Man from Lamar injured in early-morning accident

There was an accident involving a motorcycle and a passenger car on I-49 about 3 miles north of Carthage around 3:35 a.m. this [Saturday] morning.

The MO State Highway Patrol says the wreck occurred when a northbound car driven by 23-year-old Atanael A. Elias-Gonzalez of Carthage was merging onto the Interstate and hit a northbound motorcycle operated by 33-year-old Michael W. Wilkinson of Lamar.

Wilkinson overturned and was thrown off the cycle.

He suffered moderate injuries and was taken to a Joplin hospital.

Elias-Gonzalez was not injured.