West Valley City Wrongful Death Lawyer

The loss comes first. The practical questions come soon after: what happened on Bangerter Highway or 3500 South that night, who answers for it, and how the household pays its bills while it grieves. For a death in West Valley City those questions are governed by Utah's wrongful death statute, and a lawsuit, if one is needed, is filed in the Third District Court, which serves Salt Lake County.

No lawsuit can undo a death. What a claim can do is put the facts on the record, place the cost of the loss on the party whose negligence caused it, and give the family some financial footing for the years ahead.

What Makes a Death Wrongful Under Utah Law

Under Utah Code § 78B-3-106, when a death is caused by the wrongful act or neglect of another, a damages action may be brought against the person who caused it, or against an employer responsible for that person's conduct. In West Valley City the cause is most often a vehicle crash, but the same statute reaches deadly falls, unsafe property and commercial trucks moving between the warehouses along SR-201.

A criminal case against a driver and the family's civil claim run on separate tracks, and the civil case uses a lower standard of proof. Deaths on the job generally go through workers' compensation instead, though a claim against someone other than the employer may still be available.

Who Brings the Claim

The action belongs to the decedent's heirs, or to a personal representative suing on their behalf. Section 78B-3-105 names the heirs: a surviving spouse; children; natural parents, or adoptive parents if the decedent was adopted; stepchildren under 18 who were supported by or lived with the decedent; and, only if there is no spouse, child or parent, other blood relatives under the intestacy rules. Our Utah wrongful death guide has more detail.

The Two-Year Deadline

A wrongful death action must generally be brought within two years (§ 78B-2-304), not the four years that apply to most injury suits. If West Valley City, Salt Lake County, UDOT or UTA may share responsibility, the Governmental Immunity Act requires a written notice of claim within one year (§ 63G-7-402). Every deadline is on our statute of limitations page.

Damages a Family May Recover

The statute allows damages that are just under all the circumstances of the case. That usually includes:

• The financial support and household help your loved one would have provided.
• Medical bills from the final injury, and the cost of the funeral and burial.
• The loss of companionship, counsel and care, considered for each spouse, child and parent.
• The grief of the people left behind.
• In rare cases, punitive damages for knowing and reckless conduct, such as driving impaired.

Money does not replace a person. It can keep a family's home and plans intact while it mourns.

How Deaths Happen in West Valley City

Families come to us after crashes at Bangerter Highway's signalized intersections, left-turn collisions on 3500 South, pedestrian deaths on long, dark stretches of Redwood Road, high-speed collisions on I-215 and the Mountain View Corridor, semi-truck crashes on SR-201, and fatal falls at apartment complexes and businesses. Our West Valley City car accident page covers the crash side of these cases, and our pedestrian page covers deaths of people on foot.

Building the Record for Your Family

The West Valley City Police Department, at 3577 South Market Street, investigates most deaths inside city limits, and the Utah Highway Patrol may handle crashes on state highways such as SR-201. We request those reports, send preservation letters for vehicle data and business video, identify every liability and underinsured motorist policy, and deal with the insurers so the family does not have to. The steps in a Utah injury case show the path, and our West Valley City personal injury page covers the city's roads in detail.