I-70 Mountain Crash This Memorial Day Weekend? Here's What Colorado Drivers Should Do

Over Memorial Day weekend alone, more than 154,000 vehicles funnel through the Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnels on I-70, headed to the mountains for the unofficial start of summer. That single weekend kicks off Colorado's "100 Deadliest Days" between Memorial Day and Labor Day, when crash fatalities historically spike. Just days before this article was written, a semi-truck driver lost his life in a single-vehicle wreck on I-70 near De Beque. The stretch of I-70 between Golden and Glenwood Springs is one of the most beautiful and most dangerous interstates in the country, and a crash there is nothing like a crash in town. If you or someone you love ends up in an I-70 wreck this weekend, here is what our Colorado personal injury attorneys want you to know.

Why I-70 Mountain Crashes Are Not Like Front Range Crashes

The I-70 Mountain Corridor runs from Golden out through Idaho Springs, Silverthorne, Vail, and Glenwood Springs. Along that route, you will hit elevation changes of more than 5,000 feet, two of Colorado's most crash-prone stretches, and weather that can flip from sunshine to whiteout in 20 minutes. According to Colorado State Patrol data covering 2021 through 2023, 52 percent of all crashes on Vail Pass between mile markers 182 and 193 were speed-related, and the corridor through the Eisenhower Tunnel (mile markers 207 to 216) is another well-documented hotspot.

What makes these crashes legally different is what happens after. Cell coverage drops in canyons. The nearest hospital may be in Frisco, Vail, or Grand Junction rather than Denver. The investigating officer is almost always Colorado State Patrol, not a city department. Towing costs from a mountain canyon can run into the thousands. And the at-fault driver is frequently from out of state, carrying minimum-limits insurance that does not begin to cover serious injuries. All of those factors change how your claim plays out.

What to Do in the First Hour After an I-70 Crash

The most important thing you do in the first hour after a crash is also the simplest: get yourself safe, then build the record.

• Call 911 first, even for a wreck that feels minor. CSP will respond and write a report. That report is the foundation of your insurance claim.

• Do not move vehicles unless they are blocking traffic in an unsafe spot. Position matters for accident reconstruction later.

• Photograph everything. Vehicle damage, surrounding terrain, skid marks, road conditions, weather, license plates, and any visible injuries. Mountain crashes often turn on disputes about speed and road conditions, and your photos settle those arguments.

• Get the other driver's full information, including their out-of-state license plate and which state issued their insurance policy. This matters more than you think.

• Refuse to give a recorded statement to any insurance company that day. Not theirs, not yours. Anything you say while you are shaken up can be used against you.

• Get medical care that same day, even if you feel fine. Adrenaline masks soft-tissue injuries and concussions for hours. The nearest urgent care or ER is often a 30-to-60-minute drive from the crash site. Go anyway.

The single biggest mistake we see clients make is delaying medical treatment because they want to salvage the weekend. Insurance adjusters use those gaps in treatment records to argue the injuries were not really serious. If you need to talk to a Colorado personal injury attorney before you leave the mountains, call us at 303-782-9999 for a free case evaluation any time, day or night. No fee unless we win.

The Construction Zone Wrinkle

I-70 has been in active construction for years and will be for years more. The Floyd Hill Project, an eight-mile rebuild between Evergreen and Idaho Springs, runs through 2029. CDOT also has ongoing work at the I-70 West Vail Pass Auxiliary Lane and a culvert replacement project between Silverthorne and the Eisenhower Tunnel. Those work zones change everything about liability.

If your crash happened in or near a construction zone, the at-fault driver is not necessarily the only party who owes you compensation. Depending on the facts, the construction contractor, a subcontractor, or a public entity may share liability for inadequate signage, improper lane shifts, or hazardous conditions left in the roadway. Claims against contractors and public agencies have shorter deadlines and special notice requirements that catch most people off guard. Under Colorado's Governmental Immunity Act, C.R.S. § 24-10-109, claims against state or local agencies require formal written notice within 182 days of the injury, far shorter than the three-year personal injury statute of limitations under C.R.S. § 13-80-101.

The construction zone question is one of the first things our attorneys investigate after any I-70 crash. If a third party shares fault, your recovery can be significantly larger.

Out-of-State Drivers and the Underinsurance Problem

A huge percentage of Memorial Day I-70 traffic comes from out of state. Texas plates, Kansas plates, Oklahoma plates, and rental cars are everywhere on that highway. When the at-fault driver lives elsewhere, two things happen.

First, their minimum coverage may be lower than Colorado's, and even Colorado's minimum is just $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident for bodily injury liability. That barely covers an ambulance ride and an MRI for a serious injury. Second, recovering from an out-of-state insurer often takes deeper negotiation, and sometimes litigation in their home state.

This is where your own uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage (UM/UIM) becomes critical. Many Colorado drivers have UM/UIM on their policy and do not realize they can tap it when the at-fault driver lacks enough coverage to pay for the harm done. Our attorneys have spent over 30 years getting Colorado clients fair recoveries through UM/UIM claims, and we know exactly how insurance companies try to limit those payouts.

Common Mistakes That Hurt Your Case Later

Five mistakes we see again and again after I-70 crashes:

1. Accepting a quick settlement offer in the first week. Insurance adjusters target people who are scared and hurting. The first offer is almost always a fraction of the real case value.

2. Posting about the crash on social media. Insurers monitor public posts. A photo of you smiling at a wedding the week after a wreck gets twisted into evidence you are not really injured.

3. Driving yourself home from the mountains after a hard hit. If you are concussed or your back is wrenched, driving makes injuries worse. Get a ride or stay the night.

4. Talking to the other driver's insurance without a lawyer. Their job is to limit your payout. Yours is to focus on healing.

5. Waiting weeks to call an attorney. Evidence disappears fast. Skid marks fade. Vehicles get repaired or scrapped. Witnesses forget. The earlier we get involved, the stronger your case stays.

Talk to a Colorado Trial Attorney Before the Weekend Ends

Memorial Day weekend should be the start of a great summer, not the start of a multi-year claims battle. If you have been hurt in an I-70 crash, on Vail Pass, near the Eisenhower Tunnel, in Glenwood Canyon, or anywhere on the corridor, call Anderson Hemmat at (303) 782-9999 for a free case evaluation. We have been a Colorado-only personal injury firm for over 30 years, we are available 24/7 by phone, text, or email, and we are trial-ready when insurance companies refuse to be fair. No fee unless we win. Family owned. Boutique by design. Built for cases exactly like yours.