What the insurance company does not want you to know about this is that a "deer caused it" story does not automatically let the tow company off the hook.

1. Get the official crash records fast. In Salt Lake City, that usually means the Salt Lake City Police Department report or a Utah Highway Patrol report if it happened on I-15, I-80, I-215, or SR-201. If your child was injured, there is almost always an officer report. Ask for the report number, diagram, witness list, and any photos. If no officer investigated, Utah drivers generally must report crashes involving injury, death, or at least $2,500 in property damage to the Utah Department of Public Safety within 10 days.

2. Lock down proof from the tow truck itself. Tow companies often have dash cam video, GPS data, dispatch logs, driver time records, inspection logs, and tow tickets. Those can show speed, braking, lane position, whether the truck was overloaded, and whether the driver was distracted before the deer appeared. A deer is sudden; bad tires or a tired driver are not.

3. Document the road and wildlife conditions. In fall and early winter, animal crossings are common near the east bench, Parleys Canyon, and routes feeding into Salt Lake County. Photos of skid marks, shoulder damage, a fallen tree, broken glass, and deer remains matter. So do UDOT traffic camera footage, weather records, and 911 logs showing visibility and road conditions.

4. Preserve witness evidence before it disappears. Get names of other drivers, passengers, tow yard workers, and anyone who stopped. Nearby businesses or homes may have surveillance video, especially around industrial corridors and service routes used by trucks headed from places like Bingham Canyon or along commuter routes toward the Silicon Slopes corridor.

5. Prove your child's injuries and timing. Keep ER records, imaging, pediatric follow-ups, school absence records, and photos of bruising or casts. At University and Primary Children's, the chart usually notes mechanism of injury in useful detail. That helps connect the crash forces to your child's symptoms.

Utah uses modified comparative fault. If the tow company argues your driver was mostly to blame, the evidence above is what keeps the case from turning into shrug emoji litigation.