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Your South Jordan Personal Injury Attorney
An injury in South Jordan 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. A local attorney familiar with South Jordan and Utah’s courts can tell you which of these rules apply to what happened to you.
Utah Injury Deadlines at a Glance
- Standard injury claims get 4 years from the date of injury, per Utah Code 78B-2-307.
- Repairing or replacing your vehicle: 4 years to bring a claim for damage to your motor vehicle (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
The general limit for an injury lawsuit in Utah is four years from the injury, found in Utah Code 78B-2-307. That is longer than many states allow, but it applies to claims against private parties, and a few claim types run on shorter clocks.
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.
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.
Injured in South Jordan? Get matched with an attorney now.
The Government-Claim Deadline That Is Easy to Miss
Claims involving public entities are the big exception to Utah’s four-year rule. A written notice of claim must be filed within one year after the claim arises, or the claim is barred (Utah Code 63G-7-402).
After the notice is filed, the entity must acknowledge it in writing within 60 days, and you generally cannot file suit until 60 days have passed. The lawsuit itself must then be filed within two years after the claim arises (Utah Code 63G-7-403), in district court.
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.
How Utah Weighs Shared 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.
Each defendant answers only for the percentage of fault attributed to it, so how fault is divided among everyone involved can change what you are able to collect (Utah Code 78B-5-818).
Salt Lake County and the Third Judicial District
Personal injury cases in Utah are heard in district court. South Jordan sits in Salt Lake County, in the Third Judicial District (Utah Code 78A-1-102), and the county’s district court is located in the county seat, Salt Lake City (Utah Code 78A-5-101).
Your Situation and the Utah Rule That Applies
Each situation below has its own Utah answer, and a few carry rules of their own on top of the general deadlines above.
I was hurt in a car crash in South Jordan, 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.
Who is responsible when I fall at a store or apartment in South Jordan?
It depends on who controls the property and whether they knew about the hazard. A store, landlord, or business owner can be responsible when a dangerous condition they knew or should have known about caused the fall. If the property is public, the one-year notice of claim under Utah Code 63G-7-402 comes first.
Your own attention can be raised as a defense. Under Utah Code 78B-5-818, being found 50% or more at fault ends the claim, and lower percentages reduce it.
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.
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.
My family member died because of someone’s negligence in Utah, what are our options?
Utah allows a wrongful death action by the heirs or a personal representative for the heirs’ benefit (Utah Code 78B-3-106), and it must be filed within two years of the date of death (Utah Code 78B-2-304). Talking with an attorney early helps protect that window.
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.
Not sure which situation fits yours? Tell us what happened in South Jordan.
South Jordan, Salt Lake County, and the Courts
People in South Jordan deal with the same statewide deadlines as everyone in Utah. What is local is the court: Salt Lake County’s district court, in the Third Judicial District.
If a medical mistake was involved, see our South Jordan medical malpractice resources.
Nearby coverage: the Riverton personal injury resource, Draper personal injury attorneys.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the statute of limitations for personal injury in Utah?
Four years for most injury claims, counted from the injury (Utah Code 78B-2-307). A few claim types, such as wrongful death and claims against public entities, are shorter.
What is the deadline for a wrongful death claim in Utah?
Two years from the date of death, under Utah Code 78B-2-304.
Which court hears a claim against a Utah government entity?
The district court has original and exclusive jurisdiction over actions under the Governmental Immunity Act (Utah Code 78A-5-102).
Can I recover if I was 40% at fault in Utah?
Yes. At 40% fault your damages are reduced by 40%, because your fault is still below the 50% line (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 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.
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).
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).
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.
What You Do Next Matters
Photos, records, and witness memories are easiest to gather early, and Utah’s clocks keep running whether or not you are ready to act. 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.
