The I-15 and I-80 junction
Two interstates merge and split within a short stretch, with ramps to local streets close by. Late lane changes to reach the right exit, heavy trucks and sudden slowdowns cause most of the serious freeway crashes here.
SALT LAKE COUNTY
South Salt Lake Car Accident Lawyer
Hurt in a crash on State Street, 3300 South, near the I-15 and I-80 junction or at an S-Line crossing in South Salt Lake? Get a free case review, with no attorney fees unless we win.
Where South Salt Lake Crashes Happen
South Salt Lake is small in area but sits at a crossroads. I-80 meets I-15 here, State Street runs its length, 2100 South marks its northern edge, and TRAX and the S-Line streetcar cross city streets at grade. Much of the traffic is headed somewhere else, including delivery trucks serving the city's warehouse and industrial blocks. See South Salt Lake’s most dangerous roads for the crash counts on each street.
State Street (US-89)
Through South Salt Lake, State Street is lined with motels, car lots, restaurants and apartments, each with its own driveway. Drivers turning in and out across several lanes, and people crossing mid-block to reach bus stops, account for many injury crashes.
3300 South and 2100 South
East-west routes that feed commuters to and from the freeways. 3300 South crosses State Street, Main Street and the TRAX line near Millcreek station, so signal timing, left turns and a rail crossing all come into play.
TRAX and the S-Line streetcar
TRAX runs north-south through the city with stations including Central Pointe and Millcreek, and the S-Line streetcar heads east from Central Pointe toward Sugar House, crossing 300 East and 500 East at grade. Drivers who misjudge a crossing, and pedestrians hurrying to a platform, are the recurring cases.
Warehouses and truck routes
The industrial areas generate steady semi and delivery-truck traffic on surface streets. Wide right turns, trucks backing into docks and blind spots along multi-lane roads cause crashes that bring a trucking company, its insurer and its driver and maintenance records into the claim.
Police and investigators in South Salt Lake
South Salt Lake has its own police department, headquartered at 2835 South Main Street, which handles crashes on city streets; the Utah Highway Patrol handles I-15 and I-80. A collision with a TRAX train or the streetcar also produces a UTA investigation, and because UTA is a government entity, a notice of claim is due within one year.
Your Own PIP Coverage Starts the Claim
After a crash in Utah, your own policy's personal injury protection pays first: at least $3,000 in medical expenses, and 85% of lost gross income, up to $250 per week, for as long as 52 weeks (Utah Code § 31A-22-307). Utah's no-fault rules, explained.
A trip to Intermountain Medical Center, the Level I trauma center just south in Murray, can pass $3,000 in a single visit. To seek pain-and-suffering damages from the responsible driver, Utah Code § 31A-22-309 requires one of these:
- Medical expenses over $3,000
- A broken bone
- A permanent disability or impairment supported by objective findings
- Any permanent disfigurement
- Loss of a limb
- A death
Once you meet one, the at-fault driver's insurer owes the full value of the claim; if its limits are too low, your own underinsured motorist coverage can add to it. How UIM coverage works.
Fault Arguments in South Salt Lake Crashes
Utah compares fault. Under Utah Code § 78B-5-818 your damages go down by your share of the blame, and you recover nothing if your share is equal to or greater than the defendants' combined share.
On State Street, the insurer will say you turned into a driveway in front of oncoming traffic; at a rail crossing, that you ignored the warning signals; near the interchange, that you changed lanes without room. Utah Code § 41-6a-903 puts the duty to yield on a driver turning left or pulling out of a driveway. Business and transit cameras often capture these crashes, but footage is commonly recorded over, so a preservation request needs to go out quickly.
Deadlines to know
Four years for most injury claims under Utah Code § 78B-2-307, two years for wrongful death, and only one year to file a notice of claim involving UTA, UDOT, South Salt Lake City or another public body (§ 63G-7-402). See the Utah deadline guide.
South Salt Lake Car Crash Cases We Handle
Truck and delivery-vehicle crashes
Collisions with semis and box trucks on the interstates and industrial streets. Our truck accident guide covers the carrier records that need saving.
Interstate merge crashes
Near the I-15 and I-80 junction, where drivers cut across lanes for an exit. Vehicle event data can show speed and braking, but it has to be pulled before the cars are repaired or scrapped.
TRAX and streetcar collisions
Cars and pedestrians hit at grade crossings on the TRAX line or along the S-Line. These claims run against UTA, so the one-year notice deadline controls.
Pedestrians on State Street and 3300 South
People crossing to bus stops, businesses and stations. In a crosswalk, Utah Code § 41-6a-1002 requires a driver to yield by slowing or stopping; outside one, fault is argued. Read our pedestrian accident guide.
Uninsured and hit-and-run crashes
When the driver has no insurance or leaves, your uninsured motorist coverage usually becomes the claim. For a miss-and-run with no contact, Utah Code § 31A-22-305(6) requires clear and convincing evidence, more than your own testimony, that the other vehicle existed.
Right After a South Salt Lake Crash
- Call 911. South Salt Lake Police take city streets, the Highway Patrol takes the interstates, and UTA also documents anything involving a train or streetcar. Get each report or case number.
- See a doctor that day. Intermountain Medical Center in Murray and University of Utah Hospital in Salt Lake City are both Level I trauma centers. Whiplash and concussion symptoms often surface a day or two later.
- Photograph the vehicles, lane markings, signals, crossing gates, and any truck's company name and USDOT number.
- Collect names and phone numbers from witnesses, including riders at nearby stations who may leave on the next train.
- Open a PIP claim with your insurer, and turn down the other side's request for a recorded statement for now. Here is how car accident attorneys handle insurers.
A South Salt Lake injury lawsuit is filed in the Third Judicial District Court for Salt Lake County, at the Matheson Courthouse, 450 South State Street, or the West Jordan courthouse, 8080 South Redwood Road. Most claims settle, and we prepare every file for trial anyway. More on our South Salt Lake personal injury page and in the steps of a Utah injury case. Call (801) 921-5134. Free consultation. No attorney fees unless we win. Hablamos Español.
General information about Utah law for people hurt in South Salt Lake, not legal advice about your case. Outcomes depend on the facts, and past results do not guarantee future ones.