Distracted Driver Causes Collision in Summerland

The California Highway Patrol is attributing a car collision in Summerland Thursday morning to distracted driving.

The collision occurred at about 9:40 a.m. on U.S. Highway 101 southbound just before the Evans off ramp. That’s where a 19-year-old driver of a Ford sedan reportedly bumped a very small vehicle called a SMART car and it went over the side.

The driver of the SMART car was not hurt. The vehicle ended up down an embankment but not all the way to the base where the trains come through.

Authorities say the driver of the Ford was distracted by the map feature on the smartphone.

The rail lines remained open. All highway lanes remained opened while Colson’s towing retrieved the vehicle that went over the side.