Colorado § 24-33.5-1505 - Immunity.

§ 24-33.5-1505. Immunity.

(1) Except for willful and wanton acts or omissions, no state commission or agency or county or municipal agency, including local emergency planning committees, citizen corps councils, fire protection districts, and volunteer fire, ambulance, or emergency service and rescue groups, nor their officers, officials, directors, employees, or volunteers, when engaged in emergency planning, service, or response activities regarding a hazardous material release, threat of release, or act of terrorism, shall be liable for:

(a) The death of or injury to any person or for the loss of or damage to property or the environment resulting from the hazardous material release, threat of release, or act of terrorism; or

(b) The acts of an insurer or insurance company, corporation, association, or partnership, including any employees, contractors, or agents, engaged in activities intended to protect the insurable private property interests of the insurer's policyholders from harm, loss, damage, or destruction.

(1.5) (a) No private organization or any of its officers, officials, directors, employees, or volunteers, when working under the direction of a local emergency planning committee or state or local fire or law enforcement agency and when engaged in emergency planning, training, or response activities regarding a hazardous material release, threat of release, or act of terrorism, shall be liable for the death of or injury to any person or for the loss of or damage to property or the environment resulting from the hazardous material release, threat of release, or act of terrorism, except for willful and wanton acts or omissions.

(b) An insurer, insurance company, corporation, association, or partnership, including any employees, contractors, or agents, engaged in activities intended to protect the insurable private property interests of the insurer's policyholders from harm, loss, damage, or destruction does not constitute a private organization entitled to immunity from liability under the provisions of this section, and an employee, contractor, or agent of the insurer is not a volunteer as that term is defined or construed in accordance with the provisions of the "Colorado Governmental Immunity Act", article 10 of this title, regardless of whether such activities may be subject to the direction of a local emergency planning committee or a state or local fire or law enforcement agency.

(2) (a) No state commission or agency or county or municipal agency, including local emergency planning committees, incident management teams, citizen corps councils, citizen emergency response teams, medical reserve corps, fire protection districts, and volunteer fire, ambulance, or emergency service and rescue groups, nor their officers, officials, directors, employees, trainees, or volunteers, when engaged in planning, training, or response activities regarding a natural disaster, hazardous material release, public health emergency, or act of terrorism or the threat of any such disaster, release, emergency, or act, shall be liable for the death of or injury to any person or for the loss of or damage to property or the environment except for gross negligence or willful and wanton acts or omissions.

(b) Notwithstanding subsection (2)(a) of this section, a plaintiff may sue and recover civil damages from a person or entity specified in subsection (2)(a) of this section based upon a negligent act or omission involving the operation of a motor vehicle; except that the amount recovered from such person or entity must not exceed the limits of applicable insurance coverage maintained by or on behalf of such person or entity with respect to the negligent operation of a motor vehicle in such circumstances. However, nothing in this section shall be construed to limit the right of a plaintiff to recover from a policy of uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage available to the plaintiff as a result of a motor vehicle crash.

(c) The general assembly intends that the provisions of this subsection (2) and of the "Colorado Governmental Immunity Act", article 10 of this title, be read together and harmonized. If any provision of this subsection (2) is construed to conflict with a provision of the "Colorado Governmental Immunity Act", the provision that grants the greatest immunity shall prevail.

(3) Neither the director nor any member of the subcommittee or any local emergency planning committee shall be liable for the death of or any injury to persons or loss or damage to property or the environment or any civil damages resulting from any act or omission arising out of the performance of the functions, duties, and responsibilities of the director or subcommittee or local emergency planning committee, except for acts or omissions which constitute willful misconduct.

(4) Nothing in this section abrogates or limits the immunity or exemption from civil liability of any agency, entity, or person under any statute, including the "Colorado Governmental Immunity Act", article 10 of this title, or section 13-21-108.5, C.R.S.

Source: L. 2012: Entire part RC&RE with relocations, (HB 12-1283), ch. 240, p. 1117, § 17, effective July 1. L. 2014: (3) amended, (HB 14-1004), ch. 11, p. 104, § 7, effective February 27; (1) and (1.5) amended, (SB 14-097), ch. 62, p. 281, § 1, effective July 1. L. 2026: (2)(b) amended, (HB 26-1237), ch. 117, p. 469, § 19, effective August 12.

Editor's note: This section is similar to former § 24-32-2605 as it existed prior to 2012.

ANNOTATION

Law reviews. For article, "Colorado's Good Samaritan Laws", see 53 Colo. Law. 42 (Apr. 2024).