Victim in Fatal Traffic Collision North of Goleta Identified as Los Angeles County Man

The victim in a fatal traffic collision off Highway 101 north of Goleta last week has been identified by authorities.

The driver has been identified as Scott Kim, 25-years-old of Stevenson Ranch, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office.

According to the California Highway Patrol (CHP), Kim was driving a white Lexus SUV on Highway 101 southbound early Thursday, December 4. At 3:16 a.m., CHP responded to a crash scene south of Dos Pueblos Canyon Road.

Officers determined the SUV had left the roadway and collided with a “No Parking” sign before overturning and striking a large eucalyptus tree.

Kim was found unresponsive inside the vehicle and was extricated by CHP personnel who initiated CPR. Santa Barbara County Fire arrived shortly thereafter and assumed lifesaving efforts. Kim was pronounced deceased on scene by medical personnel.

The preliminary investigation indicates the vehicle was traveling southbound at an unknown speed in an unknown lane when it veered off the roadway for reasons still under investigation. It is unknown if DUI and or drugs were a factor in this crash, CHP stated.

The #2 lane of Highway 101 southbound was closed and reopened at approximately 8:30 am. 

The incident remains under active investigation by the California Highway Patrol. If anyone witnessed this crash, please call (805) 770-4800 and provide a statement.

Kim’s family has created a GoFundMe online fundraiser to help support his family. Kim is described as a “loving, genuine, and deeply caring son and big brother. He was the biggest supporter of his little brother and always put his family first, no matter what,” the fundraiser states.

It went on to state that he had a gift for making the people around him smile, brought friends closer together, filled rooms with laughter, and showed up for others with sincerity and warmth.

“He was smart, driven, and thoughtful, and he cared for Teddy, the family dog, with such tenderness that it reflected the kind of person he was at his core,” the fundraiser states.

The area of the crash, Dos Pueblos Canyon Road, was also a site of rollover crash on October 31, 2025, according to an Edhat report. That incident occurred around 9:45 a.m. when a caller reported a vehicle off the southbound lanes near Goleta.

That crash involved a white Nissan Altima and a pickup truck. The collision sent the Altima off the roadway. CHP units responded to manage traffic, and officers confirmed no injuries were reported.

According to the California Office of Traffic Safety, Santa Barbara County recorded 2,557 fatal and injury collisions in 2022. Of those, 393 involved alcohol, including 49 crashes with drivers under 21. 

The county also reported 156 motorcycle crashes and 123 pedestrian-involved collisions, including 13 children under 15 and 19 pedestrians aged 65 and older. 

The report listed 503 speed-related collisions, 283 nighttime crashes between 9 p.m. and 2:59 a.m., and 222 hit-and-run cases. OTS rankings place Santa Barbara County in the mid-range compared with 58 statewide jurisdictions.