Midvale sits between Murray and Sandy, and a lot of the valley drives straight through it: I-15, I-215, State Street and Fort Union Boulevard (7200 South). TRAX runs down the middle of the city. Our Sandy office is a short drive south.
When people in Midvale search for an injury lawyer, it is mostly about three things. Car crashes. Falls. And head injuries that did not seem serious at first.
Crashes: which police agency took the report
Midvale does not run its own police department. Police service comes from the Unified Police Department's Midvale precinct, so a crash inside the city usually has a UPD report. Crashes on I-15 and I-215 are usually worked by the Utah Highway Patrol. Request the report from whichever agency actually responded.
Keep the police case number and the insurance claim number separate. They are two different things, and mixing them up is one of the most common ways a claim stalls in the first week.
Near the TRAX line
The TRAX Blue Line runs through Midvale, with stations at Midvale Fort Union and Midvale Center. Crashes at crossings and around stations often involve UTA, which is a government entity. A claim against a Utah government entity is barred unless a written notice of claim is filed within one year under Utah Code § 63G-7-402. That is three years sooner than the normal injury deadline, and it is easy to miss.
Falls at stores, restaurants and apartment complexes
A fall is not automatically someone else's fault. The question is whether the property owner knew, or should have known, about the danger and failed to fix it or warn about it. So the proof is about the hazard and how long it was there.
- Report it before you leave, and ask for a copy of the incident report or the name of the manager who took it.
- Photograph the exact spot: the spill, the broken step, the ice, the missing mat, the lighting.
- Photograph your shoes and keep them. The property's insurer will ask about them.
- Get names and numbers of anyone who saw it, including employees.
- Ask the business to keep its camera footage, in writing, the same day. Most systems record over themselves.
Utah's comparative fault rule, § 78B-5-818, applies to falls too. The insurer will say you were not watching where you were going. The photos you take that day are how you answer that.
Head injuries do not always announce themselves
A head injury can come from a crash or a fall, even when you never hit your head on anything. Symptoms can take hours or days to show: headaches that will not go away, trouble concentrating, memory gaps, dizziness, nausea, sensitivity to light or noise, changes in mood or sleep.
It is not the time to be brave. If any of that is happening, see a doctor and say so plainly. Tell your family to tell you if you seem different. Write down what you notice, with dates. Head injuries are some of the most underpaid claims there are, because the insurance company wants to see a scan, and many real injuries do not show up on one.
Treatment and the injury threshold
Utah's no-fault personal injury protection pays the first $3,000 of medical expenses regardless of fault under § 31A-22-307. Beyond that, a claim for pain and suffering requires a qualifying injury under § 31A-22-309, which includes a bone fracture, permanent impairment, or more than $3,000 in medical expenses. Keep every bill.
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.
- UTA or another government entity: written notice of claim within one year.
A Midvale injury lawsuit is generally filed in the Third District Court, which covers Salt Lake County. Most claims never get there.
LawyerUp handles the vehicle property damage claim alongside the injury claim. Call (801) 685-1000. The consultation is free.