Husband and Wife Motorcyclists Killed after Hitting Marker on Tennessee Highway

By Mary Mitchell

Published on March 30, 2007

The experienced bikers – Kenneth Osborne, 45, and Clara Osborne, 44 – were riding on a motorcycle together when Kenneth lost control going around a curve and hit a historical marker. Kenneth died at the scene of head and chest injuries; Clara died later that day in a hospital.

The couple had been married for 27 years and had ridden motorcycles for years as a hobby. They went out that Saturday afternoon on their 2000 Kawasaki motorcycle to meet friends. As they were exiting State Highway 190 onto Hinkledale Road in Camden, Kenneth apparently lost control of the bike going around the curve. They went off the side of the roadway and struck a metal historical marker for Christmasville, Tennessee. They were both thrown from the bike, which landed about 150 feet from the point of impact.

Despite CPR being administered at the scene by a bystander, Kenneth Osborne died of head and chest injuries. Clara Osborne was flown by Air Vac helicopter to Jackson Madison County General Hospital, where she later died from severe pelvic and abdominal injuries. The Osbornes’ daughters, April Ivy and Rachel Murphy, live in nearby McKenzie.

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