I-80 west of Grantsville
The interstate had about 22% of the county's crashes but 27 of its 61 fatal crashes. All but one of those 27 happened west of exit 84, on the 84 miles of desert interstate between Grantsville and the Nevada line.
TOOELE COUNTY
Tooele County Personal Injury Lawyer
Hurt in Tooele, Grantsville, Stansbury Park or on I-80 west of the valley? Get a free case review. You pay nothing up front, and no attorney fees unless we win.
A Growing Valley and a Desert Interstate
Most people in Tooele County live in Tooele Valley, in Tooele, Grantsville, Stansbury Park, Erda and Lake Point, and many of them drive SR-36 and I-80 to jobs in the Salt Lake Valley. The rest of the county is some of the emptiest country in Utah: the Great Salt Lake Desert, the Bonneville Salt Flats, Skull Valley and Rush Valley, with Wendover on the Nevada line and Dugway Proving Ground to the southwest.
Those two settings produce different injury cases. Valley claims look like suburban ones: rear-end crashes on a busy highway through town, dog bites, falls at stores and apartment complexes. Out on the desert stretches, crashes are fewer and far more violent. We represent people hurt in both, from our office in Draper. Consultations happen by phone, by video or in person, and documents can be signed electronically, so you don't need to make the drive to get started.
What Five Years of Crash Reports Show
We reviewed every Tooele County crash in UDOT's public crash location data for 2020 through 2024. That is 6,048 reported crashes. Sixty-one were fatal, killing 65 people, and another 268 left someone with a suspected serious injury. A few patterns stand out.
Rollovers
Only about one crash in eight involved a rollover, yet rollovers were part of 33 of the 61 fatal crashes. In 15 of the fatal crashes, at least one person was not wearing a seat belt.
Trucks
Commercial vehicles were involved in 635 crashes, 14 of them fatal. More than half of those commercial-vehicle crashes were on I-80, the main freight route west from Salt Lake City.
Wind and darkness
Officers coded 88 crashes to severe crosswinds, and 72 of those were on I-80. Of the 61 fatal crashes, 23 happened after dark on roads with no lighting.
People on foot
Just 85 crashes involved a pedestrian, but 11 of them were fatal. Nine of those 11 happened after dark, and six were on I-80.
Wildlife
Wild animals were involved in 356 crashes, about half of them on SR-36. Hitting a deer is not automatically the driver's fault, and neither is swerving to miss one.
Impaired driving follows the same pattern. Only 2.4% of all crashes were coded as DUI-related, but 29 of the 61 fatal crashes were.
For the commuter corridors, including SR-36 through Tooele and Stansbury Park and SR-138 and SR-112 around Grantsville, see our Tooele car accident lawyer and Grantsville car accident lawyer pages.
Source: UDOT Crash Location data (public, personal identifiers removed), Tooele County, 2020–2024, our analysis. Figures count reported crashes and reflect how officers coded each report.
Which Rules Apply Depends on Where You Were Hurt
Most injury claims here are ordinary Utah claims. You have four years to sue under Utah Code § 78B-2-307. After a crash, your own PIP coverage pays first (see how Utah's no-fault system works). Any recovery is reduced by your share of fault and barred at 50% under § 78B-5-818. But Tooele County has more exceptions than most, and each one runs on a shorter clock.
Government roads, vehicles and property
If Tooele City, Grantsville, Tooele County or UDOT is responsible, whether through a city truck, a road defect or a state work zone, the Utah Governmental Immunity Act requires a written notice of claim within one year (§ 63G-7-402). Read more about crashes with government vehicles.
Tooele Army Depot and Dugway Proving Ground
Both are federal installations. An injury caused by a federal employee acting within the scope of the job falls under the Federal Tort Claims Act. That means a written administrative claim to the agency within two years (28 U.S.C. § 2401(b)), and no lawsuit until the agency denies it or six months pass (§ 2675(a)). A private contractor working on federal land is generally not covered by that act, so a claim against the contractor follows the ordinary rules. Who employed the driver is one of the first things to pin down.
Wendover and the Nevada line
Wendover sits on the state line, and West Wendover is in Nevada. A crash a few blocks west of the line will usually be decided under Nevada law. Nevada has no required PIP coverage like Utah's, and its deadline for most injury lawsuits is two years (NRS 11.190(4)(e)). Christian West is licensed in Utah, but we can still take a claim from the Nevada side. If it has to be filed in a Nevada court, we bring in a Nevada-licensed attorney as local counsel. If you live in Nevada and were hurt on the Utah side, our page for people hurt in Utah who live out of state explains how a Utah claim works from a distance.
