After nearly dying in fall from overpass, UHP trooper returns to patrol

TOOELE — For decades, Utah Highway Patrol trooper Steve "Odie" Myer has been a familiar sight on Utah highways, especially on two wheels.

"My passion is motorcycles," he said. "I've been on the motor squad forever."

It's a job he has always loved — and one he almost never got to do again.

In February 2024, Myer was helping other law enforcement officers stop a fleeing driver when he fell nearly 60 feet from an overpass near I-80 and 7200 West in Salt Lake County.

He had been laying spike strips during the pursuit when he stepped backward and went over the edge.

The fall nearly killed him.

Myer suffered devastating injuries, including a shattered pelvis, hip and shoulder injuries, and severe damage to his heart when it was ripped from its cavity.

A Utah Department of Public Safety helicopter that was already involved in the pursuit quickly landed and flew him to a hospital.

Doctors later said that decision likely saved his life.

"There was a lot of damage. I've had nine total surgeries. Next month will be 10. They've kind of put me back together," said Myer.

Myer was already back to work just 10 months after his fall, but he was part-time and his duties were limited to a desk.

For someone who has spent much of his life on the highway, it wasn't quite the same.

"My goal from day one was to get through it and through the therapy and just try to do it," said Myer.

Now, two and a half years after the accident, that goal has become reality. Myer is back working full-time, patrolling Utah's highways out of UHP's Tooele headquarters.

He also recently completed the training necessary to become recertified to ride a UHP motorcycle.

However, he found getting back on a motorcycle after so many injuries wasn't so easy.

"Getting on and off of a motorcycle is a little bit more challenging," he said with a laugh. "I have to get on and off a different way than I used to."

It's one of several adjustments he's had to make.

"The first time I put the uniform on, it took me about an hour and a half to figure out. I'm nervous. I'm sweating. I look in the mirror a thousand times to make sure everything is in the right spot."

Myer admits he was a little nervous to go back to patrol, but he was also very excited.

"I feel a lot better," he said. "Aches and pains are a little bit more prominent, but it's all good. I love it."

He also has another surgery scheduled to address a rib issue that makes wearing his protective vest uncomfortable. That procedure is expected to keep him off work for another couple of months.

Still, he said the opportunity to return to active patrol has been worth the effort.

"Just being able to be back and being an actual police officer again, it's just been great, really," he said.

Although Myer has returned to the career he loves, he admits life isn't quite the same as it was before the accident.

"I don't know that things are going to be normal because every little thing I do, I look back on and say, 'This used to be different before,'" he said.

Some of those changes have been physical. Others have been emotional.

Myer said his recovery has also included working through the trauma of returning to the overpass where he nearly lost his life.

At the recommendation of his mental health therapist, he and his wife visited the location together.

"That's been a process getting through," he said.

He now drives past the overpass nearly every day for work.

While seeing the location has become easier, he said certain structures and heights remain things he continues to work through.

Myer also knows how fortunate he is to have survived.

He recalled hearing about a Wisconsin state trooper who suffered a similar fall last month while deploying spike strips but did not survive.

"Things could have been worse," said Myer. "I'm so thankful for the way that things worked out."

He remains especially grateful to the helicopter crew that rushed him to the hospital.

"Those guys are a miracle to me," he said.

Myer has spent much of his life in law enforcement. His son and son-in-law are also state troopers.

But nearly losing his life has changed the way he looks at his time away from work.

"My family is number one," he said. "I don't miss ballgames and concerts and dance recitals and stuff no more with my grandkids."

Now, those moments have a little more meaning.

"I'm glad to be here," he said. "I'm thankful to be here and to be able to spend time with my family. They're the number one now."

For a man who nearly lost everything, getting back to where he started has given him a whole new appreciation for where he's going.

And despite the surgeries, lingering pain and challenges still ahead, Myer has no plans to give up the work he loves.

"As long as I can do it, I'm going to continue doing it," he said with a smile.

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