SALT LAKE COUNTY
Hurt in a crash on 5400 South, 4700 South, 5600 West or Bangerter Highway in Kearns? Get a free case review, with no attorney fees unless we win.
The Unified Police Department describes Kearns as a city of just over 36,000 people on roughly 4.8 square miles, and four UDOT state routes cross or border it. Those highways carry commuters toward I-215, Bangerter and SR-201, while Kearns High School and the Utah Olympic Oval add school and event traffic to the 5400 South corridor. Our Kearns’ most dangerous roads page ranks the city’s streets by the crashes UDOT recorded.
The commercial spine of Kearns, with driveways, bus stops and school crossings along its length. The usual crashes are rear-end impacts behind turning cars and drivers pulling out of shopping-center exits into traffic that was closer than they judged.
A north-south route that links Kearns to SR-201 and I-80. Trucks and commuters share it at arterial speed, and left turns across its lanes produce the most serious intersection crashes.
Carries traffic east toward the I-215 interchange in Taylorsville. Along the West Valley City line it is part boundary and part through route, which complicates who maintains which corner.
Bangerter runs along the east side of Kearns at highway speeds, and UDOT has been rebuilding its intersections as interchanges. Crashes near active work zones and at the remaining signals tend to be high-impact.
The school day, games and skating events create short bursts of heavy traffic, crowded parking lots and inexperienced drivers. Parking-lot collisions and pedestrians struck between parked cars are typical, and lot layout and lighting can bring the property owner into the case.
Who investigates in Kearns
Kearns has no police department of its own. The Unified Police Department patrols the city from its Kearns Precinct at 4250 West 5415 South, and the Utah Highway Patrol may take a crash on a state highway such as Bangerter. Since the main roads are UDOT routes, a claim about a signal, a work zone or road design is a claim against a government entity with a one-year notice deadline.
Your own auto policy's PIP coverage pays regardless of fault: no less than $3,000 toward medical bills, and the lesser of 85% of lost gross income or $250 weekly for up to 52 weeks, under Utah Code § 31A-22-307. See how no-fault coverage works.
An ambulance ride to Holy Cross Hospital West Valley and a CT scan can use up that amount quickly. Utah Code § 31A-22-309 allows a claim for pain and suffering against the at-fault driver only when one of these is met:
At that point the other driver's liability coverage owes the whole claim. If that policy is too small, your underinsured motorist coverage can add to it. Our UIM guide.
Utah Code § 78B-5-818 reduces what you recover by your percentage of fault and blocks recovery altogether unless the defendants' combined fault is greater than yours.
On 5400 South, expect the adjuster to argue you braked suddenly or pulled out of a lot without room; on 5600 West, that you turned left into a gap that was too short. Utah Code § 41-6a-903 requires a left-turning driver to yield to oncoming traffic close enough to be an immediate hazard. Store cameras, signal timing records and the UPD report are the evidence that settles it, and each one is time-limited.
When to act
Four years for most injury claims under Utah Code § 78B-2-307; two years for wrongful death; one year to file a notice of claim if UDOT, Salt Lake County, the City of Kearns, UTA or another public entity may be responsible (§ 63G-7-402). Read our deadline guide.
At signals on 5400 South, 4700 South and 5600 West, where one driver turns across oncoming traffic. Riders hit this way: see our Kearns motorcycle accident page.
High-speed rear-end and merge collisions near Bangerter's interchanges and work zones. We ask for the vehicles' crash data early, before it is lost.
Crashes and parking-lot injuries near Kearns High School and the Olympic Oval, where young drivers and crowds come together.
Walkers and riders hit on long blocks between signals. At a crosswalk, Utah Code § 41-6a-1002 requires drivers to yield; see our pedestrian guide and bicycle guide. Hit on foot in Kearns? See our Kearns pedestrian accident page.
If the at-fault driver has no insurance or drives off, your uninsured motorist coverage usually pays. A phantom vehicle that never touched you must be proven by clear and convincing evidence beyond your own testimony under Utah Code § 31A-22-305(6), so get witness contact details.
Kearns crash lawsuits are filed in the Third Judicial District Court for Salt Lake County, at the West Jordan courthouse, 8080 South Redwood Road, or the Matheson Courthouse, 450 South State Street. Most claims resolve without trial, but we build each one for a courtroom. Visit our Kearns personal injury page and what happens in a Utah injury case, or call (801) 921-5134. Free consultation. No attorney fees unless we win. Hablamos Español.
General information about Utah law for Kearns residents, not legal advice about your case. Each outcome depends on its facts, and past results do not guarantee future ones.