A Jim Thorpe motorcyclist was seriously injured in a crash on Sunday outside Tamaqua in which speed was a factor.

State police at Frackville said the crash occurred along Valley Road in Lewistown Valley, Walker Township, about 4:37 p.m. Troopers said Nicholas C. Montanaro, 19, was driving a 2013 Yamaha westbound at a high rate of speed when he encountered a slight left curve in the roadway. His speed was too great, troopers said, and the momentum caused him to drift off the road and into the front lawn of a home. Montanaro then drove through the grass and collide with a dirt ditch/embankment. The impact caused Montanaro to the thrown off the bike. Both he and bike then re-entered the road. The bike skidded across the road and came to rest in a cornfield on the south side. At the same time Montanaro came to rest along the shoulder of the road after skidding to a final rest.Montanaro was taken by ambulance to the township municipal building where Pennstar helicopter landed and transported him to St. Luke's Hospital, Fountain Hill, for treatment of major injury, troopers added.Troopers said Montanaro has been cited for reckless driving, careless driving and driving a vehicle at a unsafe speed.