South Jordan is a city of young families. Daybreak alone is full of minivans, strollers and school drop-offs, and the roads that serve it, Bangerter Highway, the Mountain View Corridor and South Jordan Parkway, carry fast commuter traffic through the middle of it.
So the call we get from South Jordan is often the same one. There were kids in the car.
First: get the kids checked
Children do not always tell you something hurts, and small children cannot. A child can seem fine at the scene and be sore, withdrawn or sick the next day. It is not the time to be brave, for them or for you. Have every child who was in the car seen by a doctor, and tell the doctor about the crash.
Utah's car seat law
Utah Code § 41-6a-1803 requires the driver to protect each child younger than eight with a child restraint device used the way the manufacturer says. A child under eight who is 57 inches tall or taller may use a properly fastened seat belt instead. Children from eight up must be belted.
If your children were properly restrained, that is worth documenting. Photograph how they were buckled in if you can, and the seats themselves.
After a crash, the car seat is evidence and damage
Many car seat manufacturers tell parents to replace a seat after a crash. Check your seat's manual or the manufacturer's website for its rule. Either way:
- Do not throw the seat away yet. Photograph it, including the labels.
- Keep the receipt for the replacement.
- Include it in the property damage claim. A car seat is part of what the crash damaged.
A claim for an injured child
A child's claim is brought by a parent or guardian. The insurance company will want a parent to sign a release for the child. Do not sign one before you know how the child's injuries will heal. Children are still growing, and some injuries only show their full effect later.
Utah also protects the child's deadline. Under Utah Code § 78B-2-108, the statute of limitations does not run while the injured person is under 18. That does not make waiting wise. The parents' own claims have their own clocks, and evidence fades regardless.
Which police agency took the report
Crashes inside the city are handled by South Jordan Police. Freeway crashes are usually worked by the Utah Highway Patrol. Keep the police case number and the insurance claim number separate.
TRAX and FrontRunner
The TRAX Red Line serves South Jordan and Daybreak, and FrontRunner has a South Jordan station. A crash involving a UTA train or bus is a claim against a government entity. A written notice of claim is due within one year under Utah Code § 63G-7-402.
The deadlines
- Personal injury — four years. Utah Code § 78B-2-307, with the clock for a minor paused until 18.
- Wrongful death — two years. § 78B-2-304.
- Vehicle property damage — three years. § 78B-2-305, including the car seat.
- UTA or another government entity: written notice of claim within one year.
A South Jordan injury lawsuit is generally filed in the Third District Court, which covers Salt Lake County.
LawyerUp handles the vehicle claim, the car seat included, alongside the injury claims for everyone in the car. Call (801) 685-1000.