A 65-year-old Odin man has died as a result of a crash between his motorcycle and a pickup truck early Tuesday evening in Central City and a local business owner has been charged with DUI in connection with that crash.
According to authorities, around 5:21 p.m. Tuesday 58-year-old Thomas F. Joy, a partial owner of the Centralia Sentinel, reportedly pulled his 2014 Nissan pickup truck out of an alleyway next to the Broadway Tavern on North Broadway.
Joy reportedly pulled out into the path of a 2011 Harley Davidson motorcycle driven by 65-year-old Jerry Clarkson, of Odin, resulting in Clarkson’s motorcycle crashing into the pickup truck
Clarkson was initially taken to SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital in Centralia. He was reportedly being airlifted to Barnes-Jewish Hospital for treatment when according to the Clinton County Coroner’s Office, he coded in the air and the flight was diverted to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Breese where he was pronounced dead around 7 p.m.
Joy, who refused to take a breathalyzer test, was not injured in the crash. The crash remains under investigation. Additional charges could be filed by the Marion County State’s Attorney’s office.