UNION, Ky. — A crew member for the Koehler Motorsports team of Jimmy Owens suffered apparent lacerations to his head Friday night in the Florence Speedway pits in a collision between a pit bike and a Late Model on the second night of action at the Sunoco North-South 100.

After the conclusion of Friday’s second Late Model semifeature, Mark Eller of Oxford, N.C., was riding his team’s pit bike toward the Owens hauler when he struck the Rocket Chassis house car driven by Hudson O’Neal, who was making a left turn at the pit intersection heading for his pit area.

Conscious, alert and wearing an oxygen mask, Eller was put on stretcher and into an ambulance that Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series officials said was headed for a local hospital. He was expected to have a CT scan and be checked for injuries, according to the series. Multiple observers said Eller was bleeding from at least one laceration atop his head.

Roberts Motorsports crew member Justin Tharp witnessed the collision. Eller and O’Neal both slowed and swerved but couldn’t avoid contact, Tharp said. Eller immediately stood up and bystanders quickly assisted him before the ambulance’s arrival a few minutes later. “You could tell he was dazed when he got up,” Tharp said.

Koehler Motorsports crew member Kurt Owens said his brother, driver Jimmy Owens, and teammates headed to the hospital to check on Eller, 19. The team’s pit bike had a broken front plastic fender and bent forks.

O’Neal said by the time he and Eller saw each other at the unlit pit intersection it was too late.

“I feel terrible about it,” O’Neal said, adding that neither was to blame. “I think we’ll both be more cautious next time.”