Woodstock crash leaves Wonder Lake motorcyclist in critical condition

A Wonder Lake man was in critical condition Saturday after he was ejected from the motorcycle he was driving when it collided with a Buick, authorities said.

The motorcyclist, a 20-year-old man, was wearing a helmet when the crash occurred about 7:25 a.m. in an unincorporated area near Woodstock, the McHenry County sheriff's office said in a news release.

He was taken by a medical helicopter to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville with serious injuries, the sheriff's office said. The driver of the Buick, a 24-year-old Woodstock woman, was not injured, and no other passengers were in or aboard either vehicle.

The collision occurred when the motorcyclist crossed over the centerline of Route 120 east of Raffel Road to try to pass a line of vehicles, the sheriff's office said. The motorcycle, a 2001 Suzuki, was heading east as the Buick, a 2002 Century, was heading west.

The sheriff's office said the Buick was slowing to turn left into a parking lot in the seconds before the crash. As it made the turn, the car and motorcycle collided, ejecting the man from the motorcycle.

Route 120 was closed for about four hours Saturday while Woodstock police and the Woodstock Fire Protection District assisted the sheriff's office with the initial response. The crash remains under investigation by the major crash investigation unit of the McHenry County sheriff's office.