“Wrongful death” is a legal term that refers to the death of an individual being caused by the negligence or foul play of another person. It is a broad term and encompasses anything from a medical professional making a wrong call, or failing to respond to a patient’s need to an intentional attack or crime that results in death like assault, robbery, manslaughter, and even murder. In these cases, there is almost always an injury that was done to the victim, as well as injury or harm that is caused to the family of the deceased in the form of medical bills, emotional pain, and new financial strain if the lost one is a key provider for the family.

If you have lost a loved one to what you believe to be a wrongful death scenario then we at Witt Law want you to know that we are here to help. While we can’t right the wrong, our personal injury attorney St George Utah team can help ease the burden of it. By working together with us, we can get to the bottom of what happened that led to the injury and loss of your loved one and put the proper claims in place to cushion the blow.

In Utah, it is required that all claims for wrongful death be filed in court. Furthermore, only specific people are allowed to file them. Those being the rightful heir of the deceased individual or the representative of their estate or trust.

A wrongful death claim is a very serious matter. A judge has to be the one to have the final say, and having a personal injury attorney St George Utah firm like the experts at Witt Law on your side will help your case have the success that you are hoping for. We have many years of experience handling these kinds of cases and understand the deep loss and other emotional and financial stresses that one goes through after the unexpected death of a loved one.

Bus accidents typically involve a governmental entity as the owner of the bus, which poses unique deadlines and time frames within which claims can be successfully pursued. If too much time is allowed to lapse between the action and requesting action it is possible that the window will permanently close and the possibility of getting compensation will disappear.

There are many unique aspects to train and semi-truck accidents that often need to be more fully investigated than an ordinary auto accident. Being that both trucks and trains may cross state lines as they ship products across the country both federal and Utah state laws that may come into play when dealing with these types of accidents. Call your personal injury attorney St George Utah Witt Law Offices early so we can get the right people to the scene and the vehicles thoroughly investigated before the evidence is gone, lost, or destroyed.

Commercial vehicles have larger policy limits, but successfully getting them to pay requires hiring the right law firm who knows how to handle the situation. It is better to have a law firm like Witt Law which has years of experience than a younger inexperienced attorney with cases relating to commercial vehicles.

Personal Injury Attorney St George Utah practices such as Witt Law assist you, the injured party, as you go through the legal processes that are required by insurance companies before they will pay out compensation. Oftentimes there are complex legal procedures that come into play after a motorcycle accident, and having a professional and experienced team to guide you through the different challenges can help you meet deadlines, and stay on top of your workload. A big part of what we do at Witt Law is to help gather the necessary evidence and information to prove your case. Our job is to make sure that you are fairly compensated and that your rights are protected.

Witt Law has been helping motorcycle operators like you through injury cases for many years. We understand that auto-motorcycle or truck-motorcycle accidents can often be very traumatic, cause permanent injuries or even be fatal. While the initial medical bills will usually be covered by the motorcycle’s PIP (Personal Injury Protection) coverage, it is possible that it may not cover everything. We at Witt Law use our Personal Injury Attorney St George Utah practice to help motorcycle operators like you not only pursue fair compensation but find the additional help that you may need to recover from your injuries.

Comparative Fault, or Comparative Negligence as it is also called, is the legal term that refers to the calculated percentage of culpability for the accident. The state of Utah is a modified comparative negligence state meaning that if the plaintiff (the person bringing the suit or issue to court) is found at 50% or more fault for the cause of the accident, then they cannot recover any compensation for the injuries received. If the plaintiff is found at 49% or less, then they can receive the damage award for up to the percentage that they are found at fault.

While this may seem unfair, it is a lot better for the plaintiff in comparison with the other legal stance that some states take which is called contributory negligence. In those states, if the plaintiff is found to be at any fault, no matter if it is as small as 2%, they cannot receive any compensation for the damages caused to them. In Utah, even if decisions you made contributed to the accident as long as it is determined that they were less than 50% you can receive compensation. This is one reason why having a personal injury attorney St George Utah can benefit you.

