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Your Highland Personal Injury Attorney
Getting hurt in Highland tends to bring a lot at once: medical appointments, missed work, calls from insurance adjusters, and a deadline you may not know exists. Utah law answers most of those questions in specific, checkable ways. You will find the deadlines first, then the rules on government claims and shared fault, then straight answers to the questions people most often bring after an injury. Talking with an attorney who handles Utah County injury claims can turn these general rules into a plan for your situation.
Your Utah Deadlines in One Place
- Standard injury claims get 4 years from the date of injury, per Utah Code 78B-2-307.
- Vehicle damage claims: 4 years from the accident, under Utah Code 78B-2-307(3).
- Wrongful death claims: 2 years, running from the death itself rather than the earlier injury (Utah Code 78B-2-304).
- Product liability: 2 years from discovery of the harm and what caused it (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
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.
Watch the two-year deadlines: wrongful death (Utah Code 78B-2-304, counted from the date of death) and product liability (Utah Code 78B-6-706, counted from discovery of the harm and its cause).
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.
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When a Public Entity Is Involved
A pothole, a city bus, a school district vehicle, a county building: when a public entity is behind the injury, the clock is one year for the notice of claim under Utah Code 63G-7-402, not four years for a lawsuit.
Two more timing rules follow the notice: you cannot file the lawsuit until 60 days after the notice is filed, and you must file it within two years after the claim arises (Utah Code 63G-7-403). These claims are heard exclusively in Utah’s district courts.
Utah Code 63G-7-401 spells out what a notice must contain (the facts, the nature of the claim, and known damages) and where it must be delivered, which depends on the kind of entity involved: a city clerk, a county clerk, the attorney general for state claims, and so on.
Utah's 50% Fault Rule
Under Utah Code 78B-5-818, your own fault reduces what you recover in proportion to your share, and it bars recovery entirely once your share reaches 50%. Put simply, the other side’s fault has to be greater than yours.
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)).
Which Court Hears a Highland Injury Claim?
Utah divides its district courts into eight judicial districts (Utah Code 78A-1-102). Utah County, home to Highland, falls in the Fourth Judicial District, and its district court is located in Provo, the county seat.
What Kind of Injury Was It? What Utah Law Says
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 Highland, 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.
If the at-fault driver was uninsured, the general-damages threshold above does not apply to your uninsured motorist claim (Utah Code 31A-22-309(1)(b)). If a government vehicle was involved, the one-year notice of claim comes first.
Can I sue if I slipped and fell on someone else’s property in Utah?
Possibly. Slip and fall claims are premises-liability negligence claims: the question is generally whether the owner knew, or reasonably should have known, about the hazard and failed to fix it or warn about it. The general four-year deadline applies, and your own share of fault can reduce or bar recovery under Utah Code 78B-5-818.
Evidence matters most early on. Photographs of the spot, the incident report, and the names of anyone who saw what happened all help show what the owner knew.
How long do I have to sue over a dangerous product in Utah?
Two years, counted from discovery of the harm and its cause under Utah Code 78B-6-706. That is shorter than the four-year general limit, so a product injury deserves prompt attention.
Fault can still be shared in a product case: Utah Code 78B-5-818 reduces recovery by your own percentage and bars it at 50% or more.
What can a wrongful death claim in Utah cover?
Utah’s wrongful death statute lets damages be awarded in the amount that, under all the circumstances of the case, may be just (Utah Code 78B-3-106). An attorney can explain what that has meant in practice for a family in your position.
The action may be brought by the personal representative of the adult deceased person for the benefit of the heirs, or by the guardian for the heirs’ benefit (Utah Code 78B-3-106(3)).
Does Utah have a dog bite law?
Yes. Utah Code 18-1-1 makes the owner or keeper of a dog liable for its injuries regardless of the dog’s history or the owner’s knowledge, with damages determined under Utah’s comparative fault rule (Utah Code 78B-5-818).
The statute covers an individual who owns or keeps the dog, so the responsible person is identified by who owned or kept the dog, not only by whose name is on a license.
Not sure which situation fits yours? Tell us what happened in Highland.
Highland, Utah County, and the Courts
Highland is in Utah County, and injury lawsuits arising here are usually filed in the Utah County district court. The rules above apply the same way in Highland as anywhere else in Utah.
Medical negligence follows different Utah rules, covered on our Highland medical malpractice page.
Nearby coverage: Saratoga Springs personal injury attorneys, American Fork personal injury attorneys.
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).
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.
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).
Is Utah a pure comparative fault state?
No. Utah uses a modified rule: recovery is reduced by your share of fault but barred entirely at 50% or more (Utah Code 78B-5-818).
How long do I have to sue after a car accident in Utah?
Generally four years from the accident under Utah Code 78B-2-307, or a much shorter notice period if a government vehicle or entity was involved.
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).
How long do I have to file a dog bite claim in Utah?
The dog bite statute has no separate deadline, so the general four-year limit (Utah Code 78B-2-307) is the one attorneys plan around.
When does the product liability clock start in Utah?
At discovery of both the harm and what caused it, not necessarily the date of injury (Utah Code 78B-6-706).
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).
Does it cost anything to talk to a personal injury attorney in Utah?
A personal injury attorney in Utah typically offers a free initial consultation to discuss your case and the options available.
Don't Wait to Get Started
Utah gives you four years for most injury claims, but two for wrongful death and product claims and only one for a notice of claim against a public entity, and evidence and memories fade well before any of those dates. None of that means you need to have everything figured out before reaching out. A conversation does not commit you to anything, and a real person will listen to what happened and help you see where things stand.
