An Introduction to Colorado Chain Law

An attorney based in Denver, Colorado, Gabriel Schwartz is president and founding member of Justice for Colorado. This three-attorney firm handles personal injury, traffic, and criminal defense matters. Denver’s Gabriel Schwartz primarily takes on cases relating to personal injury and traffic tickets, such as chain law citations.

As with many states, Colorado maintains chain laws for commercial vehicles on all interstate, federal, and state highways within its borders. These laws were initially enacted in 1996, and they apply to all vehicles with a gross combination weight of at least 26,000 pounds, as well as vehicles designed to carry at least 16 passengers.

There are two levels of commercial chain laws in Colorado. The level 1 chain law applies to certain commercial vehicles, and may be implemented at any time there is snow on part of an ascending pavement. Once the law is enacted, all commercial vehicles must have either chains or snow tires equipped. Further, commercial vehicles that have a single-axle combination engine must be chained, and vehicles with a power drive axle must chain all four of their wheels.

Meanwhile, the level 2 chain law is put into place at the discretion of the highway maintenance supervisor, or when snow covers an entire portion of ascending pavement. This law requires that all commercial vehicles have chains on their tires. This includes buses with two drive wheels and auto transports with hydraulic lines, as long as those lines are not damaged by the chains.

Colorado may also extend chain laws to all types of vehicles, including non-commercial vehicles such as SUVs. These laws are usually only put into place during severe weather conditions or on pavement that has a significant ascent or descent.

Determining Who’s At Fault in a Car Accident

A top-rated attorney who was included in Rising Stars from 2013 to 2019, Gabriel Schwartz serves as president and attorney at Justice for Colorado in Denver. This three-lawyer, Denver firm predominantly handles criminal defense, personal injury, and traffic ticket matters. In addition, Gabriel Schwartz and his colleagues handle car accident cases for clients.

Similar to many states, Colorado is an “at fault” state when it comes to car accidents. This means that drivers can file claims against the party or parties responsible for causing a car accident. Because of this rule, determining who is at fault for a car accident is extremely important.

For certain car accidents, the fault is always assigned to a certain driver. These are called “no-doubt liability” accidents, and are very difficult to argue against. Drivers who are always at fault for a car accident are those who run a red light, are impaired by alcohol or drugs, or are backing up. Drivers who rear-end the car in front of them are also assigned fault in accidents, as are drivers who make a left-hand turn in front of cars going in the opposite direction.

Outside of these no-doubt liability accidents, determining fault is more difficult. The official police report of the accident is usually the best form of evidence when it comes to determining fault. Normally, these reports contain information about whether either driver was speeding at the time, whether paint was found on one vehicle’s dents, witness statements, and other related evidence.

Another method of determining fault in a car accident is by analyzing the location of the damage. Using principles of physics, the extent and location of the damage on all involved vehicles indicates which car was at fault for causing the accident.