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Your Eagle Mountain Personal Injury Attorney
If someone else’s carelessness hurt you in Eagle Mountain, the most useful thing to have right now is a straight answer about time limits and fault. Utah sets both by statute, and this page walks through them in plain language. 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 Utah 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).
- Property damage to your car: 4 years, a separate claim from your injuries (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).
- Defective products: 2 years from when you discovered, or should have discovered, both the harm and its cause (Utah Code 78B-6-706).
- If a public entity is involved: 1 year to file a written notice of claim, then 2 years to file suit, both counted from when the claim arises (Utah Code 63G-7-402 and 63G-7-403).
Utah's Time Limits for Injury Claims, Explained
Under Utah Code 78B-2-307, most injury lawsuits must be filed within four years of the injury. Settlement talks with an insurer do not, on their own, stop that clock, so a claim that is still being discussed can still expire.
Not every claim gets the full four years. Wrongful death is limited to two years from death under Utah Code 78B-2-304, and product liability to two years from discovery of the harm and its cause under Utah Code 78B-6-706.
A child’s clock works differently: under Utah Code 78B-2-108, the statute of limitations does not run while an injured person is under 18. If a public entity is involved, its own notice rules apply, so get advice early.
Injured in Eagle Mountain? Get matched with an attorney now.
Claims Against a City, County, or the State
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.
Once notice is filed, you generally wait 60 days before filing suit, and the entity must acknowledge the notice in writing within that period. The suit must be started within two years after the claim arises, and it goes to district court (Utah Code 63G-7-403 and 78A-5-102).
The notice has to include a brief statement of the facts, the nature of the claim, and the damages known so far, and it has to reach the right office for that entity (Utah Code 63G-7-401). Sending it to the wrong place can create its own problems.
Does Being Partly to Blame End Your Claim?
Utah’s rule, in Utah Code 78B-5-818, lets you recover as long as the fault of those you are seeking recovery from exceeds your own. A person found 30% at fault recovers 70% of the damages; a person found 50% at fault recovers nothing.
Fault can also be assigned to someone who is immune from suit or who is not a party to the case, which shapes how the percentages are compared (Utah Code 78B-5-818 and 78B-5-819).
Utah County and the Fourth Judicial District
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 Eagle Mountain, that means the Utah County court in Provo, within the Fourth Judicial District.
Common Utah Injury Situations, Answered
General deadlines are only the starting point. These are the situations where Utah has something more specific to say.
I was hurt in a car crash in Eagle Mountain, what happens next?
Start by knowing that Utah’s no-fault rules apply. Your PIP benefits come first, and a lawsuit for general damages needs one of the listed injuries or more than $3,000 in medical expenses (Utah Code 31A-22-309). Fault still matters: at 50% or more, Utah Code 78B-5-818 bars recovery.
PIP benefits are paid monthly as expenses are incurred, and an insurer that pays late owes interest at 1.5% per month (Utah Code 31A-22-309(5)).
Do I need a lawyer for a slip and fall in Utah?
You are not required to have one, but many people talk with an attorney early because the property owner’s insurer will already be building its side, and photos, video, and witnesses are easiest to gather right away. Slip and fall cases are ordinary negligence claims with a four-year deadline, and the 50% fault rule applies to your own share.
Store owners, landlords, property managers, and contractors can each be the responsible party depending on who controlled the area, so identifying the right defendant is part of the early work.
Who can be responsible when a product injures me in Utah?
Product cases can involve the manufacturer, distributor, or seller, depending on the facts. What is fixed is the timing: two years from discovery of the harm and its cause (Utah Code 78B-6-706).
Product claims can involve more than one party in the chain from manufacturer to seller, and Utah’s fault rules divide responsibility among them (Utah Code 78B-5-818(3)).
Is a wrongful death claim in Utah treated differently from a regular injury claim?
In two practical ways: the clock is two years from the date of death rather than four years from injury (Utah Code 78B-2-304), and the claim belongs to the heirs or is brought by a personal representative for them (Utah Code 78B-3-106).
If a government entity was involved in the death, a written notice of claim is due within one year (Utah Code 63G-7-402), which is shorter than the two-year wrongful death deadline.
What happens if I was bitten by a dog in Eagle Mountain?
You can pursue the owner or keeper under Utah Code 18-1-1, which makes them liable for injuries their dog causes without proof that the dog was dangerous. Getting medical care, photographing the injury, and identifying the owner are the practical first steps.
Getting medical care promptly matters for your health and your claim, and reporting the bite creates an official record of what happened.
Ready to talk it through? Get matched with an attorney in Eagle Mountain.
Eagle Mountain, Utah County, and the Courts
People in Eagle Mountain deal with the same statewide deadlines as everyone in Utah. What is local is the court: Utah County’s district court, in the Fourth Judicial District.
For injuries caused by medical care, see medical malpractice help in Eagle Mountain.
Also serving: the Riverton personal injury resource, our coverage in Lehi.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does the clock start on a Utah injury claim?
Usually on the date you were injured. Product claims start when you discovered, or should have discovered, the harm and its cause, and an injured child’s clock is paused until age 18 (Utah Code 78B-6-706 and 78B-2-108).
Does the wrongful death clock run from the injury or from the death?
From the date of death, under Utah Code 78B-2-304, which can be later than the date of the original injury.
How long do I have to sue a government entity in Utah?
Two years after the claim arises, but only after a notice of claim filed within the first year and a 60-day wait after that notice (Utah Code 63G-7-402 and 63G-7-403).
What happens if I was partly at fault for my injury in Utah?
Your recovery is reduced by your percentage of fault, as long as your fault is less than 50% (Utah Code 78B-5-818).
Does a broken bone in a Utah car accident meet the threshold?
Yes. A bone fracture is one of the injuries that allows a claim for general damages under Utah Code 31A-22-309.
How long do I have to sue after a slip and fall in Utah?
Four years on private property (Utah Code 78B-2-307). On public property, a written notice of claim is due within one year (Utah Code 63G-7-402).
Who pays for a dog bite in Utah, the owner or someone else?
Utah Code 18-1-1 applies to an individual who owns or keeps the dog. An attorney can help identify who that is and what coverage may apply.
Is the product liability deadline shorter than the general injury deadline?
Yes. It is two years from discovery (Utah Code 78B-6-706), compared with four years for most injury claims.
What happens if a city sits in two counties?
The county where the injury happened, or where a defendant lives, decides where the case may be filed (Utah Code 78B-3a-201).
Will talking to an attorney start a lawsuit?
No. A first conversation is only a way to understand your options and deadlines. Nothing is filed unless you decide to move forward.
Start the Process Now
Waiting rarely helps an injury claim: the other side is already working, and the deadlines above do not pause while you recover. There is no requirement to arrive with a plan. Reaching out costs nothing and commits you to nothing, and it is often the fastest way to learn what is still possible.
