A Cody man was seriously injured and his fiancee ejected in a Saturday UTV crash, just minutes after the couple finished taking engagement photos on a South Fork mountainside.

Sydnie Stambaugh and Skylar Peterson were above her grandparents’ property on Sheep Mountain when their vehicle rolled. Stambaugh was able to run down the mountain and bring help for Peterson, who was flown to Billings by helicopter from the scene with severe injuries. He remained hospitalized on Monday.

Peterson and Stambaugh have been dating for several years and got engaged before Christmas, said Scot Stambaugh, Sydnie’s father. Scot described them as a “happy, adventurous, outgoing couple” who love the outdoors.

The Cody couple has Powell roots. Stambaugh previously lived in Powell before graduating from Cody High School; she now designs custom cabinets at Bloedorn Lumber in Powell.

Peterson attended Northwest College and now work for a local oil company, according to his Facebook page. Scot called his soon to be son-in-law “an avid outdoorsman, hunter, hard-working kid.”

The couple were on their way to check a game cam up the mountain when they ended up on loose rock, which was under the front end of the UTV.

“It was teetering and Skylar told Sydnie to get out,” Scot said.

Sydnie unbuckled, Skylar opened his door and “stepped out with one foot” in order to see what direction the wheels needed to turn to get off the rock.

Then the vehicle rolled and Sydnie was ejected; Peterson’s foot was caught between the roll bar and the roofcap.

Scot didn’t know why, but he looked up the hill and saw sun reflecting off the couple’s Ranger.

“At that same time, I could see Sydnie running over the ridge towards my mom and dad's house with my binoculars and I just knew something's wrong,” he said.

Scot said he drove his truck until it broke down and eventually made it to Skylar, who, despite his injuries, was trying to get up so he could go find Sydnie.

Meanwhile, Sydnie made it on foot to her grandparents’ house and called 911 around 6:30 p.m. She then ran back up the steep terrain to check on Peterson who was being cared for by her father and grandfather. Later, she posted on a ridge with her father’s cellphone to communicate with first responders.

South Cody Game Warden Grant Gerharter and Robert Lind of the Bureau of Land Management were the first emergency responders on the scene. Monte McClain, the Park County Sheriffs Office communications officer, said search and rescue, EMS and deputies also responded.

Guardian Flight was dispatched based on Peterson’s reported injuries and after completing another flight to Billings, they responded and extracted Peterson at 7:40 p.m.

“Then Guardian Flight showed up with that crew and those guys were on top of it,” Scot said.

He didn’t know how they landed in the small area they had cleared for the helicopter but they did.

Peterson was taken to Billings and Sydnie was checked at the scene before following her fiancee.

Heather Stambaugh, who is Sydnie’s stepmother, said Peterson is facing “many surgeries, multiple weeks in the hospital and time in an out-of-state rehab facility.”

Peterson has lacerations on his liver and kidney, a punctured lung, broken neck, dislocated foot, broken ankle, breaks in his right arm, fractures in his vertebrae and a chip on his left elbow.

“Now, rather than focusing on wedding preparations, they are sadly facing expenses that will come with loss of income, medical bills, and medical travel,” Heather wrote on a GoFundMe page seeking donations.

Donations can be made to Peterson directly through Big Horn Federal or at gofund.me/5f293592.