorter than all of them.
Before you rely on these numbers
The statutory figures on this page have not yet been verified against current statute text by a licensed attorney. They are published with their citations so they can be checked, and they should be treated as a starting point for a conversation with a Colorado lawyer — not as a legal conclusion. Statutes change: Florida cut its personal injury period in half in 2023 and Louisiana doubled its own in 2024.
Your deadlines in Colorado, calculated
Enter the date of your crash and the tool below will work out both clocks — the legal filing deadline and the much shorter window before the proof can be destroyed. Colorado is already selected. Nothing you type is sent anywhere.
What makes Colorado different
Colorado is one of the few states with a longer limitations period specifically for motor vehicle torts — three years rather than the general two — so a truck crash generally gets the longer clock. Wrongful death, however, is written as two. Against that sits a 182-day Governmental Immunity Act notice that Colorado courts treat as jurisdictional: miss it and the claim is gone, full stop.
The four Colorado deadlines that matter
| Deadline | Period | Runs from | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal injury lawsuit | 3 years (motor vehicle) | the date of the crash | C.R.S. § 13-80-101(1)(n) |
| Wrongful death claim | 2 years | the date of death | C.R.S. § 13-80-102(1)(d) |
| Notice — state entity | 182 days | the date of the crash | C.R.S. § 24-10-109 |
| Notice — city, county or district | 182 days | the date of the crash | C.R.S. § 24-10-109 |
On the injury period: Colorado's general injury period is two years, but tort actions arising out of the use or operation of a motor vehicle get three. A truck crash falls under the three-year provision.
On the wrongful death period: Colorado courts have applied the three-year motor-vehicle period to some wrongful death claims arising from vehicle crashes. The shorter two-year figure is shown here because the longer reading should not be assumed.
Claims against a government entity in Colorado
The shortest government notice window found for Colorado — 182 days (C.R.S. § 24-10-109). This is the deadline that quietly ends claims: it comes due long before the ordinary filing deadline, it is a precondition to suing rather than a suggestion, and missing it usually bars the claim entirely no matter how strong the case is.
The Colorado Governmental Immunity Act notice is jurisdictional — missing it bars the claim outright. Same CGIA notice for cities, counties, RTD and school districts.
Public fleets you could realistically be hit by in Colorado: CDOT plow and maintenance trucks, RTD buses, county road and bridge equipment, and City and County of Denver fleets. If you are not certain whether the vehicle that hit you was one of these, work to the shorter deadline until somebody confirms otherwise. The downside is not symmetrical.
If the injured person was a minor
Tolled to age 18 in Colorado under C.R.S. § 13-81-103 — the clock generally does not start until the injured person turns 18.
That pause applies to the court deadline. It does not apply to the evidence. A carrier is entitled to destroy a driver's logs six months after the crash whether the injured person is 8 or 38, and in many states a government notice deadline is not tolled for a child either. A tolled filing deadline and an untouched evidence deadline is the most dangerous combination on this page.
When the Colorado clock starts
Applies. C.R.S. § 13-80-108 sets when a cause of action accrues, generally on discovery of the injury and its cause.
Why the evidence clock in Colorado is much shorter
Colorado's filing deadline is 3 years (motor vehicle). The federal retention rules that govern the trucking company are measured in weeks and months:
- Dashcam and telematics video — often 30 days or less. No federal retention requirement — vendor and carrier policy only.
- ECM / black box data — overwritten as the tractor keeps running, and routinely lost when it is repaired or resold.
- Driver logs and records of duty status — six months (49 CFR § 395.8(k)(1)).
- Maintenance and repair records — one year while the vehicle is in the carrier's control (49 CFR § 396.3(c)).
- Annual inspection report — 14 months (49 CFR § 396.21(b)(1)).
The way to stop those clocks is a preservation letter to the carrier — a written demand that specific evidence be kept. Until it arrives, destroying records at the end of a retention period is routine and lawful. Our FMCSA regulations and evidence guide explains what each of these records contains.
Truck traffic in Colorado
I-70 over the Continental Divide is one of the most demanding stretches of truck route in the country — sustained grades, runaway truck ramps, and winter chain law enforcement. I-25 carries the Front Range's distribution traffic between Pueblo and Wyoming.
The corridors where these crashes concentrate: I-70 through the Eisenhower Tunnel and the Western Slope, I-25 (Pueblo–Denver–Fort Collins), I-76 toward Nebraska, US-285 and US-50 and E-470 around metro Denver.
Neighbouring states have different clocks
A crash a few miles across a state line can be governed by a completely different deadline. If you are not certain which state your crash happened in — near a border, on a bridge, or on an interstate you were travelling at speed — check both.
| State | Injury deadline | Wrongful death |
|---|---|---|
| Wyoming | 4 years | 2 years |
| Nebraska | 4 years | 2 years |
| Kansas | 2 years | 2 years |
| Oklahoma | 2 years | 2 years |
| New Mexico | 3 years | 3 years |
| Utah | 4 years | 2 years |
Or use the filing deadline calculator to compare any state, and the full state index for all 50 states and D.C.
What to do next in Colorado
- Get a preservation letter to the carrier. This is the most time-critical step and the one almost nobody hears about.
- Confirm whether a government entity was involved. That answer can replace your 3 years (motor vehicle) deadline with a far shorter notice window — 182 days.
- Do not give a recorded statement to the trucking company's insurer.
- Request the Colorado crash report, which identifies the carrier, the DOT number and the insurer.
- Have a lawyer licensed in Colorado confirm the dates above against the current statute.
Sources
- Hours of Service — records of duty status retention — 49 CFR § 395.8 (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration)
- Inspection, Repair, and Maintenance — record retention — 49 CFR Part 396 (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration)
- Accident register requirements — 49 CFR § 390.15 (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration)
- Large Truck and Bus Crash Facts — Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
Federal regulations and crash statistics are updated periodically. Figures cited on this page reflect the referenced publications at the time of writing; check the source for the current edition.