Plaintiffs lawyers hoped the state’s defective road statute would provide an avenue for lawsuits against the state in the aftermath of the 2005 fiery crash at the bottom of Avon Mountain that killed four people and injured 19 others.

The state Supreme Court, however, just put an end to that hope when it dismissed two lawsuits that were brought against the state by Ellen Stotler, the wife of Paul “Chip” Stotler, who was killed in the crash, and Michael Cummings, who was badly injured.