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Your Richfield Personal Injury Attorney
If someone else’s carelessness hurt you in Richfield, 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. Below you will find the key Utah deadlines at a glance, how claims against a city, county, or the state are handled differently, and what happens when fault is shared. Talking with an attorney who handles Sevier 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).
- 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).
Utah's Time Limits for Injury Claims, Explained
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.
Two claim types run on shorter clocks. A wrongful death claim must be filed within two years of the date of death (Utah Code 78B-2-304), and a product liability claim within two years of when you discovered, or reasonably should have discovered, both the harm and its cause (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 Richfield? Get matched with an attorney now.
Utah's One-Year Notice Rule for Government Claims
For injuries tied to a government entity or its employees, Utah Code 63G-7-402 gives you one year after the claim arises to file a written notice of claim. This notice is easy to miss because it is so much shorter than the deadline for other injury claims.
So the sequence is: written notice within one year, a 60-day waiting period, then a lawsuit within two years of when the claim arose (Utah Code 63G-7-402 and 63G-7-403), filed in district court.
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?
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.
When more than one party caused your injury, the fact finder assigns each a percentage, and no defendant pays more than its own percentage (Utah Code 78B-5-818(3) and 78B-5-819).
The Court Behind Your Richfield Claim
Personal injury cases in Utah are heard in district court. Richfield sits in Sevier County, in the Sixth Judicial District (Utah Code 78A-1-102), and the county’s district court is located in the county seat, Richfield (Utah Code 78A-5-101).
What Kind of Injury Was It? What Utah Law Says
Below are direct answers for the most common kinds of injury claims, each tied to the Utah law that governs it.
How does Utah’s no-fault system affect my car accident claim?
In Utah, PIP coverage pays certain benefits regardless of fault, and it limits when you can sue for general damages: only for death, dismemberment, permanent impairment or disfigurement, a bone fracture, or medical expenses above $3,000 (Utah Code 31A-22-309). The threshold does not apply to uninsured motorist claims.
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.
What do I have to show after a slip and fall in Utah?
The core questions are what caused the fall, whether the owner knew or should have known about it, and whether they took reasonable steps. Photos of the spot, incident reports, and witness names all help, and the general four-year deadline applies unless a public entity owns the property.
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.
What if I did not realize a product caused my injury?
The two-year clock in Utah Code 78B-6-706 does not start until you discovered, or should have discovered, both the harm and its cause. If the connection was not obvious at first, that discovery date is where an attorney will start.
Because this clock is half as long as the general limit, product cases are one of the situations where early attention pays off.
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).
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)).
What happens if I was bitten by a dog in Richfield?
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.
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.
Have questions about your Richfield claim? Ask a local attorney.
What Is Local About a Richfield Claim
A claim arising in Richfield follows Utah’s statewide rules, with the Sevier County district court as the usual local venue and the Sixth Judicial District’s judges hearing it.
Hurt by a doctor or hospital instead? Read about medical malpractice claims in Richfield.
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).
How long do we have to file a wrongful death lawsuit after losing a family member?
Two years from the date of death (Utah Code 78B-2-304), which is shorter than the four-year limit for most injury claims.
Where do I send a notice of claim in Utah?
To the office Utah Code 63G-7-401 names for that kind of entity: for example the city or county clerk for local claims, or the attorney general for the state.
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).
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.
What should I do right after a slip and fall in Utah?
Get medical care, photograph the spot, report the fall in writing to the owner or manager, and collect witness names. Then consider talking to an attorney before giving a recorded statement.
Is Utah a strict liability state for dog bites?
Yes. Utah Code 18-1-1 makes an owner or keeper liable for an injury their dog causes, regardless of whether the dog is vicious or the owner knew it was.
What if I did not know a product caused my injury?
The two-year period does not begin until you discovered, or reasonably should have discovered, both the injury and its cause (Utah Code 78B-6-706).
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).
How soon should I contact an attorney after an injury in Utah?
As soon as you can. Some deadlines, like the one-year notice for government claims, are short, and evidence fades quickly.
Time Is Part of This Decision
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. You do not need every detail sorted out first. Talking it through with a real person costs you nothing and commits you to nothing, and it is often the clearest way to see what is at stake.
