Utah County has grown faster than its roads. University Avenue, Center Street, the I-15 corridor through Orem and Provo, the construction zones that seem to move every season. A lot of crashes, and a lot of people trying to figure out what to do next.
Whether your crash was near campus, on State Street in Orem, or on the freeway, the first two weeks look the same. Here is what to do.
First: get checked. It is not the time to be brave.
People are hurt in crashes and do not know it. Go to an emergency room, an urgent care or your doctor, and tell them everything that hurts. Describe symptoms, not diagnoses: my neck hurts, my hands are numb, I'm dizzy.
Waiting to see if it gets better is one of the biggest mistakes I see. A gap in treatment is the first thing an adjuster will use against you.
Get the right crash report
Which agency wrote the report depends on where the crash happened.
- Inside Provo city limits: usually Provo Police.
- On I-15: usually the Utah Highway Patrol.
- Orem, Springville, Lehi, American Fork and the rest of the county: that city's department, or the Utah County Sheriff in unincorporated areas.
Keep the police case number and the insurance claim number straight. They are two different things, adjusters ask for both, and people give one for the other all the time.
A police report is the officer's summary. It is useful, but it is not the last word on fault. Photos, video, witnesses and the vehicles themselves often tell a fuller story.
Find the video before it is gone
Businesses, gas stations, apartment complexes and doorbells all record, and most of it overwrites itself in days or weeks. If you know a camera was pointed at the intersection, ask the owner in writing to save the footage now.
Find your car
If your car was towed, find out where it is this week and who is paying the storage. Unless an insurance company tells you in writing that it is covering the tow and storage, assume it is not. Utah caps what tow yards can charge, but the meter still runs every day.
The insurance calls
Your own insurer: open the claim. Read your answers from your notes so they are the same every time. Ask what coverage you have, including personal injury protection and uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage.
The other driver's insurer: they are not your friend. Report the claim with simple facts. If they ask to record the call, say no. Do not apologise, do not guess, and do not sign anything.
Students and young drivers
A lot of Provo crashes involve students, which often means a parent's insurance policy, an out-of-state policy, or a driver who does not know what coverage they have. Get a photo of the other driver's licence and insurance card, not just a name and a phone number, and find out whose policy the car is actually on. The details matter.
If you got a ticket
Do not argue with the officer at the scene. Ask questions so you understand why, make sure the officer heard your side, and write down what you were told. A ticket is not the same as being at fault in the civil claim, but what you say about it can be used there, so talk to us before you plead.
Serious cases in Utah County
A personal injury lawsuit arising in Utah County is generally filed in the Fourth District Court. Most claims never get there. The ones that settle well are the ones built from the first week as though they might.
The deadlines
- Personal injury — four years. Utah Code § 78B-2-307.
- Wrongful death — two years. § 78B-2-304.
- Vehicle property damage — three years. § 78B-2-305.
- A city vehicle, UTA bus, UDOT construction zone or road defect: written notice of claim within one year. § 63G-7-402.
One team for you and your car
Most injury firms leave you to fight the adjuster about the car on your own. LawyerUp handles the vehicle property damage claim alongside the injury claim, so the tow, the rental, the repair or total loss and your treatment are all handled together, anywhere in Utah County.
Call (801) 685-1000. The consultation is free.