Meeteetse Crash Victims Hit by Hay Bales to Receive $2M

POWELL, Wyo. (AP) — A judge has upheld a jury's nearly $2.3 million award to two northwestern Wyoming men who were injured after their vehicle was hit by bales of hay thrown from a trailer in a 2010 crash.

Richard and Bill Schlenker, of Meeteetse, were awarded the money in July. The father and son had said they suffered fractured bones in the crash and continue to face lasting health problems.

The Schlenkers' attorney argued that Terry Jones had taken a sharp curve too fast while driving his trailer, causing tons of hay to fly toward the Schlenkers' pickup truck.

The impact sent the pickup down a 15-foot embankment.

A judge approved the multimillion-dollar settlement in December, despite the defense's claims that the award was too large of a sum.