A little after 9:30 Sunday night, Santa Barbara police say a 36-year-old woman driving a black SUV under the influence struck and killed an e-bike rider on the 1900 block of State Street between Mission and Pedregosa streets.
Multiple police officers, firefighters and AMR paramedics arrived on the scene, but the victim sustained major injuries and lifesaving efforts failed to keep them alive. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to a press release issued by the police department, it appears the victim may have veered or turned in front of the SUV then driven by Christina Almada, then traveling southbound. The victim’s shoes were knocked off their feet by the impact, and the body was knocked a considerable distance from the e-bike.
That’s not a particularly heavily traveled stretch of State Street and by then, the sun would have set. Traffic was blocked off for several hours as the critical accident reconstruction team sought to determine the sequence of events that led to the e-bike rider’s death. Although the police report identified the victim as a bicyclist, photographs taken at the scene by reporter John Palminteri indicate the vehicle that was struck was an e-bike.
During the investigation, police say Almada had been displaying symptoms of alcohol intoxication. “A DUI investigation ensued and Almada was subsequently arrested for DUI,” a police press release stated. She was subsequently booked into county jail on charges of gross vehicular manslaughter, DUI, and driving without a license. Bail has been set at $100,000. The victim’s identity has not been released pending notification of next of kin.
