Motorcycle Crash Kills Centralia Man, Injures Woman

A motorcycle crash killed one man and injured a woman Saturday in Cole County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reports that a southbound 2020 Harley Davidson, driven by 52-year-old William E. Nichols of Centralia, was on Route B, 68 feet north of Osage Bend Road (south of Jeff City)  around 2 p.m., when the driver was navigating a curve at a high rate of speed, failed to negotiate the curve and left the roadway on the left side, struck a ditch, and became airborne, Nichols and his rider, 51-year-old Melinda J. Swanson, also of Centralia, were ejected from the bike and struck a fence line.

Nichols was pronounced dead at the scene at 3:11 p.m., by Dr. Carl Doerhoff. The body was taken to Houser-Millard Funeral Home.

Swanson suffered serious injuries and was flown to University Hospital in Columbia.

This was Troop F's sixth fatality for July, and the 42nd for 2022.