Slip and falls, negligent security, and other premises injuries happen across Longmont — at apartment complexes off Hover Street, retail stores along Ken Pratt Boulevard, restaurants near the Village at the Peaks, and parking lots throughout downtown. When a property owner fails to address a known hazard, the resulting injuries can require months of recovery and tens of thousands of dollars in treatment. Our boutique personal injury firm represents Longmont-area clients who’ve been seriously hurt because someone else didn’t keep their property reasonably safe. With small caseloads and a partner-led litigation strategy, we give every premises claim the close attention it deserves. We prepare each case for trial from day one.
Success for Longmont-Area Premises Liability Victims
Our firm focuses on individuals who’ve suffered serious injuries from unsafe conditions on someone else’s property. These cases often involve disputed liability, defensive insurance carriers, and aggressive efforts to push injured people into early, undervalued settlements. We don’t operate that way. By taking on fewer cases and preparing every claim as if it’s going to trial, we give carriers a real reason to take our demands seriously. Our attorneys investigate each premises case in depth, pulling maintenance logs, security camera footage, prior incident reports, and code violations to build the strongest possible case for our clients.
Race Discrimination and RetaliationWe represented an HR assistant against a large company
Bicycle AccidentWe represented a cyclist who was hit by a car
Sex DiscriminationWe represented a former police officer against a municipality
Colorado’s Premises Liability Act (C.R.S. § 13-21-115) is one of the more complex personal injury statutes in the state. It sorts injured visitors into three categories — invitee, licensee, and trespasser — and the property owner’s legal duty depends entirely on which one you fell into when you got hurt. Customers in a store are invitees and receive the highest level of protection. Social guests at someone’s home are licensees with a more limited set of protections. Even trespassers have some rights in specific circumstances. Insurance defense lawyers will work hard to argue you belonged in a lower-protection category than you actually did. Knowing how Colorado courts apply these classifications is essential to winning a premises case.
If your injury was severe enough to require surgery, ongoing therapy, or time away from work, the financial impact can be significant. Our attorneys work with medical experts, vocational specialists, and economists to calculate what your case is worth, not just today, but over your lifetime. We don’t accept the insurance company’s first number, and we don’t recommend our clients do either.
Representation for Premises Injuries in Colorado
Types of Longmont Premises Liability Claims We Handle
Dealing with the aftermath of an injury on someone else’s property requires a clear understanding of Colorado premises liability law and an attorney who has litigated such cases.
Slip and Fall Accidents
Wet floors, melted snow tracked into entryways, and spilled product cause serious slip injuries every day in Longmont stores and restaurants. We handle cases involving broken hips, herniated discs, and traumatic brain injuries from these falls.
Trip and Fall Accidents
Property owners blame the customer for injuries caused by uneven pavement, cracked sidewalks, exposed cords, and unmarked steps. We want compensation when the hazard should have been repaired or clearly marked.
Negligent Security
Apartment complexes, hotels, parking lots, and bars have a legal duty to provide reasonable security when they know, or should know, there is a risk of criminal activity. If poor lighting, broken locks, or a lack of security lead to an assault or robbery, the property owner could be held liable.
Swimming Pool Accidents
Missing fences, unsupervised access, and broken drain covers are all factors that can lead to drownings and near-drownings at apartment and hotel pools. Colorado law sets safety standards for residential and commercial pools.
Falling Objects
Falling signage, unstable shelving, and improperly stacked merchandise can result in serious head and neck injuries. In these cases, the Court often examines whether store employees complied with their internal stocking and inspection policies.
Stairway and Railing Failures
Broken handrails, loose treads, and code-violating stair construction lead to falls that can result in spinal injuries and worse. We work with building safety experts to document construction defects and maintenance failures.
The hours and days after a premises injury can determine whether you have a strong case or a weak one. The steps you take early on protect both your health and your legal rights.
11 – Report the Incident in Writing
Tell a manager, property owner, or supervisor immediately and ask for a written incident report. Get a copy before you leave. If the business refuses to provide one, write down the name and title of who you spoke with and the time you reported it. Many premises cases come down to whether the property owner can credibly claim they didn’t know about your injury.
22 – Document the Hazard
Take photos of the actual condition that caused your injury — the wet floor, the broken step, the unlit stairwell — before it gets cleaned up or repaired. Property owners often fix the problem within hours of an incident, which can destroy the most important evidence in your case. Phone photos with timestamps are valuable.
33 – Seek Medical Attention
Injuries sustained on premises may seem minor in the first few hours, but then become serious over the next few days. Soft tissue damage, concussions, and stress fractures can take time to fully appear. Prompt medical evaluation establishes a documented link between the incident and your injuries, which is critical evidence later.
44 – Speak With a Lawyer Before Talking to the Insurance Company
Property liability insurers often call within days of an incident to take a recorded statement. Don’t give one without speaking to a lawyer first. What feels like a friendly conversation is being used to build a defense against your claim. We handle these communications so you can focus on healing.
Don’t Settle for Less Than You Deserve
Compensation for Premises Liability Injuries in Longmont
People injured on unsafe property in Longmont may be able to recover several types of damages, depending on the seriousness of their injuries and what the property owner knew or should have known.
Economic DamagesMedical bills, surgery, physical therapy, prescriptions, and lost wages from missed work. If the injury affects long-term earning capacity, future income loss can also be recovered.
Non-Economic DamagesPain and suffering, emotional distress, anxiety from the trauma, and loss of enjoyment of activities you used to do. Colorado caps non-economic damages in most cases, but the cap is higher for permanent injuries.
