Enoch, UT (May 17, 2022) – Five teenagers were hospitalized on Friday, May 13th after a rollover accident involving a side-by-side utility vehicle on a residential street in Enoch.
The Enoch Police Chief said that the girls and boys in the group, all of whom are 14-years-old or thereabouts, were traveling northbound on Driftwood Lane at about 10:30 p.m.
Officials indicated that the driver attempted to navigate a sharp turn and somehow wound up rolling the UTV in the area of Appaloosa Loop and North Driftwood Lane.
Every one of the teens involved sustained some degree of injury, including one who received an unspecified head injury. They were all transported to a local hospital for checks and, as of Saturday afternoon, are all expected to recover.
Police reports show that impact damage was observed on a wooden log fence and a power box in the area of the crash.
In the meantime, the side-by-side utility vehicle, an older model Polaris four-seater, was upright on its rear end and a short distance from the roadway. It had taken considerable damage to its roll bars, front end, and various other parts.
The chief stated that an Enoch City ordinance permits people to operate UTVs, ATVs, and other similar off-road vehicles on city streets. He noted that this ordinance comes with the caveat that riders should be on their way to a location outside of the city limits to a place where the vehicle can be legally ridden. In addition, the ordinance does not allow drivers to exceed 20 miles per hour.
Our thoughts are with the injured victims and their families at this time. We hope for their full recovery.
Pursuing economic recovery for damages can be a little bit tricky when you were not the driver in a vehicle collision. When you are a passenger, and the vehicle you are riding in is involved in a crash, there are a few options available to you as you seek compensation for your injuries.
The first stage of the process is the same as it would be for the driver after any property damage has been handled, and that is to utilize Personal Injury Protection coverage.
In Utah, state law requires every vehicle insurance policy to carry a minimum of $3,000 in personal injury protection coverage for every passenger in every accident. This PIP coverage is derived from the insurance policy on the vehicle. In terms of recovery, you should always look to the insurer of the vehicle you were riding in when the accident occurred, no matter if you were the owner and driver of the vehicle, you borrowed the vehicle and were driving it, or you were a passenger in a vehicle driven by the owner or the person who borrowed it.
Regardless of the circumstance, the Personal Injury Protection will be used first and will cover at least the initial $3,000 of medical costs for each passenger in every collision.
In the event that the passenger has not recovered by the time the PIP runs out, they will then have a bodily injury claim against the negligent driver.
After being injured in a vehicle crash that was not your fault, contact our Utah personal injury attorneys at (801) 350-3506 to schedule a free case review and learn how we can help you.
Notes: The details and information utilized to create this post were gathered through the use of secondary sources. The details surrounding this accident have not been independently verified by the writing staff at Jardine Law Offices P.C.. These sources include but are not limited to newspaper stories, local news sources, local and state police reports, and eyewitness accounts about serious accidents that take place in Farmington and Salt Lake City, Utah. If you locate any information that is inaccurate, please contact us right away so that we can update the post with the most accurate information available. If you would like the post to be removed, please let us know and we will remove it as soon as possible.
Disclaimers: The attorneys at Jardine Law Offices P.C. have worked hard through the years to build a solid business reputation in the community. We write about these serious incidents to bring awareness about the dangers associated with driving in hopes that our fellow community members will use an abundance of caution when operating a motor vehicle and avoid being involved in a serious accident themselves. This story is not intended to be a solicitation for business. The information provided in this post should not be misconstrued as medical or legal advice. The photos used in this post are not taken from the scene of this accident.