A man has been seriously injured while riding a trail bike at Unanderra.
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Police say the bike involved was unregistered and the crash has occurred at a "hotspot" for similar rider behaviour.
Early reports indicate the 36-year-old man was riding out of the Illawarra Hockey Centre shortly before the crash, about 11am Thursday.
Police believe the bike jumped the kerb onto Waples Road before it was hit side-on by a ute travelling east.
Lake Illawarra police Chief Inspector Paul Allman said the man was thrown on impact and had suffered "possibly life-threatening injuries", including a head injury.
"Early stages of the investigation indicate that the unregistered cycle has come from the footpath and crossed the road without giving way to the eastbound vehicle," he said.
The man's distraught family members rushed to the crash site and witnessed some of the efforts of paramedics.
He has been taken by road ambulance to Albion Park airport, to be airlifted to a Sydney hospital.
A female passenger who was travelling in the ute was treated for minor injuries.
The Mercury understands the male ute driver was physically unharmed.
Chief insp Allman said the site was one of two where members of the public regularly reported encounters with unregistered bikes.
"We're getting reports on a daily basis in relation to the Unanderra area and the Port Kembla area. "We're heavily focussed on it and we have a number of pro-active strategies that have been put in place to reduce the instance if unregistered bikes being ridden on our roads."
The Mercury understands the injured rider was wearing a helmet; it is not known whether this was fastened at the time of impact.
More to come