Anonymous
Update by edhat staff
August 27, 2021
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff Coroner’s Bureau is releasing the names of the decedents from the two separate vehicle collisions that took place on Highway 101 near Goleta on Wednesday.
In the southbound collision near Dos Pueblos Canyon, the decedents are 28-year-old Natalia Stallworth of Santa Barbara, 25-year-old Daniel Garcia of Santa Maria, and 23-year-old Eryka Lopez of Santa Maria.
In the northbound collision near Dos Pueblos Canyon, the decedent is 31-year-old Cameron Martinez of Solvang.
Four Fatalities in Two Collisions Shuts Down Highway 101
Update by Caltrans
1:15 p.m., August 25, 2021
Highway 101 is now fully open in both directions. Highway 154 is also open.
Update by Caltrans
10:15 a.m., August 25, 2021
The southbound lanes of US 101 are now open. One lane of northbound US 101 remains closed. Highway 154 remains closed in both directions in the Windy Gap area following a separate traffic incident.
Update by edhat staff
9:00 a.m., August 25, 2021
Four people have died from two separate vehicle collisions that took place on Highway 101 near Winchester Canyon early Wednesday morning.
At 2:14 a.m. and 2:25 a.m. the Santa Barbara County Fire Department received reports of two separate vehicle collisions on Highway 101 northbound. The first collision was near Winchester Canyon and resulted in the fatality of one occupant. The second collision resulted in three fatalities.
Three fire engines, one truck company, and a Battalion Chief responded to both incidents where extrication of the victims was required. The vehicle in the second collision also caught fire and crews had to extinguish it before retrieving the victims.
Both collisions are under investigation by law enforcement and further details are not known. Although, edhat scanner reporters state at least one of the collisions involved California Highway Patrol pursuing a suspect vehicle heading northbound who then moved into the southbound lanes.
One lane of northbound US Highway 101 is closed from Winchester Canyon Road to Dos Pueblos Road following a multi-vehicle accident this morning. The southbound lanes of US 101 remain closed until approximately 12 noon, according to Caltrans.
This is a developing story.
Photo: SBCFD
By JB86
2:30 a.m., August 25, 2021
CHP had a pursuit northbound from Ventura on the 101 at speeds up to 115 mph. Before the pursuit got to Winchester Cyn, there was and unrelated accident in the northbound lanes. CHP called off the pursuit, but the pursued vehicle crossed over into the southbound lanes and crashed head-on into a southbound vehicle, resulting a fiery wreck. At least one dead, two vehicles totally involved, a VW Jetta and an SUV. Hard closure on the southbound side of 101.
How do we stop these incidents? Should all cars be equipped with a cutoff device that police can activate? All of us are potentially at risk during these chases.
At 2:00-2:30 AM the CHP probably had several opportunities and the tools to end this between Ventura and the crash site. Law enforcement is so scared of lawsuits they can’t do the job when needed.
Unless someone was on a murder spree prior to fleeing, it is more dangerous to the public to pursue than to call it off immediately. Don’t know what the case is here, but I have very little tolerance for the havoc and pain police chases too often cause.
SBObserver – 15 minutes should be plenty of time for a properly trained PD to deploy something like a nail strip or even a road block. Was there no one on patrol near the 101 “up river” from this?
What we need is a new freeway up on the hills bypassing Santa Barbara and cutting across to the 101 north of the Gaviota pass. That’s what they do in France and Italy with similar terrain along the Mediterranean coast line.
I’d like to see the GPS on the chp car that called off the chase approximately where it was looks like they got chased straight into the car accident that occurred a little while earlier and they veered off and crashed-I wonder if it was the same CHP that did a U-turn and accelerated right into the side of a car on the pass a couple months prior?
You can thank Gavin Nuisance for that SBO.
Liberals are those people who aren’t fundamentally dishonest.
Right wing noise.
The woman who caused the second crash (high speed chase) had an arrest record littered with DUI, drugs charges, carjacking and all sorts of other serious crimes. Why the hell was this person not in prison? We have seriously lost our way when we as a society allow such awful people to remain free. She should have been in a cell, rotting away, not speeding down the highway at 115mph and killing innocent people.
https://www.localcrimenews.com/welcome/detail/36351432/natalia-kyme-stallworth-arrest.html
Ask the liberals in charge of our state Sb…
Hey Duke, Are the “liberals” the ones who passed all the overzealous sentencing requirements for drugs and other victimless crimes that led to prison overcrowding? Arent the Conservatives the ones that pushed and passed the 3strikes laws and clogged up our prisons forcing the courts to rule in favor of human rights over draconian, mandatory sentencing? Why, yes, yes they are… and thus set in motion the reason for the early release of so many felons. It is amazing how short sighted and emotional the Cons are with everything…. Do they ever think or care to think about the consequences of their knee-jerk legislation? No. No they dont… and before you attempt to shut me out, know that I am not a Democrat.
I am not absolving this woman of the horrific, unforgivable acts she chose to commit. However, I don’t see anything, outside of this event, in her criminal history that warrants “rotting away” in prison for life. You *can* lock criminals up and throw away the key, but it does nothing to treat the root cause of the problem, and it will continue to repeat. We need prison reform. We need mental health treatment for all. We need accessible, meaningful drug treatment programs. Our justice system is completely broken.
It’s hyper partisan identity politics like this that truly are destroying our country…
Wow that’s quite the rap sheet! So many “driving with drugs in system.” Sadly the crimes didn’t carry large enough penalties to keep her locked up because she was clearly a danger. I’m sure that she caused the first fatal crash before she veered to the other side of the freeway and killed the people in the 2nd car. 🙁
What guts me are these images and the loss of life. People, can you please STFU about the blame game for a moment of silence for the lost souls? Show some decorum. These were local kids, their friends and family are suffering from grief. Try to imagine this was happening to you and your loved ones at this very moment, would you really want to have the community talking shit about politics, really? It seems so petty to argue about the woulda/shoulda’s in a moment like this. Grow up and have some self-control, Trolling on an article where locals have died is not the place for your political beliefs to be aired!