Trying to prove cause and fault is challenging. There are many different factors to consider including but not limited to human factors, visibility issues, vehicle speed, witness reliability, infrastructure and road design, and much more. At Witt Law, we have years of experience with pedestrian-related auto accidents. Our personal injury attorney St George Utah team has experience and understanding in the fields of investigation and evidence gathering. We specialize in conducting witness interviews, documenting and preserving evidence, and analyzing data. These are all necessary skills to properly weigh circumstances in determining liability.

Where the claim involves a minor, as part of the resolution we also handle court approval of the claim and the appointment of a conservator of the minor’s estate. The conservator is usually a parent.

Yes. Just like with other types of auto accidents insurance companies, and Utah courts as well, are going to take comparative negligence or fault into account. This is another reason why having a personal injury attorney St George Utah firm like Witt Law on your case is so important with bicycle accidents. As we mentioned in the paragraph above, evidence in bicycle cases tends to disappear quickly. Most bicycle accidents happen in the daytime in rural areas. Due to daily traffic, and the relative ease of cleaning up after a bicycle accident, it is easy for the scene of the accident to become “disturbed” or “obscured.”

To properly establish fault, all aspects of the accident need to be taken into account including police reports, witness testimonies, location, time of day, and so much more. Keeping track of all of these details after the accident and injuries have occurred can be difficult. Working with a personal injury attorney St George Utah from Witt Law will allow you to keep the different aspects of your case in clear order. We not only help with the gathering of evidence, but also the storing, and presentation. We also take it upon ourselves to communicate with insurance companies on your behalf to make sure that they are getting the facts straight.

When you have a brain injury it can affect multiple key aspects of your life. While mild injuries might result in simple problems like headaches or increased sensitivity to sound or light, traumatic brain injuries affect life on a deeper level. Seizures, unrelenting headaches and migraines, loss of coordination, bouts of profound confusion, unusual feelings of aggression or depression, all of these and more can stem from a traumatic brain injury, and make doing “normal” things like work difficult.

Where the claim involves a minor, as part of the resolution we also handle court approval of the claim and the appointment of a conservator of the minor’s estate. The conservator is usually a parent.

Yes. Just like with other types of auto accidents insurance companies, and Utah courts as well, are going to take comparative negligence or fault into account. This is another reason why having a personal injury attorney St George Utah firm like Witt Law on your case is so important with bicycle accidents. As we mentioned in the paragraph above, evidence in bicycle cases tends to disappear quickly. Most bicycle accidents happen in the daytime in rural areas. Due to daily traffic, and the relative ease of cleaning up after a bicycle accident, it is easy for the scene of the accident to become “disturbed” or “obscured.”

To properly establish fault, all aspects of the accident need to be taken into account including police reports, witness testimonies, location, time of day, and so much more. Keeping track of all of these details after the accident and injuries have occurred can be difficult. Working with a personal injury attorney St George Utah from Witt Law will allow you to keep the different aspects of your case in clear order. We not only help with the gathering of evidence, but also the storing, and presentation. We also take it upon ourselves to communicate with insurance companies on your behalf to make sure that they are getting the facts straight.

Invitees are individuals who have been invited to the property for a specific purpose. These could be anyone who comes with a professional purpose in mind such as gardeners, tutors, surveyors who are there to help out the private owner with a project or job, as well as family, friends, and customers.

While employees are also considered invitees by the definition, most cases of registered employee injury will already be under consideration of workers comp. However, there are still situations where having a personal injury attorney St George Utah firm to represent you may be helpful.

This term is a little trickier, but it is defined as those that aren’t necessarily invited, but have implicit or expected permission to be on the property. This could include neighbors, friends, or family members who stop by for a surprise visit, and also salesmen who while not invited, are allowed to enter your property to offer their services.

Trespassing is the act of entering the private property of another person without express or implied permission. The act of trespassing is considered an unexpected event, and so homeowners are not liable for any injuries that happen on their property by unknown trespassers, and consulting a personal injury attorney St George Utah firm in such cases won’t do you any good.

