Proving Fault in a T-Bone Crash: Using EDR Data to Secure a High-Value Colorado Settlement

It starts with a sickening crunch of metal—the sound of physics winning. One second you're driving through an intersection, the next your world explodes sideways. There's no hood, no trunk, just a few inches of door between you and a two-ton vehicle that just blew a red light. That’s a T-bone crash—a uniquely violent collision that transfers nearly 100% of its force directly into your body.

The result is almost always catastrophic. Traumatic Brain Injuries. Spinal cord trauma. Shattered pelvises. This isn’t a fender-bender. It’s a life-altering event caused by someone else’s blatant negligence—running a stop sign, ignoring a red light, or making a reckless left turn.

Because the fault is so clear and the injuries are so severe, a T-bone car accident settlement in Colorado isn’t just about covering medical bills. It’s about securing a future that was nearly stolen from you. These are often the largest personal injury payouts, precisely because the damage is so profound and the negligence is so absolute. We don’t just prove what happened—we make it scientifically undeniable.

You Need Forensic Proof—Not a "He Said, She Said" Argument

Here's the trick insurance companies don't want you to know—they will try to turn a clear-cut case into a confusing mess. The other driver ran a red light? The adjuster will suggest you were speeding. They ignored a stop sign? They'll argue you weren't paying attention. It’s a cynical, predictable game.

In Colorado, when a driver violates a traffic law and causes a crash, it's often considered negligence per se. This is a legal cheat code—it means the law presumes they were negligent just for breaking the rule. But that legal presumption isn't enough. We have to build a case so airtight—so backed by forensic data—that the insurer has no room to argue.

This is how we do it.

• Traffic Camera Footage: We immediately subpoena video from municipal cameras before it’s erased. The video doesn't lie.
• Event Data Recorder (EDR) Data: We get a court order to download the "black box" data from the at-fault car. This tells us their exact speed, braking, and throttle input in the seconds before impact. It’s hard to claim you were being careful when your own car’s computer proves you accelerated through the intersection.
• Witness Testimony: We find and interview witnesses immediately—before their memories fade or they disappear. A neutral third party who saw the other driver blow the light is priceless.

A free consultation with us, an actual Aurora car accident lawyer free consultation, includes reviewing police reports for citations that establish negligence per se right from the start. We don’t get into debates—we present irrefutable facts.

The Settlement Must Match the Severity of the Injury

The value of your T-bone car accident settlement in Colorado is driven by one thing—the catastrophic nature of your injuries. Side-impacts generate higher settlements for a simple, brutal reason: the human body isn't designed to take a direct hit from the side.

A fair settlement accounts for two kinds of damages—the bills you can stack up and the human suffering you can't.

1. Economic Damages (The Tangible Costs)
This is the easy math—but we have to account for everything, past and future.

• Medical Bills: Every ambulance ride, surgery, hospital stay, and prescription—plus the cost of future care like physical therapy or pain management.
• Lost Wages: All the income you lost while recovering.
• Loss of Earning Capacity: If a Traumatic Brain Injury prevents you from returning to your career, we calculate the lifetime value of that lost future. This is what we fight for as a top Traumatic brain injury lawyer in Denver.

2. Non-Economic Damages (The Human Cost)
This is where the real fight happens. It’s compensation for everything that was stolen from you.

• Pain and Suffering: The daily, grinding physical agony.
• Loss of Enjoyment of Life: You can no longer ski/hike/play with your kids. Life is smaller now.
• Emotional Distress: The PTSD, anxiety, and fear that follow a violent crash.

Realistic T-Bone Settlement Ranges

Every case is different, but the numbers reflect the severity. A high-value spinal cord injury settlement in Colorado will be exponentially larger than a case with minor fractures.

• Minor/Moderate: $25,000 - $75,000 for cases with concussions, soft tissue injuries, or simple fractures.
• Serious: $100,000 - $500,000+ for injuries requiring surgery, like a herniated disc or a more significant TBI.
• Catastrophic: $1 Million+ for cases involving paralysis, permanent brain damage, or other life-altering disabilities.

The Insurance Company’s Favorite—and Dirtiest—Defense

Here it comes. The single most predictable, cynical, and infuriating tactic in the insurance adjuster’s playbook. After their driver blows a red light and nearly kills you, the adjuster will get on the phone and, with a straight face, try to blame you.

It’s called the "lookout" defense. They'll claim you were "failing to keep a proper lookout" and should have somehow seen their driver coming and dodged the collision. It's a disgusting, bad-faith argument designed to exploit Colorado's comparative negligence law.

Here’s how it works:
Under Colorado’s modified comparative fault rule (C.R.S. § 13-21-111), your settlement is reduced by your percentage of fault. If you're found 10% at fault, your settlement is cut by 10%.

But here's the vicious part—if you are found 50% or more at fault, you get $0. Nothing. Your entire claim is wiped out.

This is the insurance company's jackpot. And they will do anything to get there.

Let me repeat the insurance tactic so you never forget it—they will try to blame you. They will manufacture fault where none exists to save their company money. While fault in a multi-car pileup on I-70 in Colorado can sometimes be genuinely murky, in a T-bone crash, it's usually crystal clear. Our job is to keep it that way and ensure your fault percentage stays at zero.

You Must Act Now—Evidence Disappears Fast

The moments after a crash are chaotic. Your only job is to get medical care. But in the days that follow, the clock starts ticking.

Crucial evidence—like traffic camera footage and the other car's EDR data—can be erased or destroyed within days. You need a litigation-ready team that moves immediately to preserve it.

You’re recovering from a traumatic event. The last thing you should be doing is fighting with professional claims adjusters whose entire job is to pay you as little as possible. Let us take that burden. Your job is to heal. Our job is to make them pay.

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Disclaimer: This blog post is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. The information provided is not a substitute for consulting with a qualified attorney. The results in past cases are not a guarantee of future outcomes. Each case is unique and must be evaluated on its own merits.

Call us. We’ll figure this out together. I got you.