UTAH COUNTY
Injured on the Timpanogos Highway, the Alpine Highway or 4800 West in Highland? Get a free case review, with no attorney fees unless we win.
Highland is a residential city near the mouth of American Fork Canyon, bordered by Alpine, Cedar Hills, American Fork, Lehi and Draper. It has no freeway interchange of its own. Three state routes carry the load instead, SR-92 running east and west and SR-74 and SR-129 running north and south, so commuters, canyon visitors and school traffic all converge on the same few junctions. For injuries that are not car crashes, see our American Fork personal injury page, which serves the nearest larger city.
SR-92 starts in Lehi, crosses I-15 at a diverging diamond interchange and heads east through Highland toward the canyon. Part of the corridor has a 3.6-mile grade-separated commuter road, opened in 2011, that lets through traffic bypass the signals, so drivers shift between the express lanes and the signalized side. Speed approaching the lights and lane changes at the transitions are what these claims tend to turn on.
About five miles long, SR-74 leaves Main Street in American Fork, passes two golf courses as it enters Highland, crosses SR-92 in the middle of town and continues into Alpine. Much of Alpine's traffic funnels through here, and left turns across the highway into neighborhoods are a steady source of broadside collisions.
Along the Highland and American Fork line, SR-129 runs as 4800 West past Lone Peak High School, over the American Fork River and up to its end at SR-92. Bell times put new drivers, parents and students on foot into the same stretch at once.
East of town SR-92 climbs past Timpanogos Cave National Monument, the turnoff toward Tibble Fork Reservoir and on to Sundance. The high section between mileposts 14 and 22.5 closes for winter, but the lower canyon stays open, and ice, shade and tight curves meet visitors who do not know the road. Riders should read our motorcycle claims guide, because motorcycle insurance works differently.
Most interior streets in Highland were laid out to serve neighborhoods, not through traffic, yet drivers use them to skirt the state routes at rush hour. Four-way stops, parked cars, snowpack in winter and children on bikes make for low-speed crashes that still cause real injuries.
Who responds to a Highland crash
Highland shares the Lone Peak Police Department with Alpine, and the department is based in Highland. The Utah Highway Patrol may take a crash on a state route, and the Utah County Sheriff's Office may respond up the canyon. Tickets written in town go to the Highland Justice Court, which does not decide injury claims.
Utah's personal injury protection, set by Utah Code § 31A-22-307, is paid by your own insurer without any fault finding: a minimum of $3,000 toward medical costs, plus 85% of lost gross income capped at $250 weekly for as long as 52 weeks. Learn how Utah no-fault coverage works.
An ambulance to American Fork Hospital and a set of images can empty that benefit in a day. If you have or must carry PIP, Utah Code § 31A-22-309(1) lets you bring a claim for pain and suffering against the driver at fault only after at least one of the following:
Meet any one and the at-fault driver's liability policy owes the full measure of your damages. When it is too small, underinsured motorist coverage on your own policy can add to it.
Utah Code § 78B-5-818 has the fact finder give each party a percentage. Yours lowers your recovery, and if the defendants' combined share is not greater than yours, you collect nothing.
Insurers hunt for the weak point: a lane change where the commuter lanes rejoin, a left turn across SR-74, speed on a canyon curve with frost still in the shade. Photos, the officer's diagram, weather records and home cameras along the route answer those questions.
Deadlines
Most injury suits must be filed within four years, and wrongful death suits within two. Claims against Highland City, Utah County, UDOT or UTA require a notice of claim within one year (Utah Code § 63G-7-402). Our limitations guide covers the exceptions.
At the junctions with SR-74 and SR-129, where commuters, canyon traffic and local turns all meet.
Near Lone Peak High School on 4800 West, where inexperienced drivers and students on foot share the road at peak times. Utah Code § 41-6a-1002 requires a driver to come to a complete stop at a school crosswalk when someone is in it.
Single-vehicle and head-on crashes in American Fork Canyon, where curves, grade and weather all matter. If a guardrail, sign or road condition played a part, the one-year government notice rules apply.
On the shoulders of the state routes and in neighborhoods. Our bicycle crash guide explains how these claims differ from car-to-car cases.
When the other driver has no insurance or leaves, your UM coverage may pay. Where the phantom vehicle never made contact, Utah Code § 31A-22-305(6) requires clear and convincing evidence of it beyond your own account, so gather witnesses before they drive away.
Highland lawsuits are filed in Utah County's Fourth Judicial District Court, 137 North Freedom Boulevard in Provo. Few reach trial, but our legal team readies every case as if one will. Nearby: our Alpine car accident page, plus the stages of a Utah injury case. Call (801) 921-5134. Free consultation. No attorney fees unless we win. Hablamos Español.
General Utah law information for people injured in Highland, not legal advice for any specific claim. Results depend on the facts, and past outcomes are no guarantee of future ones.