Crash Kills Raceway Owner

PAINTSVILLE, Ky. (AP) - An eastern Kentucky traffic accident has claimed the life of an eastern Kentucky lawyer and racetrack owner who was accused of setting a rival raceway on fire last year.

Michael Osborne of Sitka lost control of his 2001 Harley-Davidson on Kentucky 581 Monday night and was fatally injured. The Johnson County Sheriff's Department reports Osborne's motorcycle slammed into an embankment and then went into a creek. A report says the vehicle landed upright in the water with Osborne still sitting on it, but he was unresponsive.

The 48-year-old Osborne was not wearing a helmet and received severe head injuries. He was pronounced dead at Paul B. Hall Regional Medical Center in Paintsville.

Last August, Osborne and his wife, Susan, were accused of setting a fire at Willard Speedway in Carter County. The blaze destroyed a concession stand and a scoring tower.

Commonwealth's Attorney David Flatt says the case against Michael Osborne will be dismissed. He said his office will discuss whether to pursue charges against his wife.

Paintsville is 90 miles east of Lexington.

Much cooler conditions behind the front