Lake County motorcross racers rack up injuries

Two contestants were hospitalized Wednesday night after two unrelated motorcycle accidents during the professional motocross races at the Lake County Fair.

The crash victims, both in their late-20s, suffered severe injuries and were flown to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, a Lake County Sheriff's Office spokesman said.

Joshua Woods, 27, of Flint, Mich., was involved in the first collision at 9:30 p.m. He was in fair condition Thursday, a hospital spokeswoman said.

The second victim, Jesse Wise, 28, of Huntley, Ill., fell off his motorcycle during the race at about 10:24 p.m. Wednesday. He was hit by two other motorcycles before anyone could reach him, said Lake County Sheriff's Sgt. Christopher Thompson.

He remained in critical condition Thursday.

"It's a dangerous sport. Unfortunately, accidents tend to happen during these sporting events," Thompson said.

Lake County Fair officials could not be reached for comment Thursday. One official at the fair office said there would be no comments before insurance details had been ironed out.