FRIENDSHIP – A 24-year-old motorcyclist was critically injured Saturday afternoon when she was struck by a car attempting a U-turn on Route 97.

Khristy Carter of Washington, who was operating a 1995 Harley-Davidson motorcycle, remained in the critical care unit of Maine Medical Center in Portland on Sunday, suffering from serious head injuries and broken bones.

Maine State Police Trooper Patrick Hood said Carter, who was not wearing a helmet, was heading south on Route 97 when an approaching 2003 Subaru made a U-turn in the roadway.

The driver, Wanda Smith, 52, of Friendship, told Hood that she neither heard nor saw the motorcycle approaching.

Hood said that Carter was taken first to Miles Memorial Hospital in Damariscotta and then was airlifted to MMC.

Hood was assisted by Maine State Police Sgt. Thomas Ballard and Knox County Deputy Micheal Sprague, as well as the Friendship Fire Department.

Hood said the accident remains under investigation.