Illinois man in serious condition after motorcycle wreck

A 54-year-old Franklin, Ill., man was in serious condition Sunday at Saint Francis Medical Center after being tossed from his motorcycle on Interstate 55 near the Perry-Cape Girardeau County line.

Kenneth S. Smoot was wearing a helmet when the 2006 Honda Goldwing motorcycle began to skid at about 7:30 a.m. in I-55's southbound lane just inside Perry County's borders, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol. The motorcycle continued to skid on the wet pavement and overturned off the left side of the roadway until it struck the median. Smoot was thrown from the vehicle and sustained serious injuries, the patrol said. He was taken to the hospital by ambulance.