Myers v. McDonald

In Myers v. McDonald, 635 P.2d 84 (Utah, 1981), the plaintiffs were the guardians of a 14-year-old boy named "Bobbie." When the boy disappeared, the police listed the boy as a "runaway" rather than a "missing person," which would have resulted in an automatic check of the local morgue. The boy had been killed while riding as a passenger in a car that collided with a large tree, and was identified as "Joey." The plaintiffs were not taken to the morgue, and did not identify the boy, until nearly 3 years later. On these facts, the Utah Supreme Court found that the plaintiffs' wrongful death cause of action against the drunk driver of the car did not accrue until they discovered the death of the boy.