SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - A car hit and killed a pedestrian early this morning in Santa Barbara. California Highway Patrol Officers are still searching for the driver and vehicle.
Here's what happened according to CHP:
A vehicle vs. pedestrian, fatal traffic collision occurred early this morning on US-101 southbound between the Ortega Street Pedestrian over-crossing and the Castillo Street off-ramp. The impact between the Hyundai and the pedestrian resulted in the pedestrian's death and the temporary closure of US-101 southbound.
The Ventura Communication Center (VTCC) broadcast a call of a pedestrian staggering within the southbound freeway traffic lanes, at approximately 0105 hours. There were multiple reports with conflicting locations. Both the California Highway Patrol (CHP) and Santa Barbara Police (SBPD) responded from the downtown area to search for the man. Within minutes, the SBPD located a collision scene and reported the man had been struck by a vehicle and succumbed to his injuries from the collision.
The involved vehicle, which based on physical evidence was determined to be a white Hyundai, was immediately driven from the scene following the collision. The driver failed to remain at the scene as required by law and has yet to contact law enforcement. Based on physical evidence collected, investigators determined the Hyundai sustained contact damage to the left front and side. The Hyundai's driver's side door mirror was located in the traffic lanes.
Southbound traffic was rerouted off the freeway at Carrillo Street, while CHP officers investigated the collision. Caltrans, with the assistance of SBPD officer's, rerouted traffic off the freeway, through downtown Santa Barbara, and back onto the freeway at Garden Street. The detour had little impact on the light traffic during the early morning hours. The freeway was reopened within a couple hours following the collection of physical evidence.
The VTCC broadcast a Be On the Lookout (BOL) for the involved Hyundai. Witnesses were interviewed at the scene; however, an ongoing investigation is underway. The CHP is requesting anyone with information about the fleeing Hyundai and/or driver to please contact the Santa Barbara Area office at (805) 967-1234.
The deceased is a Santa Barbara resident. Any inquiries regarding the identity of the deceased shall be made through the Coroner's office (Case #13-624) following notification of next of kin.
