Two Columbia men received moderate injuries after their motorcycles collided on a Moniteau County highway Sunday, Sept. 7.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol says the crash occurred just after 6 p.m. on Route 179 just south of Splice Creek Road, about four miles south of Wooldridge. Troopers report the two men, ages 59 and 62, were heading north on the highway when they crossed the center line to avoid a deer in the roadway. That’s when one of the bikes struck the other in the rear. The two were taken to a Columbia hospital. Troopers note that one of the men had not been wearing the proper safety gear at the time of the crash.