Edhat Staff
By the edhat staff
Multiple vehicles were involved in a collision on Cold Spring Bridge last week causing significant damage and four injuries to motorists.
Edhat reader Patrick was one of the drivers involved in the collision and reports it was caused by a semi-truck traveling on Highway 154 emitting thick smoke.
“The 154 accident was caused by an 18 wheeler bellowing smoke out to the point that there was no visibility causing the 4 accidents in about 10 seconds involving 7 cars,” Patrick wrote, “Watch the 18 wheeler in oncoming traffic, which was a ‘smoke and run.'”
Below is a dashcam video provided by Patrick:
The Santa Barbara County Fire Department reported there were five vehicles involved, with two males and two females sustaining moderate injuries who were transported to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital.
The semi-truck reportedly did not stop or pull over and has yet to be identified.
Patrick is asking for anyone else who may have dash camera footage, or any other witnesses who were traveling on Highway 154 between 7-8:00 p.m. on February 1st.
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February 1, 2023: Multi-Vehicle Collision on Cold Spring Bridge
Hope they find the semi driver and charge him with felony fleeing of an accident! As someone who has been commuting the pass for almost two decades, I’d have to say it far past due to put restrictions on semi trucks that are going north/south that are not doing deliveries or business on the pass!!!!!glad everyone is alive!!
Translation
Voice of Reason: “I mean no disrespect”
Translation: “I will disrespect you in the following words and explain what you should have done even though the situation is very difficult and I probably would have done the same thing but I’m going to mansplain it to you instead.”
Like I said, accidents happen and this situation sucks, but ultimately it is the drivers responsibility to NOT hit what’s in front of them. If there is near-zero visibility your car should not be moving forward faster than you can stop when something comes into view.
Maybe it was the same timing when you looked (traffic), but normally Maps shows a 1-5 minute shorter route by taking 154 on average.
This is why so many of us have suggested placing a few extra stop signs along the route. It is such a simple, cheap, easy solution to get tourists and other inexperienced or unprepared (semis!) drivers to take 101 instead.
3:00pm – that’s actually a great idea! If the mapping apps/software or whatever the transit companies use show the route to be slower, they may urge their drivers to stick to the 101. You could easily pop a couple stop signs by the Cachuma entrance and other spots.
The person in front is not the idiot, that person did what the driver with the camera should have done, slow down or stop when you can no longer see in front of you. Whether it was smoke from the truck, fog, a blizzard, heavy rain or glare from the sun, if you can’t see beyond the distance in which you can stop your car, you’re going too fast. Sorry Patrick, it sucks but accidents happen.
VOICE – 100%
There is no good reason to have semi trucks on the pass. Any local deliveries can be made by smaller trucks.
I mean no disrespect but if slamming on your breaks would have caused you to swerve into oncoming traffic you were going too fast for the conditions. You should not avoid breaking hard and hit what’s in front of you out of fear a driver behind you MAY hit you. During the video there were times of zero visibility but you kept moving at a rather high rate of speed – when you couldn’t see three feet in front of your vehicle, if there was time to slam your breaks that was it.
Be it clear, rainy, foggy, smoky or whatever cars follow each other too closely.
Driving down South on 101 around Los Alamos yesterday I was passed by three cars, going about 85 MPH following each other by LESS than 20 feet.
If the first one has any problem, guess what happens to all three.
CHP has NEVER enforced the 3 seconds rule.
Events like those will keep happening!
Another point: I NEVER drive 154 at might, under no condition!
Between the people who don’t know how to drive (even worse in the winding road up/down the pass), the trucks driving over speed, the drunks from wine tasting and casino stays: you’re potentially risky your life anytime you go through at night (it can of course also happen daytime but at least you have more time to react there provided you pay attention to your driving).
Another point: the Gaviota “rest stop” : guess what? It’s been closed for more than 2 weeks! When it reopened I jokingly posted (on Edhat) that they “won’t be open months”, Well SADLY I was right!
And NOT respecting this “rule” is why YOU crashed in the car ahead! So that was a great decision, right?
FondofDB, and NOT having brains enough to see that PATRICK is not me while you though he was kind of disqualifies you from the being able to actually THINK about the crash critically doesn’t it? So that was a brilliant comment wasn’t it?
Patrick the smoke blowing out of the truck is from The California Clear Air Commission (CARB). That is the aftertreatment doing a rolling burn. The exhaust temperature is above 500F so if there is a cool air it will produce smoke. Also blaming someone for you following further than you can see, also you commented that you were reaching for your Hazzard lights. So there you took your eyes off of the road for 2 seconds and in that time traveled to far into the smoke.
Stop blaming your actions on others.
Traveling to fast for the conditions at night and following to close.
7:54 – Word salad full of nonsense.