OTTAWA – Two motorcyclists were hospitalized as a result of two separate crashes over the past weekend. Shaun Melte, 30, Rantoul; motorcyclist was taken to Overland Park Regional Medical Center Thursday night, Dec. 1, when he collided with a deer. Melte was riding his motorcycle west in the 4700 block of Jackson Road southeast of Rantoul when a deer ran into the road and his bike hit it, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department said. In the second crash, a 37-year-old Olathe motorcyclist injured his right wrist Saturday afternoon. Christopher Claxton was riding his motorcycle south in the 100 block of North Seventh Street in Centropolis when he lost control of the bike and went into the ditch, the sheriff’s office said. A friend took Claxton to a hospital.
Friday, Dec. 8, 1 p.m.
