Columbia man charged in death of Tennessee man who jumped from truck

A 41-year-old Columbia man is charged with manslaughter after a passenger from Tennessee apparently jumped from his truck and died while the truck was going the wrong way on a southeast Missouri interstate.

Scott County prosecutors say Myron Lee Tillman was charged Wednesday with first-degree manslaughter. He faces five other counts after he allegedly drove the wrong way for several miles Aug. 29 on Interstate 55. Law enforcement officers found the body of 42-year-old Claude Nix Jr., of Jackson, Tennessee, on the interstate near Scott City.

The Southeast Missourian reports a probable cause statement says Nix apparently jumped from Tillman’s truck to avoid an impending crash. A coroner says Nix had a broken neck and skull fractures.

Tillman was also charged in neighboring Cape Girardeau County with careless driving resulting in a crash and leaving the scene of an accident.

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