On a clear night in September 2009, Ray Sayer and a friend pulled out of a Payson convenience store on their Harley-Davidson motorcycles and made their way toward Star Valley.
As they left town, the highway grew dark, lit only by the headlights of approaching vehicles.
As the men neared the turnoff to Chaparral Pines, they saw several vehicles stopped in the westbound shoulder, their emergency lights flashing. Bang!
Sayer and his motorcycle went airborne before crashing to the asphalt.#Sayer had struck the body of an elk, which had been hit by another motorist just a few minutes earlier.
Badly injured, Sayer was airlifted to a Valley hospital.
After several surgeries, including a hip replacement, shoulder work, rehabilitation and speech therapy —Sayer had racked up more than $2 million in medical bills.
Sayer and his wife, Kori Sayer, sued the state several months ago, saying it had failed to make Highway 260, specifically at milepost 254, reasonably safe for motorists.
The trial lasted 10 days, but it took the jury less than an hour to side with the state — finding it was not at fault.