A two-mile long stretch of state Highway 75 north of Hailey is notorious for motorist collisions with elk and deer. Deer Creek Road resident Gregory Cordovano, who suffered a severe motorcycle crash in the area, may have been the latest victim of a collision with wildlife in the area.
An elk herd lingers year-round on both sides of Highway 75 between Treasure Lane and Buttercup Road. The Idaho Transportation Department reports that 14 motorist collisions with wildlife have occurred there in the past three years.
Though the posted speed limit in the area is 55 miles per hour, motorists are warned by local emergency response personnel to slow down further to avoid animals crossing the road.
"I have slowed down to 35 miles per hour through there for years," said Wood River Fire & Rescue Chief Bart Lassman. "It annoys the guy behind me, but so far I have been lucky enough not to hit anything."
Cordovano, 63, was not so lucky when he lost control of his motorcycle one Friday evening in July while returning home from Hailey between the Chapman Ranch and Peregrine Ranch. A Blaine County Sheriff's Office report states that Cordovano's motorcycle slid for 148 feet along the highway after it went out of control. Cordovano was found 24 feet from the motorcycle. The report said there were no tire skid marks.
Cordovano suffered a severe head injury and has been hospitalized in Boise since the accident.
Family friend Tony Jefferson examined the motorcycle four days after the accident and found tufts of animal hair embedded in the front forks of the Cordovano's motorcycle.
Jefferson contacted the Blaine County Sheriff's Office with the information, but sheriff's Lt. Jay Davis said the investigation is still ongoing.
"It won't surprise me at all to find that he hit an elk," said Chief Deputy Gene Ramsey. "One of our deputies hit an elk in the same area on his motorcycle. He recovered from the accident and is fine."
ITD has taken measures to warn motorists of the elk herd north of Hailey, posting signs at points to the north and south of where the animals tend to cross the highway. ITD has also called for the removal of trees along the highway that could conceal elk poised to cross the road.
Jefferson, who lives behind Treasure Lane, and John Chapman, who owns property along Highway 75 frequented by the elk herd, have both called for a lowering of the speed limit in this area.
"The difference between 55 miles per hour and 45 or 35 is immense," Jefferson said. "It could mean the difference between life and death."
ITD engineer Devin Rigby said the department is well aware of the wildlife issues in the area. He said lowering the speed limit would be a "cumbersome" process that would have to be initiated by Blaine County officials.
"Law enforcement would have to play a large role in slowing down traffic in that area," he said.
Ramsey said two other notorious gathering sites for herding animals along Highway 75 are at the North Fork Campground north of Ketchum, and a two-mile stretch south of the Bellevue city limits.
Tony Evans: tevans@mtexpress.com
The Idaho Transportation Department has taken measures to warn motorists of a wildlife corridor along Highway 75 north of Hailey.
Photo by David N. Seelig
