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SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Highway Patrol trooper who fell from an overpass while helping to apprehend a suspect north of Magna faces a "long road to recovery" and additional medical treatment.
Trooper Steve "Odie" Myer is expected to recover, though, the highway patrol said in a statement Wednesday, a day after the incident along 7200 West near I-80.
"Trooper Myer is in stable condition at this time, and has received the best medical treatment possible. He will have a long road to recovery but is expected to recover from this incident. Due to his serious injuries, further medical treatment will be required," reads the statement.
Myer fell from a 7200 West overpass west of Salt Lake City to the dirt road below on Tuesday while deploying spikes on the road to aid the Salt Lake City Police Department in the apprehension of a driver suspected in a drug investigation. Myer was subsequently flown by a Utah Department of Public Safety helicopter to a nearby hospital.
Wednesday's statement didn't detail the injuries Myer sustained or say what precipitated the fall, only that he was in "serious" condition and has since stabilized. Utah Highway Patrol and Salt Lake City Police Department representatives didn't offer additional details when contacted Wednesday.
Myer has worked for the highway patrol more than 34 years, Wednesday's statement reads, and he has held varied roles, from road trooper to lieutenant. He worked on the security detail of former Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt, as traffic planning coordinator for the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City and as an emergency vehicle operations instructor. He initially retired from the highway patrol in 2006, returning in 2010 and currently serves as motors coordinator for a team focused on traffic enforcement and safety.
"Trooper Myer is recognized throughout the state as a leading expert in motor officer training, high profile escorts and motorcycle enforcement operations," reads Wednesday's statement.
Tuesday's events unfolded as Salt Lake police were pursuing Sammy Swickey, 34, after officers allegedly witnessed drug use by the occupants of the car he was in. The pursuit eventually led to the general area around 7200 West and I-80 west. That's where Utah Highway Patrol troopers, including Myer, placed spikes to assist Salt Lake City officers and where Myer fell.
Swickey had earlier struck a Salt Lake City patrol officer's vehicle during the pursuit, damaging it but causing no injuries, police said. Officials haven't said if Swickey's driving factored in Myer's fall. Swickey was subsequently apprehended in the parking lot of a hotel at 307 Admiral Byrd Road, east of the site where Myer fell.
Swickey was booked into the the Salt Lake County Metro Jail on suspicion of aggravated assault, possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and two counts of felony fleeing, among other things, according to the probable cause affidavit in his case. He hadn't yet been charged in district court as of early Wednesday afternoon and was being held without bail.
A statement Tuesday from the UHP and the Salt Lake City Police Department said Swickey would be booked on suspicion of aggravated assault against a public safety officer.
The highway patrol offered thanks for the outpouring of support for Myer.
"We appreciate the quick action by fellow UHP troopers, (State Bureau of Investigation) agents, Salt Lake City officers, (Department of Public Safety) air crew members and other surrounding agencies whose assistance helped get (Myer) the life-saving care he needed," reads Wednesday's statement. "We express our deepest gratitude to everyone who has extended so much support to trooper Myer and his family, as well as the Utah Highway Patrol."
