US-191 through town and to Arches
The highway carries through trucks, visitors and locals on one corridor. Sudden stops for turns into lodging and restaurants, and backups near the park entrance, produce rear-end and turning crashes.
GRAND COUNTY
Moab Car Accident Lawyer
Crash on US-191, the River Road or the route to Dead Horse Point? Get a free review of your Moab claim. No attorney fees unless we win.
Why Moab Roads Are Different
Moab is a small town with national-park traffic. US-191 doubles as Main Street, the entrance to Arches National Park is five miles north on it, and the side routes into the canyons are narrow two-lane state roads. Many drivers are unfamiliar with the area and many are towing, which changes how crashes happen and whose insurance pays.
SR-128 along the Colorado River
Locals call it the river road. SR-128 leaves US-191 just north of town and follows the Colorado River through a narrow gorge toward Castle Valley, Fisher Towers and Dewey Bridge. Blind corners, little shoulder, cyclists and drivers watching the scenery set up head-on and sideswipe crashes.
SR-313 to Dead Horse Point and Canyonlands
SR-313 leaves US-191 about nine miles north of Moab and climbs toward Dead Horse Point State Park and the Island in the Sky district of Canyonlands. Grades, curves and visitors unfamiliar with them make speed and lane position the usual questions.
SR-279 and US-191 south
SR-279, the Potash Road, winds along the river from US-191 to the potash plant, and US-191 south of town carries industrial trucks and recreation traffic on open highway. Speed and passing decisions are usually what the fault fight is about.
Trailers, jeeps and side-by-sides
Moab traffic includes pickups hauling off-road vehicles, rental jeeps and RVs. If you were hurt on a trail rather than a highway, our ATV and UTV guide explains how those claims differ.
Who investigates
The Moab City Police Department handles crashes within city limits, the Grand County Sheriff's Office covers the rest of the county, and the Utah Highway Patrol works the state and federal highways. A claim involving a government vehicle or a road defect requires notice within one year.
PIP Pays Before Fault Is Decided
Utah's no-fault law makes your own insurer the first payer: at least $3,000 in medical costs, plus 85% of lost gross income up to $250 per week for as long as 52 weeks (Utah Code § 31A-22-307). Our no-fault explainer has more.
A trip to the emergency room and an air or ground transfer can go far past that. Under § 31A-22-309, a person with PIP may sue the at-fault driver for general damages only when there is:
- Over $3,000 of medical expense
- Any fractured bone
- Permanent impairment or disability supported by objective findings
- Permanent scarring or disfigurement
- An amputation or loss of a limb
- A death caused by the crash
Meet any of them and the responsible driver's liability carrier owes the full claim. With visitors from across the country, that may be another state's policy or a rental company's coverage; see out-of-state driver claims. If the limits are too low, your own UIM coverage can add to them.
Comparative Fault in Grand County
Utah Code § 78B-5-818 reduces damages by the injured person's share of fault and bars recovery when that share equals or exceeds the defendants' combined share.
Adjusters on Moab claims tend to ask whether you slowed abruptly on US-191, crossed the center line on a SR-128 curve, or pulled onto the highway from a trailhead lot. Rental-company damage reports, dashcam footage and GPS data from a rental vehicle can settle those points if requested early.
Deadlines for Moab claims
Four years for most injury suits (§ 78B-2-307) and two for wrongful death. A claim against Moab City, Grand County or UDOT needs a notice of claim within one year, and a crash with a federal vehicle follows separate federal rules. Read the full deadline guide.
Moab Crash Cases We Take
Main Street and park-entrance crashes
On US-191 through town and north to Arches, where turning traffic and backups cause rear-end and angle collisions.
Canyon-road crashes
On SR-128, SR-313 and SR-279, where curves, cyclists and drop-offs raise the stakes of a single mistake.
Visitor, rental and RV crashes
Claims against drivers from other states or in rental vehicles, where identifying every policy early matters. See our rental car guide.
Cyclists and pedestrians
People riding the river road or walking along US-191 in town. See our bicycle and pedestrian guides.
Uninsured and fleeing drivers
Your uninsured motorist coverage usually pays. If an unidentified car ran you off the road without contact, § 31A-22-305(6) requires clear and convincing evidence beyond your own testimony, so get witness names at the scene.
What To Do After a Moab Crash
- Call 911. Note whether Moab Police, the Grand County Sheriff or UHP responded, and ask for the case number.
- Get medical care the same day. Moab Regional Hospital is a state-designated Level IV trauma center; the most seriously injured patients may be transferred to a higher-level center.
- Photograph the scene, including curve signs, road edges, trailers and rental-company stickers.
- Get phone numbers and home addresses of witnesses, many of whom are traveling.
- Notify your own insurer to start PIP, and avoid a recorded statement to the other driver's or rental company's insurer.
Injury lawsuits from Moab fall under the Seventh Judicial District, which serves Grand County. Most resolve without trial, but evidence in a tourist town leaves quickly. Call (801) 921-5134. Free consultation. No attorney fees unless we win. Hablamos Español. You can also read our Spanish Fork personal injury page and how Utah car accident claims are handled.
Utah legal information for people hurt in and around Moab. It is not advice about your particular case, and outcomes in other matters do not predict yours.