Drunk Driving Accident Attorney in Salt Lake City

Civil Claims Against Drivers, Bars, & Anyone Who Contributed to Your Harm

Some of the most serious automobile collisions are alcohol- and drug-related. In the United States, about 32 people die every day in crashes involving alcohol, and roughly 31% of all motor vehicle fatalities are alcohol-related. Utah sets its legal BAC threshold at 0.05% under Utah Code § 41-6a-502, one of the lowest limits in the country, reflecting how seriously state law treats impaired driving risk.

Getting behind the wheel while legally impaired is one of the clearest forms of negligence in personal injury law. The criminal process may result in fines, license suspension, or jail time for the driver, but none of that compensates the people left with catastrophic injuries or the families who have lost someone.

Why You Need a Drunk Driving Accident Lawyer Focused on Serious Cases

At Cutt, Kendell & Olson, we focus on the civil side of a drunk driving accident: holding negligent drivers and any other responsible parties financially accountable for the harm they’ve caused. Criminal penalties don’t compensate victims, but a thorough, well-supported injury claim can be the path to financial recovery.

We’ve recovered over $700 million for clients across catastrophic injury and wrongful death matters, and we bring that same depth of preparation to drunk driving accident cases. Our firm was founded over 20 years ago, and we deliberately limit our caseload so each client receives direct partner time, clear communication, and sustained attention throughout the case. More than 400 lawyers and judges across Utah have referred cases to us, reflecting professional confidence in our ability to handle complex, high-value matters.

In drunk driving cases, the quality of investigation often drives the value of the claim. We work to secure and analyze blood alcohol evidence, police reports, crash data, surveillance footage, and witness accounts so the full story of what happened is documented and provable.

Victims deserve a voice in this process. Call our team at (801) 901-3470 to start exploring your legal options.

Statistics on DUI Accidents in Utah

About 31% of all motor vehicle fatalities in the United States are alcohol-related. Alcohol and drugs impair coordination, reaction time, and judgment at the same time, which makes impaired drivers disproportionately dangerous in freeway and other high-speed scenarios. Utah’s 0.05% BAC threshold is among the strictest in the country, and alcohol-related crashes here produce a disproportionate share of serious and fatal injuries compared to their share of total crashes.

The more intoxicated a driver is, the more dangerous they become. We’ve handled numerous cases where the drunk driver was so impaired that they drove the wrong direction on the freeway and collided with oncoming traffic. The results of these crashes are devastating, often producing traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, and wrongful death claims.

Punitive Damages in Drunk Driving Cases

All drivers, including impaired drivers, are liable for any damage they cause as a result of negligent driving. An intoxicated driver who hurts someone in a crash can be liable not only for compensatory damages covering medical expenses, lost income, and pain and suffering, but also, in some cases, for punitive damages.

Punitive damages are a separate category of damages intended to punish knowing or reckless misconduct and deter others from similar conduct. An intoxicated driver who chooses to drive may face punitive exposure if the decision to drive impaired is shown to have been knowing and reckless, a standard that drunk driving facts often meet. Whether punitive damages apply in a specific case requires careful factual investigation and legal analysis. Importantly, punitive damages against the driver aren’t subject to the same statutory caps that limit recovery from alcohol-serving establishments under Utah’s dram shop law.

Dram Shop Liability Under Utah’s Alcoholic Product Liability Act

When a bar, restaurant, or other licensed establishment overserves a patron who then causes a crash, Utah law may hold that establishment financially responsible. Under Utah Code § 32B-15-201, part of the Utah Alcoholic Product Liability Act, a licensed establishment can be liable for injuries or death caused by a patron if the establishment served that person when they were apparently under the influence of alcohol or drugs, when the establishment knew or should have known from the circumstances that the person was under the influence, or when the patron was under 21.

Building a dram shop claim requires detailed investigation. Evidence typically includes bar receipts, surveillance video, server testimony, witness statements, and analysis of how much alcohol was served over what period of time. Social host liability under Utah law applies in a narrower set of circumstances, primarily when alcohol is provided to a person under 21, and is governed by a separate subsection of the same statute.

One critical timing issue: dram shop claims carry a two-year statute of limitations under Utah Code § 32B-15-301(3). That window is shorter than the four-year period for personal injury claims against the driver under Utah Code § 78B-2-307. If an overserving establishment contributed to the crash, that shorter deadline applies to the claim against them.

How Dram Shop Liability Can Impact Your Claim

At Cutt, Kendell & Olson, we have the resources and case-development approach needed to pursue claims against both the drunk driver and any establishment that contributed to the driver’s intoxication. While the impaired driver is clearly at fault, there may be more to the story. The bar they left prior to the accident may have served too much alcohol under circumstances that support a dram shop claim, creating a potential dram shop liability claim that can expand the total recovery available when the facts support it. We investigate surveillance footage, purchase records, and witness accounts as part of this process. Utah’s statute places caps on damages recoverable from alcohol-serving establishments, but those caps don’t apply to the drunk driver, making it important to evaluate both avenues of recovery.

We maintain a low-volume, high-intensity model, which means we invest in accident reconstruction and other technical analysis, as well as the detailed medical proof that drunk driving cases demand. We’re also prepared to take cases to trial when settlement offers don’t reflect full value, and our history includes proceeding to verdict after rejecting significant pre-trial offers.

We’re ready to help you navigate your claim. Contact us today to request a free case evaluation now.