Fatal Traffic Collision at Hot Springs Offramp
Update by Santa Barbara Police Department
On Sunday night, November 29, 2020 at 11:42 P.M., Santa Barbara Police Officers responded to a report of a rollover traffic collision on Cabrillo Boulevard near Los Patos Way.
Further investigation revealed a vehicle traveling north on Highway 101 exited at Hot Springs Road. The vehicle continued north through the intersection with Cabrillo Boulevard without stopping and struck the curb and light pole on the opposite corner.
The impact caused the vehicle roll several times up the embankment along the Highway 101 Southbound Offramp where it eventually came to rest. The driver (and sole occupant) of the vehicle was ejected and later found deceased. The decedent is a male in his 20's. The identity of the driver is being withheld pending notification of the next of kin.
Reported by Scanner Andrew
Santa Barbara City Fire is on scene of an accident on the 101 SB Hot Springs offramp. Dark gray sedan with major damage on its roof in the bushes.
16 Comments
-
2
-
1
-
Nov 30, 2020 02:15 PMAmazing people are blaming this on the left-hand offramp versus considering that perhaps something impairing the driver's judgement was involved. Sure left-hand exits are very strange, but it is clearly signed and you'd really have to be distracted or impaired (perhaps by a medical emergency) to make an error this bad unless it were your first day ever getting behind the wheel of a car. Lefthand peel-offs for carpool lanes and lefthand division splitting of freeways are very common all throughout southern CA. There could be more to the story.
-
-
-
Nov 30, 2020 04:45 PMI made the comment about the left side off ramp. If you read closely, you will see I did not blame the accident on that at all, I merely stated that that particular section of highway has always struck me as dangerously designed re:lighting. If it is dangerous for the attentive driver, eventually it will be catastrophic to the inattentive or unskilled driver.
-
-
-
Nov 30, 2020 04:42 PMI agree that left-hand exits aren't the issue, and that one in particular suffers from the abruptness of the stop. You better be paying attention there. The Haskell exit off the South-101, just prior to the 405 transition, is similar in nature and you better be slowing down well before you take that exit or you'll never make the turn and get launched into whatever is beyond.
-
-
-
Nov 30, 2020 03:41 PMIt's all speculation until the investigators issue their report next year sometime, but it is true that Caltrans doesn't like left hand on and offramps and argues against them when they are designing freeways. Montecito wanted to keep them, and Caltrans wants them gone, and that has been one of the sticking points in getting 3 lanes from Carpenteria to Salinas.
-
1
-
-
Nov 30, 2020 01:04 PMThis is why Caltrans got rid of the left onramp to the 101 in this area and opposes them (left onramps and offramps) in general. People don't expect them and the consequences can be tragic. But Caltrans can do a better job of signage too. I'm thinking of the right offramp at Mussel Shoals that doesn't tell you that you are going to have to come to a hard stop RIGHT NOW. Just one little stop sign indicator and no 15 mph speed limit sign. That house across from the stop has been hit more than once.
-
-
-
Nov 30, 2020 11:37 AMI totally agree with 1017am """I've always thought that left-hand off ramp was a recipe for disaster. The highway curves right there, and instead of lighting the whole area, they only lit the off ramp. It makes it feel like the highway continues straight.""""
-
-
-
Nov 30, 2020 10:34 AM20's....That really sucks.
-
-
-
Nov 30, 2020 08:07 AMOn Sunday night, November 29, 2020 at 11:42 P.M., Santa Barbara Police Officers responded to a report of a rollover traffic collision on Cabrillo Boulevard near Los Patos Way.
Further investigation revealed a vehicle traveling north on Highway 101 exited at Hot Springs Road. The vehicle continued north through the intersection with Cabrillo Boulevard without stopping and struck the curb and light pole on the opposite corner.
The impact caused the vehicle roll several times up the embankment along the Highway 101 Southbound Offramp where it eventually came to rest. The driver (and sole occupant) of the vehicle was ejected and later found deceased. The identity of the driver is being withheld pending notification of the next of kin.
-
-
-
Nov 30, 2020 09:05 AMupdate: decedent is a male in his 20's
-
1
-
-
Nov 30, 2020 08:49 AMOh man! So glad that nobody was in the intersection and struck by that car but still very sad to hear :(
-
-
-
Nov 30, 2020 07:58 AMOne has to wonder just how these things happen. Speed? Inattentiveness? Heart attack?
-
2
-
-
Nov 30, 2020 10:17 AMI've always thought that left-hand offramp was a recipe for disaster. The highway curves right there, and instead of lighting the whole area, they only lit the offramp. It makes it feel like the highway continues straight.
-
-
-
Nov 30, 2020 12:51 AMClassified as a fatality on the CHP Ventura Communications Center website: http://cad.chp.ca.gov/. What a drag.
-
1
-
-
Nov 30, 2020 12:24 AMTried to exit hot springs. Looked like 6 cop cars on the off ramp and in the intersection. Can now hear chainsaws. Hope the driver is ok.
-
-
-
Nov 30, 2020 12:17 AMCHP is closing both northbound and southbound offramp
-
-
-
Nov 29, 2020 11:59 PMOfframp is closed