FRANKLIN COUNTY — A leader in the motorsports industry was killed in a motorcycle crash Friday in Franklin County.

Dan Runte, 61, was driving a 2014 Harley Davidson motorcycle at West Osage Street and Cedar Drive when an SUV turned in front of him about 9:30 a.m. Friday.

He died at the scene, in Pacific, the Missouri Highway Patrol said. He was wearing a helmet, police said.

The 40-year-old man driving the SUV, a 2020 Chevrolet Traverse, suffered moderate injuries. He wore a seat belt, police said.

Runte spent decades as a record-setting driver, operating a Bigfoot 14 that jumped over a 727 airplane in Tennessee in 1999.

"Dan will always be remembered as a pioneer of monster trucks and a trailblazer in the motorsports industry," according to a tweet from Monster Jam.

His fan page

See Full Page