Denver Personal Injury Law Blog

Winter weather can affect local travel routes by shutting down roads after heavy snows. What a lot of people do not realize is that Colorado weather can be the most unpredictable and volatile in the country. COTrip reports that conditions in Colorado can vary minute to minute and even mile to mile. Anyone who has lived here any length of time knows that snow is possible in the highest elevations year-around. 

Avoid accidents on a mountain road by remembering these tips: 

• Pay attention to the speeds as you enter the curves. Instead of braking after you enter a turn, brake early and coast through the turn. This gives your vehicle more stability.
• Brake before entering the downgrade. It is better for your car if you start braking before you pick up speed halfway down the hill.
• Have a full tank of gas when you head into the mountains. 
• Watch for quickly changing weather conditions as you change altitudes.
• Know the pulse braking method for going downhill. Do not constantly apply pressure to your brakes, but give the brake pads a chance to cool off between speeding up to be more effective. 

Bikers nationwide, including in Colorado, are exceptionally vulnerable when they are out riding, and injuries can have devastating consequences. Motorcycle accidents frequently result in severe injuries or death. Because motorcycles have only two wheels, they fall over in a crash -- often crushing a biker's leg. The Centre for Neuro Skills says bone fractures are the most common motorcycle injuries -- including leg, pelvis and shoulder bones, along with wrists and arms as they instinctively try to break the biker's fall.

Another common injury suffered by bikers is road rash, which is caused when riders inevitably make contact with the road surface. These injuries are classified in three degrees of severity. Mild abrasions that cause a redness of the skin are first-degree injuries. Broken skin without damage to underlying layers is a second degree injury. Road rash of the third degree removes the outer layers of the skin and leaves the fat and tissue layers underneath exposed.

When you go cycling, you might think that you're free of the restrictions of driving a car. However, though a bicycle is not a motor vehicle, you still must follow the laws of the road, the same as drivers.

Colorado statute 42-4-1412 deals with bicycles on the road. Law enforcement can issue citations to bike riders for violating the law, just as they can to auto drivers. It is important to know the laws pertaining to cyclists to stay safe on the road. 

After a 12-month investigation by the Denver Strike Force, law enforcement recently raided a Colorado grocery store in Aurora. Several people were taken into custody, and they are now facing drug charges. Authorities say those arrested were allegedly part of a massive smuggling scheme in which methamphetamine and cocaine are brought into Colorado from another country.

Reportedly, the drugs were hidden in secret compartments of the vehicles that were used to bring them into Colorado. Investigators determined that the drugs were brought to the grocery store from three different stash houses in Aurora. Parceling and distribution were apparently then done at the store. Investigators claim that the business also serves as a money transfer station by which way the proceeds were then sent back to the country of origin.