Police Identify Victims Killed and Lone Survivor in Fatal Santa Barbara Mesa Crash
LATEST UPDATE
Santa Barbara police have identified the three people killed in Tuesday night’s fatal accident on Cliff Lane in Santa Barbara.
The victims are: driver Angel Luis Flores, 24; rear right side passenger Benjamin Samuel Rubio, 28; and rear driver’s side passenger Daniella Diane Hearn, 19.
The survivor of the crash, 29-year-old Santa Barbara resident Michael James Mendoza, is still recovering at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, according to Sgt. Riley Harwood with the Santa Barbara Police Department.
No further details on Mendoza’s condition will be provided by the Santa Barbara Police Department.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
We will update this story when new information becomes available.
——————————————-
AUG. 10, 2016 UPDATE
Cliff Drive has reopened in Santa Barbara following a deadly car crash that happened Tuesday night. Police and cleanup crews working more than nine hours to get the roadway back open. The mangled car was towed out from underneath a tree just before 7 a.m.
The three people killed, two men and one woman, have not been identified. A fourth male victim who was sitting in the front right seat was transported to the hospital with critical injuries.
“The scene was chaotic and involved a major public safety concern with the water from the ruptured hydrant along with the damaged power pole. There was also a significant number of road closures required to preserve the collision scene,” said Sgt. Riley Harwood with the Santa Barbara Police Department.
Check back for continued updates.
—————————————————————————–
ORIGINAL STORY
Santa Barbara Police are on the scene of a triple fatal car crash on Cliff Drive. It happened just before 9 p.m. at Cliff near Santa Barbara City College.
Police confirm that three people were found dead inside a car and a fourth person, a man, was found outside the vehicle. He has been transported to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital in critical condition. Firefighters are still working to get the victims out of the car.
Roads in the area are shutdown as they investigate what happened.
Police say a white Lexus, was traveling Eastbound on Cliff at a high rate of speed, hit a curb, a power pole, and slammed into at tree.
A power outage has been reported at nearby homes.
Residents that heard and saw the crash told our NewsChannel 3 crew that it was a horrific scene. Mesa resident Seymour Duncan said he was trying to get people back from the power pole as a safety precaution.
Check back for continued updates on this story.
Resident John Goodman recorded this video soon after the crash just before paramedics arrived on scene.
VIDEO: Santa Barbara Mesa Crash Kills Three People