WYOMING COURT DENIES BIKER CLAIM

The Wyoming Supreme Court ruled in early January that a Wyoming state worker injured in a motorcycle crash in Utah on a workday is not entitled to worker's compensation benefits.

The ruling upheld a Uinta County, Wyoming, judge's denial of Richard J. Shelest's application for benefits.

Court records indicate Shelest crashed his motorcycle in June 2006, after he and two other state transportation workers took a longer, scenic route from Rock Springs to Evanston.

Justices Barton R. Voigt, Michael Golden and E. James Burke wrote that Shelest wasn't entitled to worker's comp because his work didn't require the route they took.

Justices William U. Hill and Marilyn S. Kite disagreed, saying bad weather and other factors often force Wyoming motorists to choose longer routes.