Edhat Staff
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office is releasing the identity of the foreign student who was fatally injured yesterday, March 30, 2018, at approximately 1:20 a.m. in a traffic collision at the intersection of Hollister Avenue and Storke Road in the City of Goleta. The decedent is 19-year-old Justine Van Ginderachter of Belgium, who was living in Santa Barbara as part of the Education First Program. Next of kin has been notified.
The decedent was not wearing a seat belt and was a passenger in an Uber that collided with another vehicle in the intersection. Alcohol and drugs are not believed to be a factor and both drivers are cooperating with the investigating deputies.
The Sheriff’s Major Accident Response Team is investigating the incident to determine the events that led to the fatal collision. Anyone who witnessed this collision or has any information to assist investigators is asked to please contact Senior Deputy Jeff Farmer at 805-961-7514 or send him an email to jlf3077@sbsheriff.org. To leave an anonymous tip, please call 805-681-4171 or go to http://www.sbsheriff.org/
Update by Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office
At approximately 1:20 a.m. this morning, March 30, 2018, one person was killed and four others were injured in a two-car collision that occurred in the City of Goleta. The collision, involving a blue Hyundai Tucson and a white Toyota Camry, occurred at the intersection of Hollister Avenue and Storke Road. The Hyundai was westbound on Hollister Avenue and the Toyota was northbound on Storke Road when both vehicles entered the intersection and collided.
The driver of the Hyundai was a 33-year-old Ventura resident working as an Uber driver. There were two passengers in the Hyundai, an 18-year-old male and a 19-year-old female, both of which were foreign students living in Santa Barbara. The 18-year-old male received medical treatment at the scene for minor injuries, while the female was transported to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. The female was pronounced dead at the hospital shortly after arrival. Both passengers in the Hyundai were not wearing seatbelts and the female had been ejected from the vehicle. Her name is being withheld until next of kin is notified.
The Toyota was driven by a 24-year-old female Riverside resident, with a 16-year-old female resident also from Riverside and a 19-year-old male from Los Angeles as passengers. The driver and one passenger received minor injuries, while the other passenger was uninjured.
The Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Major Accident Response Team is investigating this collision and working to determine which driver ran the red light. Alcohol and drugs are not believed to be a factor and both drivers are cooperating with the investigating deputies. Anyone with information regarding this collision is asked to call Senior Deputy Jeff Farmer at 805-961-7514.
Senior Deputy Farmer who is the lead investigator in this case said, “This collision is a sad reminder of the importance of wearing seatbelts. In this case, it would have been life-saving.”
By an edhat reader
A black car took a red light hitting a white vehicle crossing intersection. There are reports of some dead. Hollister Ave. at Storke Road is closed for an investigation.
This is really horrible… Rest in Peace… I only go with Yellow Cab no one else.
I’ve known 4 uber drivers. None of them carried the proper insurance for paying passengers. Each carried regular non-commercial insurance. I won’t use Uber because of this.
why generally blaming uber? the owner of the car, that picked up the two passengers should have told them to buckle up. Its not ubers fault that they did not ( let alone if could have happened the same way in a NON uber ). The funny thing about all the bad energy towards uber is this…… THOSE DRIVERS ARE YOUR NEIGHBORS. They are people just like you and me, driving their own cars. To say, “you will get killed or raped” is the epitome of ignorance. Scared of your neighbors, scared of the planes outside, scared of the world you see on tv.
Tip. turn off the TV and put down the phone and stop feeding into the media machine that makes you fear EVERYTHING
You make a good point. My neighbors are freaks, and many drivers are AWFUL – I wouldn’t want them driving me anywhere.
Once the Uber ride starts the tip is covered by Rivers Insurance. One of the biggest customer complaints is being told to wear seat belts by the driver. Narcissism mixed with drinking, then being told to do something by someone they disrespect is too much for the big drunk or rich ego. Any sensible person puts on their seat belt when they get in a car, any car. The fact that the driver has to ask, or remind the customer says a lot more about the customer than Uber or Lift, and the drivers.