Former coroner, Task Force 1 member dies from motorcycle crash in Pulaski County

PULASKI COUNTY, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Waynesville man died Monday morning from injuries he suffered Sunday in a Pulaski County crash, according to a crash report from the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

Mike Hartness was pronounced dead at 7 a.m. Monday at Mercy Hospital in Springfield, according to the updated crash report. He was 54.

Hartness was a former Pulaski County coroner and a member of the Task Force 1 urban search and rescue team based in Columbia from 2006 to 2020.

According to the report, the crash occurred on Sunday when Hartness was traveling eastbound on Reporter Road around 6:20 p.m. when his 2008 Harley-Davidson went off the right side of the road, hit a fence and a tree, throwing him from the motorcycle. He was flown to Mercy Hospital.

According to the crash report, Hartness was not wearing a helmet at the time of the crash. The motorcycle was totaled.