Injury Cases We Handle in Tooele County
Interstate and truck crashes
Desert I-80 crashes often involve fatigue, wind and loaded trucks. A carrier's electronic logs, dashcam video and maintenance records belong to the company and are kept only for limited periods, so a preservation letter has to go out early. See our truck accident lawyer page.
Commuter crashes in the valley
SR-36 had more crashes than any other road in the county, 1,783 in five years, most of them rear-end and turning collisions through Tooele and up to the Lake Point interchange.
Rollovers, ATVs and UTVs
Rollovers are the deadliest crash type in the county's data, on the highway and off it. The Knolls riding area off I-80 and the open land across the west desert draw ATV and UTV riders all year. A rollover can support a product claim against the manufacturer as well as a negligence claim, and the Utah Product Liability Act generally allows two years from when you discovered the harm and its cause. See rollover accidents and UTV rollovers.
Motorcycle crashes
Motorcycles were involved in 165 crashes, and 48 of them killed or seriously injured someone. That is close to three in ten, against roughly one in twenty for crashes overall. More on motorcycle accident claims.
Pedestrian crashes
When someone on foot is hit on a rural highway or the shoulder of I-80, the driver's insurer often argues the pedestrian should not have been there. Lighting, visibility and the reason the person was on foot all matter. See pedestrian accident claims.
Dog bites
Utah Code § 18-1-1 makes a dog's owner or keeper liable for its bites whether or not the dog had bitten before, and you generally have four years to sue. Report the bite to animal control right away and ask for the report. In Tooele, animal control is part of the city police department. Read our Utah dog bite report.
Slips, falls and unsafe property
Wind-driven snow, ice at store entrances and poorly lit parking lots are common hazards in a valley that gets real winters. The question is what the property owner knew, or should have known, and how long the hazard was there. See slip and fall claims.
Wrongful death
When a crash or other negligence takes a life, Utah allows the family a wrongful death claim, and the deadline is two years. More on wrongful death claims.
Hurt at work by someone else
We don't handle workers' compensation. But when someone other than your employer causes a workplace injury, such as another company's truck in a distribution yard or a negligent contractor, that third-party claim is separate, and it is one we can review.
After an Injury in Tooele County
- Call 911 and get the case number. Tooele City Police and Grantsville City Police respond inside their cities, the Tooele County Sheriff's Office covers Stansbury Park and the unincorporated county, and the Utah Highway Patrol handles I-80 and many state highways. Here is how to get a UHP crash report.
- On the interstate, note the nearest mile marker. Past Grantsville it may be the only precise location anyone has, and it helps match the crash report, the tow records and any trucking data later.
- Get checked the same day. Mountain West Medical Center in Tooele is a Level IV trauma center, and serious injuries are often transferred to a Level I center in the Salt Lake Valley.
- Photograph everything before it is moved or cleaned up, including the vehicles, the road, the dog, the ice and the broken step. Get witness names and phone numbers yourself.
- Start your PIP claim with your own insurer, and don't give the other side a recorded statement until you know how badly you are hurt.
Tooele County lawsuits are filed in Utah's Third Judicial District Court, which sits in the county courthouse at 74 South 100 East in Tooele. Most claims settle without a filing, but a file should be prepared from the first week as though it may go to trial. For filing deadlines across every claim type, see the Utah statute of limitations guide.
What Working With Us Looks Like
An attorney reviews every case at intake. Once you sign, our team handles all communication with the insurance companies, and you hear from us at least monthly. Calls are returned within 24 hours, usually the same day, and every client can reach someone who speaks Spanish. Read how we keep you informed.
The first conversation is free and carries no obligation. You pay nothing up front, and no attorney fees unless we win.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to come to your Draper office?
No. Most clients start with a phone or video call, and documents can be signed electronically. You're welcome to meet in person if you'd rather.
What if I was partly at fault?
You can still recover as long as your share of fault is under 50%. Your award is reduced by that share. Don't take an adjuster's word for how fault is divided.
My crash was in West Wendover. Can you help?
Yes. West Wendover is in Nevada, so Nevada law and its two-year deadline will usually apply, but we can still take the claim. If it has to go to court in Nevada, we bring in a Nevada-licensed attorney as local counsel.
What does it cost to talk with you?
The case review is free. If we take your case, there are no attorney fees unless we win.
Do you speak Spanish?
Sí. Every client can reach someone on our team who speaks Spanish.
This page is general information about Utah law, not legal advice about your situation. Every case turns on its own facts. Past results do not guarantee a future outcome.