Motorcycle collision sends two to hospital

A collision with a car sent two motorcycle passengers to the hospital Friday evening.

The motorcycle, traveling north on Williams Blvd., struck a black Dodge Caliber that was pulling out from the westbound Highway 30 exit ramp.

Minutes after the crash, a man and a woman lay motionless beside the motorcycle, an eyewitness said.

The driver of the bike, John Conner, 49, of Cedar Rapids, was taken to Mercy Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. His passenger, Janet Ritchart, 51, of Center Point, suffered life threatening injuries, according to the Linn County Sheriff's Office. She was also taken to Mercy Hospital, but later transferred to the University of Iowa Hospital in Iowa City.

Neither Conner nor Ritchart were wearing helmets.

The driver of the Caliber, 24-year-old Allison Beltz, of Marion, was uninjured. A small boy, who was properly secured in the back seat of the car, was also unharmed, the sheriff's office said. Beltz received citations for failure to yield while entering a through highway and for having no proof of insurance.