Wayne County motorcyclist dies

A 36-year-old man from Greenville, Missouri, was killed Wednesday, Sept. 13, when a 1999 Chevrolet Silverado truck pulled into the path of his 1998 Harley-Davidson motorcycle in Poplar Bluff, Missouri.

Pronounced dead at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center was Joseph Coble, who was not wearing a helmet at the scene of the afternoon rush hour crash at 5:10 p.m. at the intersection of Pine Street and Broadway.

Coble was pronounced dead less than an hour after the wreck, the 50th fatality so far in 2023 in Missouri, according to state Highway Patrol's Troop E.

In 2020, Missouri lawmakers passed an amendment to its universal helmet law, allowing motorcycle riders aged 26 and older to ride without a helmet if they have health insurance or another form of insurance that provides medical benefits if they are injured in a crash.

Eligible motorcyclists who choose to ride without a helmet must complete a motorcycle safety course approved by the state Department of Transportation and have held a motorcycle license for at least two years.

According to the Missouri Coalition for Highway Safety, there were 151 motorcyclist fatalities on Missouri roadways in 2022, accounting for 14% of all traffic deaths in the state last year.