Two children were ejected from their mini-bike and injured after it struck a car while they attempted to ride across Rollins Road in Round Lake Beach, police said.
The Greater Round Lake Fire Protection District and Round Lake Beach Police Department responded around 6:50 p.m. Saturday to the area of Rollins Road and Poplar Avenue for a vehicle crash with injuries.
Round Lake Beach Deputy Police Chief Tim Schuster said two juveniles were riding on a mini-bike northbound on Poplar Avenue.
They were trying to cross Rollins Road when the mini-bike collided with a Kia sedan, which was traveling westbound on Rollins Road.
The two juveniles are ages 14 and 13, Schuster said.
The children suffered minor injuries after being thrown from the bike, Schuster said.
Schuster said the two victims were transported by ambulance to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville with non-life-threatening injuries.
The juveniles have since been released from the hospital, he said.
Schuster said that the mini-bike was neither street-legal nor registered. The 26-year-old driver of the Kia had the right of way at the time of the crash.
He said the Kia driver has been cooperative with police throughout the incident.
Schuster said the incident remains under investigation by the Round Lake Beach Police Department and charges are pending.
Round Lake Beach Police Chief Ryan Rodriguez said there has been a “rising epidemic” of unregistered and illegal motorized bikes and mini-bikes in Round Lake Beach and other communities.
He said police are trying to confront the issue but teen riders on these vehicles either ignore officer commands or ride away from the scene.
“We continue to have complaints from the community regarding these vehicles, which are unregistered and not legal to be driven on the streets,” Rodriguez said.
“We are actively asking the community to get behind the police regarding this issue and plead with parents to stop allowing children to ride these motorized bikes unlawfully,” the chief added.