Sheriff’s office identifies 4 killed in early morning crashes on HWY 101
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office has identified the four people killed in a pair of early morning crashes on Highway 101 Wednesday.
One person was killed in a crash on northbound Highway 101 at around 2:10 a.m. Wednesday morning. The sheriff's office identified the person killed as 31-year-old Cameron Martinez of Solvang.
Martinez was killed when his Hyundai Sonata collided with another car in the southbound lane and his vehicle was sent into the shoulder of the road. The driver of the other involved vehicle fled the scene according to the California Highway Patrol. Martinez was declared dead at the scene.
About ten minutes after this crash, three more people were killed in a head-on collision on southbound Highway 101 at Dos Pueblos Canyon Road. The driver of a Volkswagen traveling north went over the dirt center divider into oncoming traffic in the southbound lane and collided with a Ford Expedition.
The driver of the Volkswagen was killed as well as the driver and a passenger in the Ford. They have been identified as 28-year-old Natalia Stallworth of Santa Barbara, 25-year-old Daniel Garcia of Santa Maria and 23-year-old Eryka Lopez also of Santa Maria.
These crashes resulted in a hard closure of Highway 101 that was in place for more than eight hours.
These crashes remain under investigation by CHP and investigators will look to determine if drugs or alcohol played a role in either crash. Anyone with information is urged to contact Santa Barbara CHP at 805-967-1234.
