Edhat Staff
(Photo: John Palminteri / KEYT News)
A 21-year-old Goleta man was arrested for DUI after traveling the wrong way on SR-217 in Goleta caused two injuries early Friday morning.
At 1:25 a.m. California Highway Patrol (CHP), Santa Barbara County firefighters, Sheriff’s Deputies, and a ground ambulance responded to the eastbound lanes of SR-217 near the Highway 101 southbound transition.
The CHP report states Grady James Hocking, 21-years-old of Goleta, drove his 2018 Mazda northbound in the southbound lanes of Highway 101 before traveling westbound in the eastbound lanes of SR-217, all in the wrong direction.
A 53-year-old man from Oxnard, David Cruz, was properly driving his 2012 Dodge vehicle eastbound on SR-217, approaching the wrong way vehicle. The Mazda collided head-on with the Dodge causing both drivers to sustain major injuries. Hocking received a fractured sternum and was transported to Cottage Hospital via ground ambulance. Cruz sustained a broken right leg and was transported to Cottage Hospital after firefighters extricated him from the vehicle. Both drivers were wearing their seatbelts.
Hocking was arrested for Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol.
The eastbound SR-217 interchange was closed for approximately one hour during the on-scene investigation. The collision remains under investigation and the current report is available in the link below.
Well if you look him up on FB, he’s pretty much a scumbag and this type of incident is not a shock. I feel bad for the person that he hurt and I hope that person recovers and that this DUI driver has good insurance!
You know he was texting.
Another unfortunate and tragic event caused by yet another SBCC transplant! Definitely luring in the cream of the crop thanks to that 100% acceptance rate. The numbers need to be reigned in people. Housing, rental markets, and lives impacted and destroyed. Prayers to the poor soul that had the bad luck of crossing paths w this jerk!