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Your Moab Personal Injury Attorney
An injury in Moab can leave you sorting out bills, pain, and paperwork before you have had a chance to catch your breath. The rules that decide how long you have and what you can recover are written down, and they are clearer than most people expect. The sections below cover the deadlines that apply, the one-year notice rule for government claims, how shared fault is weighed, and the situations people ask about most. Talking with an attorney who handles Grand County injury claims can turn these general rules into a plan for your situation.
How Long Do You Have? The Short Version
- General personal injury deadline: 4 years from the day you were injured (Utah Code 78B-2-307).
- Vehicle damage claims: 4 years from the accident, under Utah Code 78B-2-307(3).
- Losing a family member: 2 years from the date of death to file a wrongful death claim (Utah Code 78B-2-304).
- Product liability claims run 2 years from discovery of both the harm and its cause, under Utah Code 78B-6-706.
- Government claims have the shortest clock: a written notice of claim within 1 year after the claim arises, and suit within 2 years (Utah Code 63G-7-402 and 63G-7-403).
The Deadlines Behind an Injury Claim in Utah
For most injury claims, Utah Code 78B-2-307 sets a four-year window that starts on the date you were hurt. Utah’s statutes do not list personal injury by name; the four-year rule is the general limit that courts apply to negligence claims.
If someone died because of another party’s negligence, Utah Code 78B-2-304 allows two years from the date of death. A defective-product injury has its own two-year clock under Utah Code 78B-6-706, which starts when you knew or should have known of the harm and what caused it.
Injuries to children are treated differently. Utah Code 78B-2-108 keeps the clock from running during minority, though a claim involving a government entity follows its own rules and is worth raising with an attorney right away.
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When a Public Entity Is Involved
If a city, county, school district, or state agency (or one of its employees) caused your injury, Utah’s Governmental Immunity Act requires a written notice of claim within one year after the claim arises (Utah Code 63G-7-402). Miss it and the claim is barred, even though the general limit is four years.
The public entity must acknowledge your notice within 60 days, and suit cannot be filed before that 60-day mark. The final filing deadline is two years after the claim arises (Utah Code 63G-7-403).
Knowing who to notify matters as much as when. The rules in Utah Code 63G-7-401 name a different office for each kind of entity, and each entity files its own designated address for receiving notices.
What If You Were Partly at Fault?
Shared blame is common in crashes and falls. Utah Code 78B-5-818 allows recovery only when your fault is less than the fault of those you are seeking recovery from, and it reduces the award by your own percentage.
Utah also limits each defendant to its own share: a defendant is not liable for more than the percentage of fault assigned to it, so when several parties contributed, each is responsible only for its portion (Utah Code 78B-5-818(3)).
The Court Behind Your Moab Claim
Every Utah county has a district court in its county seat, and these courts hear injury lawsuits (Utah Code 78A-5-101 and 78A-5-102). For Moab, that means the Grand County court in Moab, within the Seventh Judicial District.
Real Situations, Real Answers Under Utah Law
Utah law gets more specific once you know what kind of injury it was, and some situations have their own rules and their own clocks.
Can I sue after a car accident in Utah?
Yes, once you meet Utah’s no-fault threshold: a fracture, permanent impairment or disfigurement, dismemberment, death, or more than $3,000 in medical expenses opens the door to general damages (Utah Code 31A-22-309). Short of that, your own insurance benefits are the main route. The general filing deadline is four years.
If a city bus, police car, or other government vehicle caused the crash, the written notice of claim is due within one year (Utah Code 63G-7-402), far sooner than the four-year rule for other drivers.
How long do I have to file a slip and fall claim in Utah?
Four years is the general rule for a fall on private property. If the fall happened on city, county, school, or state property, the deadline for the written notice of claim is one year (Utah Code 63G-7-402), which is far shorter and easy to miss.
Keep the shoes and clothing you wore during the fall, along with your medical records and bills, so an attorney has more to work with when reviewing what happened.
Can I sue over a defective product that hurt me in Utah?
Yes. Utah’s product liability deadline is two years from when you discovered, or reasonably should have discovered, both the harm and what caused it (Utah Code 78B-6-706). That discovery language matters when the link between an injury and a product only becomes clear later.
A product injury to a child follows the same discovery rule, with the clock paused during minority (Utah Code 78B-2-108).
Who can file a wrongful death claim in Utah?
The person’s heirs, or a personal representative acting for the benefit of the heirs, may bring the action (Utah Code 78B-3-106). The deadline is two years from the date of death (Utah Code 78B-2-304).
Because the wrongful death deadline is two years and related claims can run on different clocks, families often ask an attorney early to line up every applicable date.
How long do I have to file a dog bite claim in Utah?
Utah’s dog bite statute does not set its own filing deadline, so the general four-year limit is the one to plan around. If a public entity was involved, such as a police dog or a city-run animal program, different rules can apply.
Certified police dog teams working under a written agency policy are treated separately: the state, counties, cities, and their peace officers are not liable in damages when the conditions in Utah Code 18-1-1(2) are met.
Ready to talk it through? Get matched with an attorney in Moab.
For Moab Residents
Moab is in Grand County, and injury lawsuits arising here are usually filed in the Grand County district court. The rules above apply the same way in Moab as anywhere else in Utah.
For injuries caused by medical care, see medical malpractice help in Moab.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does my Utah injury claim really last four years?
For most claims against private parties, yes: Utah Code 78B-2-307 allows four years from the date of injury. Claims involving a government entity or a death do not get that full window.
Can a wrongful death case still be filed if the injury happened years ago?
The clock for a wrongful death claim runs from the date of death (Utah Code 78B-2-304), so timing depends on when the person died. An attorney can confirm the exact dates.
What is the notice of claim deadline for Utah government claims?
One year after the claim arises. A claim is barred if the notice is not filed in that time (Utah Code 63G-7-402).
What is Utah’s 50% rule?
If your fault is 50% or more, Utah Code 78B-5-818 bars you from recovering anything. Below 50%, your damages are reduced by your share.
Does the no-fault threshold apply to uninsured motorist claims?
No. Utah Code 31A-22-309(1)(b) says the general-damages threshold does not apply to a person making an uninsured motorist claim.
What if I fell on city or county property in Utah?
Different rules apply: a written notice of claim within one year (Utah Code 63G-7-402) and a lawsuit within two years (Utah Code 63G-7-403).
Does my own conduct affect a dog bite claim?
Damages are determined under Utah’s comparative fault rule (Utah Code 78B-5-818), so shared fault can reduce a recovery and, at 50% or more, bar it.
Should I keep the product that hurt me?
Yes, if it is safe to do so. Keep the product, packaging, receipts, and any photos, because they are often central evidence.
Where can I file an injury lawsuit in Utah?
Generally in the county where the cause of action arose or where a defendant lives (Utah Code 78B-3a-201).
Do I have to decide right away whether to hire an attorney?
No. An initial conversation does not commit you to anything, though reaching out sooner helps preserve evidence while Utah’s deadlines are running.
Don't Wait to Get Started
Photos, records, and witness memories are easiest to gather early, and Utah’s clocks keep running whether or not you are ready to act. Reaching out now does not obligate you to anything. A real attorney will hear the situation and help you understand which options are still available while there is time to use them.
