Man walking in center of Interstate 70 hit by truck, killed

COLUMBIA — Leslie Nowlin of Columbia was walking along the centerline of Interstate 70 near the Midway exit when he was hit by a truck and killed early Sunday morning, said Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper Kyle Green.

George Day, the driver of the Ford truck, swerved to try to avoid Nowlin, but hit him. His truck rolled into the median with him and his passenger, Margie Day, in it.

The Highway Patrol responded to the scene, located about 500 yards east of U.S. 40, just outside the Columbia city limits, at about 12:42 a.m.

"From what we understand, he had left the Midway Bar a short time earlier, and we think he was just walking back to Columbia," Green said.

Nowlin, 41, was pronounced dead on the scene at 1:07 a.m. by Boone County Medical Examiner Dori Burke. The medical examiner's office will conduct a toxicology report.

"We're not exactly sure why he chose to walk down the interstate," Green said.

The truck was totaled, and both passengers were taken to University Hospital with moderate injuries, according the the Highway Patrol report. They were discharged Monday.