However, in cases where the property owner is aware of the trespasser from previous offenses on their property or that of people in the area, then the trespasser is no longer considered unexpected. Any danger related to the property should be marked for any expected visitors, so while you probably won’t win a suit for falling out of a tree on a remote edge of the property, you may have a case if you are bitten by a dog while accidentally on someone’s land, and there were no signs to warn of the dog or to ward off trespassers.

Dog owners in Utah are strictly liable for personal injury damages that come as a result of their dog biting a person. Furthermore, the statutes that hold dog owners accountable for the injuries caused by their pets aren’t just there for dog bites. Dog owners are directly responsible for any injury or damage that is caused by their dogs. So if you have been scratched, knocked down, or threatened by a dog that acted like it wanted to bite you, you may still have a claim. If you have been injured in any way by a dog we invite you to speak with a personal injury attorney St George Utah from Witt Law.

If you are from out of state you might be familiar with a concept called the “one bite rule”, and may even expect it to come into play while in Utah. However, even though four out of six of the states surrounding Utah  –Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, and Wyoming–  practice the one bite rule, Utah does not. In Utah pet owners are held strictly liable for the actions of their pets.

The One Bite Rule vs. Utah’s Strict Liability Law

The one bite rule provides an avenue for leniency for the animal depending on whether or not the dog has a previous history of mischievous or vicious behavior. While this may give the impression that each dog is entitled to one free taste of a human being, this is not true. Animal owners are still held responsible for their animal’s actions, but an investigation may ensue to verify if the animal has a past propensity for bad and dangerous behavior. Even in states that practice the one bite rule, the animal doesn’t have to bite you to be investigated. Threatening behavior constitutes a viable reason in many cases.

In Utah law ( Section 18-1-1.  Liability and damages for dog injury — Exceptions.) it states: “1. (a) Except as provided in Subsections (2) and (3), a person who owns or keeps a dog is liable for an injury caused by the dog, regardless of whether:

(i) the dog is vicious or mischievous; or

(ii) the owner knows the dog is vicious or mischievous.”

What that is saying is that no matter what the dog’s history or regular behavior is, if it bites someone, then the owner will be held liable.

Subsection 2 of the exceptions are for certain scenarios involving law enforcement, and subsection 3 refers to situations where animals or people trespass on the private property of the dog owner. In all other cases, the dog owner is liable for the damages caused by their pet.

Another key difference between Utah law and other state laws regarding dog bites is that Utah law has options for arbitration which can help resolve the dispute faster than normal court procedure.

At Witt Law, we take dog bites seriously and work with you to make sure that you are properly compensated. Dog bites and attacks are handled a little differently in Utah than in other states because Utah law states that dog owners are strictly responsible for damages caused by their canines to people, property, and even other animals with certain exceptions.

By having a personal injury attorney St George Utah from Witt Law on your case, you can get the help you need as you seek compensation for injuries caused by dogs. Your decision to take action could help save others from injury, so don’t hesitate. Call Witt Law today.

While dog bite insurance is available in Utah, it is not currently required that all dog owners have it. Under the “strict liability law” Dog owners are responsible for injuries caused by their canines and in cases where they do not have specific dog bite insurance, the owner’s homeowners’ insurance will cover these damages in many cases. 

While it is not always easy to know if injuries were caused by bad products, there are some things to consider before taking your case to a personal injury attorney St George Utah firm like Witt Law. For instance, has the product in question malfunctioned for you or anyone you know before? Is the product within its stated time of warranty? In the case of consumable products, consider how you felt before and after you consumed the product. Have you had the same negative reaction in correlation with the product in the past? Have you had a similar negative reaction to other products?

Questions like these help your personal injury attorney St George Utah have a better understanding of the situation surrounding the product. We will ask similar questions to you and others who have used the product to see if there are similar stories. In many cases, a faulty product leaves a trail of injury, and by investing the trail it is possible solutions, as well as damages may come to light.

Yes. Anytime anyone suspects that they or someone they know has been injured by a product it is worth investigating. As a personal injury attorney St George Utah firm we have established connections for investigation and information that we have developed over the years. While not all situations will have enough evidence in the first instance to merit a full investigation, yours might not be the first one. Your situation may contain the evidence that allows for a bigger case to be created.