Park City Motorcycle Accident Lawyer

Park City riders share roads that were built to move ski traffic. SR-224 carries cars from Kimball Junction into town, SR-248 heads east toward Kamas and the start of the Mirror Lake Highway, and I-80 and US-40 bring commuters, trucks and visitors through the Snyderville Basin. Each summer the mountain routes reopen and fill with riders, and with drivers who are looking at the scenery instead of the motorcycle in front of them.

We represent motorcyclists injured in and around Park City, whether the crash happened at a signal in town or on a mountain curve. A driver who pulls out in front of a bike rarely admits it at the scene, so our work begins with a simple question: what could that driver see, and when?

Where Riders Get Hurt Around Park City

The most common setup is a turning car. At Kimball Junction, along Kearns Boulevard and at the entrances to resort parking, drivers turning left are scanning for a gap between cars, and a single headlight is easy to overlook. Utah Code § 41-6a-903 still requires a driver turning left to yield to any oncoming vehicle close enough to be an immediate hazard, and a motorcycle is a vehicle like any other.

Utah Rules That Shape a Rider's Claim

Lane filtering. A rider may ease past stopped traffic only at 15 mph or less, on a road with two or more lanes in the same direction and a limit of 45 mph or lower, and never on an on-ramp (Utah Code § 41-6a-704(6)). Our lane filtering guide goes through each condition and the law's scheduled 2027 review.

Helmets. Utah requires a helmet for riders under 21. For an adult who rode without one, § 41-6a-1505 says that choice is not comparative negligence and cannot be introduced as evidence in a civil case.

No PIP on a motorcycle. Motorcycle policies do not have to include personal injury protection, and riders are not covered by PIP for injuries suffered while operating a motorcycle (Utah Code § 31A-22-302). Med-pay, health insurance and the at-fault driver's liability coverage fill that gap; our motorcycle claims guide explains the order they pay in.

Limits that run out. An auto policy issued in Utah since January 1, 2025 can carry as little as $30,000 per person for bodily injury (§ 31A-22-304). Care for a serious crash injury can exceed that quickly, which is why your own underinsured motorist coverage deserves a close look.

Deadlines. Utah generally allows four years to sue over an injury and two years after a death, but a claim against a government entity, such as one involving a county plow or a road hazard, needs a written notice of claim within one year (§ 63G-7-402). Our statute of limitations page lists the rest.

Guardsman Pass and the Mirror Lake Highway

Two of the area's favorite rides close every winter. UDOT lists SR-224 over Guardsman Pass, between Park City and Brighton, and SR-150, the Mirror Lake Highway east of Kamas, among its seasonal roads, typically closed from November until May or June. When they reopen, riders share steep grades and mountain curves with sightseers, campers and trailers, and a vehicle that drifts over the center line on a blind curve leaves a motorcycle nowhere to go.

Which agency writes the report depends on where you went down. Park City Police cover the city itself, the Summit County Sheriff's Office covers the Snyderville Basin and unincorporated county roads, and the Utah Highway Patrol works I-80, US-40 and the state routes. Find out whose report you will need to request.

How Park City Motorcycle Crashes Happen

Drivers misjudge a bike's speed, visitors in rental cars watch a map instead of the road, a car changes lanes on I-80 into a rider sitting in its blind spot, and wildlife crosses SR-224, a known wildlife corridor, around dusk. Gravel and broken pavement on mountain roads also play a part; when a road condition contributed, the one-year government notice deadline may apply.

Injuries After a Rider Goes Down

Head and brain injuries even with a helmet, spinal and pelvic fractures, broken arms and legs, road rash that may need skin grafts, and amputations. Park City Hospital, Intermountain's hospital at 900 Round Valley Drive, is designated a Level IV trauma center by the state; riders with the most serious injuries may be stabilized there and moved to a higher-level trauma center in the Salt Lake Valley.

What a Rider Can Recover

• Economic losses: hospital and rehabilitation bills, future care, lost income and earning capacity, and the cost to repair or replace the motorcycle and riding gear.
• Non-economic losses: pain, anxiety, and the riding seasons, ski days and ordinary routines an injury takes away.
• Permanent-injury costs: home modifications, long-term care and lost future earnings when an injury will not fully heal.
• Punitive damages: available only in rare cases of especially reckless conduct, such as a drunk driver.

Answering the Rider-Bias Argument

Adjusters like to suggest the rider was speeding or weaving. Under Utah's comparative fault statute, § 78B-5-818, any share of fault assigned to you reduces your recovery, and you recover nothing at 50% or more, so the response has to be evidence: photos of the scene and both vehicles, witness names, dash or doorbell video, and the other vehicle's event data, gathered before it is lost. The steps in a Utah injury case explain what comes next. Hurt in a car rather than on a bike? See our Salt Lake City car accident page, and our Park City personal injury page covers the area's other injury cases.