A weekend motorcycling trip from Bellevue, Iowa, to Wisconsin ended suddenly and tragically for a group of friends Saturday afternoon.
Five people in the group, which was traveling through Wisconsin on 22 Harley-Davidson motorcycles, are in area hospitals after a crash with a car at 2:15 p.m. on Highway 11/14, east of Janesville. At least two people were in critical condition late Saturday.
A 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt driven by Tiffany Gannon, 29, of Woodstock, Ill., collided with the Harleys, authorities said. Gannon was treated and released at Edgerton Hospital and Health Services.
Gannon was driving east on Highway 11/14 less than a mile west of Milton-Shopiere Road in La Prairie Township when her vehicle drifted into the oncoming lane of traffic and struck James Carton's motorcycle, according to a news release from the Rock County Sheriff's Department.
Six people, including the driver of the car, were injured in a car-motorcycle head-on collision on Highway 11/14 near Milton-Shopiere Road, east of Janesville, on Saturday. The injured were taken to area hospitals, and two people were in critical condition Saturday night. The driver, Tiffany Gannon, 29, of Woodstock, Ill., was treated and released.
Bill Olmsted/Gazette Staff
The 43-year-old Bellevue man, who reportedly put down his motorcycle before the crash, bounced off the car. He and his wife, Dawn Carton, who was a passenger on the bike, were found lying in the center of the highway, police reported.
James was transported to Beloit Memorial Hospital and later flown by Med-Flight to University Hospital in Madison, where he was listed in critical condition Saturday evening.
Dawn was transported to Janesville's Mercy Hospital before being flown to Rockford Memorial Hospital. She also was listed in critical condition Saturday evening.
A second motorcycle driven by Jodi Feller, 36, also of Bellevue, nearly was struck head-on by Gannon's vehicle. Feller was transported by helicopter to University Hospital in Madison.
A third Harley, driven by Cody Medinger, 27, then struck the left front of Gannon's vehicle. The bike came to rest on the north side of the road.
Medinger and his passenger, Stephanie Nieland, 23, both of Bellevue, also were transported to University Hospital.
Condition reports for those three motorcyclists were not available late Saturday. A hospital spokesperson said they were still in the emergency room.
None of the motorcyclists were wearing helmets. Gannon was wearing a seat belt, and her airbag deployed. Neither alcohol nor speed are believed to be factors in the crash, police reported.
