Orem Motorcycle Accident Lawyer

Orem riders split their miles between errands on the city's wide arterials and weekend runs east. 800 North (SR-52) climbs from I-15 past Timpanogos Regional Hospital to the mouth of Provo Canyon, where US-189 heads up the canyon toward the SR-92 turnoff for the Alpine Loop, a narrow, winding seasonal road that tops out around 8,000 feet and that UDOT gates closed each winter.

Wherever the crash happened, the rider tends to hear the same line from the other side: they never saw the bike. That is an admission about the driver's attention, not proof the rider did anything wrong, and we build the claim around that difference.

Orem Roads Where Riders Get Hit

University Parkway (SR-265) is the problem corridor. It carries UVU commuters, mall shoppers and freeway traffic at once, and a driver cutting left into a parking entrance is looking for a gap in the car traffic, not for a single headlight. State Street (US-89) has older signals and long blocks lined with driveways, so vehicles pull out from the side as often as they turn across. On I-15, the University Parkway and 800 North interchanges put merging traffic beside riders within a short stretch, and a lane change into the motorcycle's space is the usual result.

Utah Law an Orem Rider Should Know

Riding means no PIP. A motorcycle policy is not required to carry personal injury protection, and Utah law says motorcycle owners and operators are not covered by PIP for injuries suffered while riding (Utah Code § 31A-22-302(2) and (4)(b)), even when they carry PIP on a car. Health insurance, any med-pay you bought on the bike policy, and the at-fault driver's liability coverage fill that gap. The car side of the rules is in our no-fault guide.

The helmet question is off the table for fault. Riders under 21 must wear one, but at any age, going without a helmet is not comparative negligence and cannot be offered in a civil case as evidence on negligence, injuries or mitigation of damages (§ 41-6a-1505(6)).

Filtering at a red light is legal only inside a narrow box. The cars you pass must be stopped, you must be going 15 mph or less, the road must have two or more lanes your direction and a limit of 45 mph or less (never an on-ramp), and the move must be safe (§ 41-6a-704(6)). The statute is scheduled for legislative sunset review in July 2027. Details are in our lane filtering guide.

Left-turning drivers must yield. A driver turning left has to yield to oncoming traffic close enough to be an immediate hazard, and a driver pulling out of a driveway or parking lot must yield to everyone already on the road (§ 41-6a-903(1)). When that driver's liability limits run out, your underinsured motorist coverage can add to them.

Fault shares and deadlines. Utah cuts your recovery by your share of fault and bars it if you are found 50% or more responsible (§ 78B-5-818). Most injury suits have four years (§ 78B-2-307), but a claim involving Orem City, UTA, UDOT or another public body needs a written notice of claim within one year (§ 63G-7-402). All of it is on our Utah deadlines page.

After an Orem Motorcycle Crash

The Orem Police Department investigates crashes on city streets and has a major accident investigation team for the serious ones. The Utah Highway Patrol covers I-15 and US-189, and the Utah County Sheriff's Office covers unincorporated county land. Before you leave the scene, or as soon as you can afterward, get the name of the agency and the case number. For other kinds of injury claims in the city, see our Orem personal injury page.

Timpanogos Regional Hospital at 750 West 800 North has a 24-hour ER that the state designates a Level III trauma center, and Utah Valley Hospital in Provo is a Level II trauma center. Keep your helmet, jacket and gloves as they are; the scuffs and cracks show where the impact landed. Ask someone to photograph the bike before it is towed.

Why Drivers Hit Riders in Orem

Left turns across the rider's lane at University Parkway and State Street intersections. Drivers nosing out of retail driveways. Merges at the I-15 interchanges. Rear-end hits in the stop-and-go traffic around UVU when classes let out. And on the canyon routes, cars drifting over the center line in curves. In almost every one, the real question is whether the driver looked.

Common Rider Injuries

Broken wrists, collarbones, ankles and pelvises; road rash deep enough to need skin grafts; knee and shoulder damage; spinal injuries; and traumatic brain injury, which a helmet reduces but does not rule out. Because riders are outside the PIP system, bills start arriving before anyone has accepted fault, so it helps to have someone organizing the claim early.

What an Orem Rider Can Recover

• Medical and financial losses: ER and surgery bills, therapy, future care, lost wages and reduced earning ability.
• The motorcycle and gear: repair or fair value of the bike, plus helmet, jacket, boots and other riding equipment.
• Pain and lost seasons: the pain itself, the scars, and the riding, work and family life the injury interrupts.
• Punitive damages: reserved for rare cases of extreme recklessness, such as a driver who was impaired.

What the Driver's Insurer Will Argue

Expect questions about speed, lane position and riding experience, along with "he came out of nowhere." On University Parkway, business cameras and signal timing often show the turning driver's gap was never there; on I-15, vehicle event data can show who moved first. Both are overwritten quickly. Our Orem car accident page explains the driver-side claim process, and before you sign anything, read whether to take a first offer.