Major injury crash under investigation on Santa Barbara Mesa
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. -- A major injury accident occurred around 1 a.m. on Thursday in the Santa Barbara Mesa on the 1500 Block of Cliff Drive. There were two injuries.
Santa Barbara Police Department closed the area between Salida del Sol and Santa Cruz Boulevard for several hours.
Investigators say a 2020 Range Rover was going east at a high speed and went out of control. It clipped a parked Volvo and plowed into the back of a parked Toyota Scion sedan.
The Scion, was hurled 160 feet down the road. The Range Rover then rolled, struck several trees and a concrete retaining wall.
Santa Barbara Police Department Public Engagement Officer Anthony Wagner said, "I think it is safe to say that never before that I have seen the velocity of a collision move a parked car 160 feet. It is perplexing how much energy was involved."
The Range Rover's roof separated from the vehicle completely and was ejected down the road. The debris field spanned over 1300 feet.
Parts from both vehicles were strewn over several lanes.
Mark Griffith lives at the crash scene in the Mesa. He was jolted by the sound. "I was sleeping and I heard a boom and a kind of sprinkling of glass and then a moment later a girl started screaming." Griffith ran out from his home and helped one of the women out of the car, he comforted her until police and fire arrived.
Griffith did not say if the driver made a statement about what happened or what speed she was going.
First responders arrived and extricated the other woman from the Range Rover. Both women sustained major injuries and were transported by AMR ambulance to Cottage Hospital.
Police say impairment and speed appeared to be major contributing factors to the collision. The speed has not been determined.
In recent weeks, Mesa residents have been very vocal about excessive speed on Cliff Drive at night in addition to an ongoing concern for years about daytime speeds.
The 1500 block has had multiple accidents over the last 30 years according to longtime residents including one who has had two vehicles end up in his front yard.
Police have, at times, had saturation patrols in the area as a way to respond.
In August 2016 three people were killed on Cliff Drive when a vehicle lost control on a curve, hit a large rock and crashed into a large tree. It was later determined by police, the car was going in excess of 90 miles and hour and the driver was impaired after drinking prior to the crash.
In December of 2018, a motorcycle rider died in an accident in front of Santa Barbara City College. Police said speed was a contributing factor.
In November of 2017, a woman was killed when her car went out of control into a wall by Santa Barbara City College, and spun back into traffic hitting an MTD bus. Police say was believed to have had a medical injury prior to the bus crash.
The Santa Barbara Police Department’s Traffic Collision Reconstruction Team responded to the scene and took over the investigation of the collision.
The investigation will be submitted to the Santa Barbara District Attorney’s Office for review.
No identifications were released.
Watch for a full report tonight on NewsChannel 3 , NewsChannel 12 and KKFX Fox 11 News.
(more information and video will be added here later today.)
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