SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Sunday night, Santa Barbara Police responded to a call of an accident at involving a car and a Jeep. Once they arrived, they discovered a woman with severe injuries who had to be transported to a hospital.
Here is what police are saying: "On November 18, 2012 at 6:48 p.m., officers from the Santa Barbara Police Department responded to a call of an injury traffic collision involving a vehicle and a bicyclist at the intersection of Victoria Street and Santa Barbara Street. The bicyclist, Talia Alessandra Tashma-Rapp, age 18, of Santa Barbara, was severely injured. She was treated at the scene by paramedics and Santa Barbara Fire Department personnel and then transported to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital Emergency Room.
Given the severity of the accident the SBPD Collision Reconstruction Team was activated and responded to the scene. Independent witnesses to the collision were located, as was a video of the accident taken by a surveillance camera at a nearby business. The investigation revealed that at the time of the collision Tashma-Rapp was riding her bicycle eastbound on Victoria Street and failed to stop for a red signal light at the intersection with Santa Barbara Street. Upon entering the intersection Tashma-Rapp was struck by a black Jeep Grand Cherokee that was traveling northbound in the #1 (west) lane of Santa Barbara Street. The vehicle was driven by Richard Cannis Sander, age 28, of Santa Barbara.
The cause of the collision was determined to be a red light violation on the part of Tashma-Rapp. The investigation also indicates that she might have been listening to music with earbuds in her ears while she was riding. Her bicycle was equipped with a headlight; however she was not wearing a helmet. Alcohol is not a factor in this collision.
Tashma-Rapp is currently being treated at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital for life-threatening injuries."
