Edhat Staff
(Photos: Mike Eliason / SBCFD)
Update by edhat staff
At 7:42 a.m. Thursday, California Highway Patrol (CHP) dispatch reports a vehicle collided with a CHP vehicle on Highway 101 southbound, just south of the Nojoqui Summit.
Initial reports state a CHP vehicle was turning through the center divider and was struck by an oncoming vehicle. Santa Barbara County Fire Department PIO Mike Eliason reports the officer was assisting with a different traffic collision and was waiting to make a u-turn when the CHP vehicle was hit by another southbound vehicle. The CHP officer was uninjured while the other driver suffered minor injuries.
Caltrans is on the scene and has closed lanes as vehicles are in the center divider. As of 8:18 a.m., a hard closure is in effect of the northbound number one and two lanes as well as the southbound number one lane from the top of the summit to Highway 1.
Reports by edhat readers
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Vehicle went off the road near Gaviota on Highway 101 southbound.
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Massive backup on Highway 101 southbound. On the grade it is reduced lane and backed up for a couple miles. Standstill. There was a sign say emergency services ahead but I haven’t come to the accident yet. Already been 30 min and i imagine another hour to get over the hill.
This is how I viewed the video… The CHP was responding to a call to an accident and was making a rapid U-Turn at that point in the road. He probably expected to turn in behind the black truck, but the truck saw him coming rapidly and tried to stop to let him come through. That caused him to lose control and block the view of the car behind him who also slammed on his brakes once he saw what the truck was doing and skidded into the CHP. Neither the truck nor the other vehicle were making a left turn. The rate at whcih the CHP was responding to the call was the cause of the accident.
thats mostly how i saw it too. to me it looked like the cop was in the process of beginning the u-turn into the merging lane but the truck and compact car were cutting the corner and using the turn lane/subsequent merging lane a bit and then panicked when the cop was right there
The officer was conducting an illegal uturn from the center median without his required emergency vehicle lights on! There was not a left-turn pocket at his location. The officer caused this accident by making erratic driving maneuvers without his e-lights on.
This is the same 25 year-old trooper that rear ended a family of 5 while doing 110 mph around a blind curve, just to catch up to a chase that had already ended.
Why is this trooper still allowed to drive a state vehicle!!!!