Orem Wrongful Death Lawyer

Families usually call weeks after a death, not days, and that is understandable. A few early steps, such as requesting the crash report and asking that video and vehicle data be preserved, can protect a claim without asking anything of a family still arranging a funeral.

In Orem, fatal cases tend to trace back to the same places that produce serious injuries: I-15 at the University Parkway and 800 North interchanges, the University Parkway and State Street corridors, and US-189 at the mouth of Provo Canyon. They also come from unsafe property, commercial trucks and work vehicles.

What Utah Law Allows

When a death is caused by another's wrongful act or neglect, Utah lets the heirs, or the personal representative acting for them, sue the person responsible, and that person's employer when the employer answers for their conduct (Utah Code § 78B-3-106).

The civil claim is separate from any criminal case and uses a lower standard of proof, and the statute allows whatever damages are just under all the circumstances. Our wrongful death guide explains the process step by step.

Who Counts as an Heir

Utah's list is specific (§ 78B-3-105): a surviving spouse; children; natural or adoptive parents; stepchildren under 18 who were supported by the person or lived with them; and, only when there is no surviving spouse, child or parent, other blood relatives under intestate succession. When the person lived in Utah County and an estate has to be opened to appoint a personal representative, that probate case is typically filed in the Fourth District Court at 137 North Freedom Boulevard in Provo.

The Deadline Is Two Years

A wrongful death suit generally must be filed within two years of the death (§ 78B-2-304(3)). If Orem City, UTA, UDOT, UVU or another public body may share responsibility, a written notice of claim must be filed within one year after the claim arises (§ 63G-7-402). Every limit is collected on our deadlines page.

Damages a Family May Seek

Depending on the facts, these can include:

• Financial support: the earnings and benefits your loved one would have contributed.
• Final costs: medical bills from the last injury, and funeral and burial expenses.
• Household services: childcare, home care and the everyday help the person provided.
• Companionship and grief: the love, guidance and comfort the family has lost.
• Punitive damages: only for especially reckless conduct, such as impaired driving.

No amount replaces a person. The claim exists so the family is not left carrying the financial cost of someone else's negligence.

Where Orem Cases Come From

Car and truck crashes on I-15 and the arterials; motorcycle crashes on 800 North, US-189 and the Alpine Loop; pedestrians struck near UVU, UVX stations and State Street; and deaths from unsafe premises. The investigating agency is usually the Orem Police Department, whose major accident investigation team handles serious city crashes, or the Utah Highway Patrol on I-15. We request the full report, scene photographs and any reconstruction. How the injury side of these crashes works is explained on our Orem car accident page.

How We Carry the Work

We collect records, send preservation letters for video and vehicle data, look for every liability and underinsured motorist policy that may apply, and handle the insurers directly. Fault is still divided under Utah's comparative fault statute (§ 78B-5-818), so an early investigation keeps the account of what happened from being written without your family. For other Orem injury matters, see our Orem personal injury page.