West Jordan Wrongful Death Lawyer

A sudden death leaves a family grieving and, within days, facing practical questions: how it happened, who is responsible, and how the bills and the household will be handled. For a death in West Jordan those questions are answered under Utah's wrongful death statute, and if a lawsuit is needed it will usually be heard in the Third District Court, which holds court at 8080 South Redwood Road in West Jordan and at the Matheson Courthouse in Salt Lake City.

No lawsuit restores what was lost. A claim can establish the facts, hold the responsible party to account, and give the family financial footing while it grieves.

When Someone Else Is Legally Responsible

Under Utah Code § 78B-3-106, when a death is caused by the wrongful act or neglect of another, the heirs, or the personal representative for their benefit, may sue the person who caused it, or that person's employer when the employer is responsible for the conduct. In West Jordan the cause is most often traffic: a high-speed collision on Bangerter Highway or the Mountain View Corridor, a pedestrian struck on Redwood Road, a rider hit by a turning car. It can also be a commercial truck, an unsafe property or a defective product.

A wrongful death claim is civil, not criminal. It runs separately from any prosecution, uses a lower burden of proof, and can go forward even if no one is charged. Deaths on the job are carved out of the statute and handled under the Workers' Compensation Act, though a claim against someone other than the employer may remain.

Who Brings the Claim

Utah Code § 78B-3-105 defines the heirs as the surviving spouse; the children; the natural parents, or adoptive parents if the decedent was adopted; stepchildren under 18 who were supported by the decedent or lived with them at least part-time; and, only when none of the spouse, children or parents survive, other blood relatives under the intestacy rules. Our wrongful death guide covers the details.

The Two-Year Deadline

Utah Code § 78B-2-304 allows two years to sue for a death caused by another's wrongful act or neglect, half the time most injury claims get. If West Jordan City, Salt Lake County, UDOT, UTA or another public entity may share responsibility, a written notice of claim must be filed within one year (§ 63G-7-402). Every deadline is on our statute of limitations page.

What a Family May Recover

Utah allows damages that are just under all the circumstances of the case. Depending on the facts, that can include:

• Lost financial support: the earnings, benefits and household services your family member would have provided.
• Final medical bills and funeral and burial costs.
• The loss of companionship, care, counsel and guidance, including a child's loss of a parent.
• The grief and sorrow of the surviving family.
• Punitive damages, only in rare cases of especially reckless conduct.

Money cannot make a family whole. It can lift the financial pressure so the family can focus on one another.

Fatal Cases in and Around West Jordan

The cases we see here grow out of the city's roads and its growth: freeway-speed traffic reaching signals on Bangerter, turning and side-street crashes on the Mountain View Corridor, pedestrians crossing Redwood Road far from a signal, people walking to and from the Red Line stations, and construction and delivery traffic serving the newer neighborhoods on the west side. Our West Jordan car accident page explains how those corridors produce serious crashes.

How We Support West Jordan Families

We get the report from the agency that responded, usually the West Jordan Police Department at 8040 South Redwood Road or, on some highway incidents, the Utah Highway Patrol; we preserve vehicles, video and data before they disappear; we look for every policy that may apply, including the family's own underinsured motorist coverage; and we deal with the insurers so the family does not have to. The steps in a Utah injury case show the path, and our West Jordan personal injury page covers claims for injuries that were not fatal.