Opinion ID: 1034507
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: conclusion

Text: ¶61 Because the presence of indigenous wildlife on Utah’s public lands is a “natural condition” of those lands, I would hold that the State is immune from liability for Sam’s death under the natural condition exception to the Immunity Act. I would therefore not reach the issue of any duty the State owed to the Mulveys. ¶62 The natural condition exception serves a valuable purpose in our state. “The necessity for this exception arises because Utah’s vast public lands . . . are open to the public [and] present all kinds of hazards arising from their natural conditions. . . . The State and other governmental entities cannot be expected to [protect citizens against] every . . . potentially hazardous condition located on public property.” Grappendorf v. Pleasant Grove City, 2007 UT 84, ¶ 8, 173 P.3d 166 (alterations in original) (internal quotations marks omitted). And injury caused by native wildlife is one of the many foreseeable risks that users may encounter in Utah’s unimproved wilderness. To burden the State with liability for injuries arising from the foreseeable dangers occasioned by the presence of native wildlife may very well result in significant restrictions or even prohibitions on the public’s use of such lands. The natural condition exception thus requires that those who voluntarily use unimproved public land assume some of the related risks as part of the price paid for the benefits of its use. 23