PORTLAND—Two motorcyclists were injured when one hit a deer Sunday morning and the other swerved to avoid a collision and drove off the pavement, the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office reported.

At 7:30 a. m., a group of four bikers was eastbound on Route 5 here when a deer ran from the north toward the group. The second motorcyclist saw the deer and signaled to the two bikers behind him, but the third motorcyclist in the group wasn’t able to avoid a head-on collision.

Lee Kasian, 52, of Ithaca, was thrown from his bike and suffered neck and back injuries. He was transported by Portland Rescue to nearby Brocton Central School, where a Starflight helicopter took him to the Erie County Medical Center, Buffalo, for further treatment.

He remained in ECMC late Sunday, but his condition wasn’t known.

The fourth rider in the group, David Hayduk, 57, of West Almond, swerved to avoid the deer and went off the road. He suffered minor leg pain but refused medical care. The deer was killed in the crash, and Kasian’s motorcycle was severely damaged.