This page was written, edited, reviewed & approved by Dustin Lance and Cole Bingham following our comprehensive editorial guidelines. Dustin Lance, Partner Attorney, has handled many types of personal injury cases and is licensed in Utah and Idaho. Cole Bingham, Partner Attorney, focuses his practice on personal injury and wrongful death claims and is licensed in Utah. Before joining the firm, he spent years representing insurance companies, so he knows how insurers defend the claims our clients bring.
Key Takeaways:
Most truck accident injury lawsuits in Utah must be filed within four years, but some claims get far less time. A fatal crash or a failed brake part can cut that window in half, and a city-owned truck triggers a written notice deadline of just one year. Meanwhile, surgery, therapy, and missed paychecks can consume months before a court date ever crosses your mind.
Trucking companies and their insurers know how long you have to file a truck accident claim, and every month you wait works in their favor. At Lance Bingham Utah Personal Injury Lawyers, we identify each deadline that applies to your crash and move to protect your claim well before those dates arrive. You can call us today to learn exactly where your claim stands.
Utah Code Section 78B-2-307 allows four years for claims that no more specific statute covers, which is the deadline most injury lawsuits against a negligent driver or carrier face. The same section allows four years for vehicle and personal property damage from a motor vehicle accident.
Under Section 78B-2-102, a limitation period runs only after the cause of action accrues, which is the legal term for when a claim arises. If your claim arose on the day of an October 2026 collision on I-80, the four-year period would run to October 2030. We confirm that starting date early because every other calculation depends on it.
Meeting the deadline requires a lawsuit, not an insurance claim. Under Rule 3 of the state’s civil procedure rules, a civil action begins when you file a complaint with the court or when you serve a summons along with the complaint. Months of phone calls with an adjuster do not start a case.
Two common truck crash situations carry half the standard four years. Knowing which one applies shapes every decision that follows.
When a truck crash takes a life, the family’s timeline tightens. Section 78B-2-304 allows two years for an action to recover damages for a death caused by the wrongful act or neglect of another. We treat that deadline as urgent from the first conversation with a grieving family.
A different rule applies when an injured person dies before the deadline expires and the injury claim survives. Under Section 78B-2-105, that person’s representatives may file within the later of the original deadline or one year after the day the person died.
Families pursuing fatal truck accident claims can face both deadlines at once, and our team tracks both from the start.
Some truck crashes start with a failed part, not a careless driver. Brakes, tires, and steering components on a loaded rig carry enormous stress, and one defect can turn a routine stop into a jackknife.
Product defect claims follow their own clock. Under Section 78B-6-706, a product liability action must be brought within two years from when the injured person discovered, or with due diligence should have discovered, both the harm and its cause.
That wording ties the deadline to what was known and when, so we move quickly to have the truck and its components inspected.
Snowplows, garbage trucks, and mail trucks belong to public agencies that follow claim procedures private carriers never use. One missed step can matter more than any crash fact.
A crash with a city garbage truck or a state snowplow brings Utah’s Governmental Immunity Act into play. Under Section 63G-7-401, anyone with a claim against a government entity or its on-duty employee must file a written notice of claim before starting a lawsuit. That notice must briefly state the facts, the nature of the claim, and the known damages, and it must be delivered to the office designated by law.
Claims against a public entity follow a strict sequence:
If a county dump truck sideswipes your car and the claim arises that day, you must file the notice within one year rather than four.
Under 28 United States Code (U.S.C.) Section 2401, a tort claim against the United States is barred unless presented in writing to the right federal agency within two years after it accrues. A tort is a civil wrong that causes harm, such as a negligent crash. If the agency mails a final denial by certified or registered mail, the lawsuit must begin within six months of that mailing.
Title 39 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Part 912 applies the federal tort claim rules to claims arising from Postal Service activities. A crash with a postal delivery truck therefore falls under the same two-year presentation deadline.
Not sure who owned the truck that hit you? Call Lance Bingham Utah Personal Injury Lawyers at (801) 869-6800, and we will start identifying the owner and every deadline tied to it.
These exceptions turn on specific facts, so we calculate every deadline as if no pause applies until the evidence proves otherwise.
The following situations can change the timeline:
A 15-year-old passenger hurt in a tractor-trailer crash, for example, keeps the clock paused until turning 18, although a government notice period could begin sooner if a guardian ad litem is appointed.
A lawsuit filed in the final months before a deadline can still be timely, but the case behind it may be thinner. Driver records, vehicle data, and witness memories do not wait for a filing date, and the trucking company controls much of that evidence.
Our guide on when to consult a lawyer after a truck accident explains which records tend to disappear first. Starting early also leaves room to add a defendant, such as a maintenance shop or parts maker, if the investigation points to one.
At Lance Bingham Utah Personal Injury Lawyers, our truck accident attorneys build your timeline in the first days after a Utah truck crash, not the last months before a deadline. We push back on carriers that try to run out the clock with slow reviews and endless paperwork requests.
No. Negotiations do not start a lawsuit, and a case begins only when a complaint is filed, or a summons is served with the complaint.
Yes, but do not count on extra time. Time the driver spends outside the state counts toward the deadline unless state courts lack jurisdiction over that person.
A wrongful death action generally must be filed within two years. Contact us early so we can also review any claims belonging to the estate.
No. You must file a written notice of claim within one year after the claim arises, and you must file the lawsuit within two years.
The statute of limitations does not run while your child is under 18. A government notice deadline can start sooner if a court appoints a guardian ad litem.
They can. A product liability claim must be filed within two years after the harm and its cause were discovered or with due diligence should have been.
A state snowplow, a postal truck, and a private tractor-trailer can each carry a different filing deadline after a crash.
Attorneys Dustin Lance and Cole Bingham bring nearly 40 years of combined experience to serious injury claims. As a non-advertising firm, our attorneys handle your case personally and will travel anywhere in the state to meet you.
We identify every party that may share responsibility and push back when an insurer tries to stall. We handle truck accident claims on a contingency fee basis, and every free case evaluation comes with no obligation. The sooner we see your crash report, the sooner we can map every date that matters.
If you are asking how long you have to file a truck accident claim in Utah, call Lance Bingham Utah Personal Injury Lawyers at (801) 869-6800 or use our online contact form today.
Cole Bingham is a co-founder and partner at Lance Bingham, where he represents injured Utahns and their families in cases involving vehicle crashes, bicycle accidents, dog bites, and wrongful death. Earlier in his career, Cole spent years representing insurance companies, and he now applies that insight to challenge insurers' tactics on behalf of injured clients. A graduate of the S.J. Quinney College of Law with High Honors, Cole has been named a Mountain States Super Lawyer and one of Utah Business's Legal Elite.
Lance Bingham Utah Personal Injury Lawyers
250 E 200 S #1050, Salt Lake City, UT 84111
Phone: (801) 383-2922
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