Physical Impairment and DisfigurementPermanent scarring, mobility loss, and disfiguring injuries are compensated separately from other non-economic damages under Colorado law.
Schedule a Free Case Strategy Session
Ready to Hold the Property Owner Accountable?
Don’t let a Longmont insurance adjuster minimize what happened to you. Put your case in the hands of a trial-ready team that knows how to push back on the standard defenses and pursue what you’re actually owed.
How Long Do You Have to File a Premises Liability Claim in Colorado?
Colorado’s statute of limitations for premises liability claims is generally two years from the date of the injury. That’s different from car accident claims, which have a 3-year statute of limitations under Colorado law. Miss the two-year deadline, and you typically lose the right to pursue any compensation, no matter how strong your case would have been.
Acting early matters for other reasons, too. Surveillance footage is overwritten within weeks at most retail locations. Service records disappear. Witnesses move. The longer you wait, the harder it gets to prove what really happened.
If your injury occurred on government-owned property (a city building, a public school, a county park), even shorter notice deadlines apply under the Colorado Governmental Immunity Act. You generally have 182 days to file a formal notice of claim, and missing that deadline can permanently bar your case. Contact a lawyer right away if a government entity could be involved.
Our Process
What to Expect When Starting a Premises Liability Claim with Us
Every premises case is different, but most move through a similar sequence. Here’s what the procedure generally looks like for our Longmont clients.
1Investigating the Incident
First, we secure all available evidence. That means sending preservation letters demanding surveillance footage not be destroyed, requesting maintenance and inspection records, identifying witnesses, and walking the property with our investigator. The case strength is typically determined in the first 30 days after an incident.
2Filing the Claim
Once we have established that the property owner had notice of the hazard and the extent of your injuries, we file a formal demand with the property owner and their insurance carrier. We develop our valuation and let them know we are ready to litigate.
3Negotiating a Settlement
Most premises cases resolve through negotiation, but only after the insurance carrier sees a full picture of what your injuries cost — medical care, lost income, future treatment, and the personal impact on your life. We don’t rush this step, especially when future care is involved.
4Litigation, If Necessary
When the insurance carrier won’t make a fair offer, we file suit and prepare the case for a Boulder County jury. We’ve handled premises cases at trial when required.
Trial-Ready Advocacy
Choosing a Longmont Premises Liability Lawyer
Premises liability claims are easier for insurance companies to defend than most other injury cases. They’ll argue the hazard was obvious, that you should have seen it, that you were on your phone, that the property owner had no warning. Without an attorney ready to take these arguments apart in court, injured people often accept settlements that don’t come close to covering what they’ve actually lost. Our attorneys approach every case with trial preparation in mind from day one. We know how Boulder County juries view premises claims, and we know how to present injury evidence that insurance carriers find hard to dismiss. That preparation usually results in stronger settlement offers — and when it doesn’t, we’re ready to try the case.
Why Choose Us
Why Choose Arckey & Steele for Your Premises Liability Case in Longmont
Our goal is simple: do fewer cases, and do them exceptionally well.
Small caseloads, focused attention
We deliberately limit the number of cases we take so each client gets the time, focus, and resources their matter actually deserves.
Direct access to your attorney
When you call our firm, you work directly with the lawyer handling your case.
Proven track record
Our attorneys bring decades of combined experience and a strong record in serious injury and litigation-focused cases. Our goal is simple: do fewer cases and do them exceptionally well.
Meet Our Team
Our Trusted Longmont Premises Liability Attorneys
When you hire Arckey & Steele, you work directly with experienced attorneys who are personally invested in your case.
Founder & PartnerEric S. Steele
Eric handles personal injury, business, and employment matters. He has significant experience securing meaningful recoveries for seriously injured clients.
Thomas brings over three and a half decades of litigation experience and a tactical approach formed by years of representing individuals and businesses, often in the courtroom.
Frequently Asked Questions About Premises Liability
You can still recover compensation in Colorado as long as you were less than 50% at fault. Your recovery gets reduced by your percentage of fault. So if you’re found 20% responsible and your damages are $100,000, your recovery is $80,000.
No. Colorado law applies a knew-or-should-have-known standard. If a reasonable property owner using reasonable inspection practices would have discovered the hazard, the owner is on the hook even if they claim they were unaware.
Possibly. Colorado has a natural accumulation doctrine that limits liability in some weather situations, but it has important exceptions, including refrozen ice, snow accumulating from gutter or downspout failures, and situations where the property owner created an unnatural hazard through poor snow removal.
Every case is different. The value depends on the severity of your injuries, your medical bills, your lost wages, and the impact the incident has had on your life. Our attorneys have secured six-figure recoveries for clients with serious premises injuries.
Resources
Learn More About Premises Liability Claims
Stay informed on our latest insights about premises liability and personal injury law in Colorado.
Bicycle accidents involving car doors that suddenly open can happen in an instant but…
Areas We Serve
Serving Premises Liability Victims Across Colorado
Our law firm helps people in Longmont who have been seriously injured due to unsafe property conditions. These cases often result in significant medical treatment, rehabilitation and financial difficulty from lost income and continued care. We fight to recover compensation for medical bills, long-term care and the lasting impact of serious injuries.
If you were hurt on someone else’s property in Longmont or the surrounding areas, the attorneys at Arckey & Steele are available to review your case. We offer free consultations so you can discuss your injuries, legal options, and the potential value of your claim. There’s no obligation to move forward, and you’ll have the chance to speak directly with an attorney about your situation.
