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Pedestrian dies after walking across southbound Highway 101 and getting hit by big rig in nighttime crash KENNETH SONG / NEWS-PRESS PHOTOSSouthbound Highway 101 and the onramp to the 101 from State Route 217 (as seen from the Patterson Avenue overpass) is snarled with traffic after a fatal vehicle collision involving a pedestrian in the early morning on Thursday.
A pedestrian walking across Highway 101 around 3 a.m. Thursday died after being struck by a big rig traveling south.
The fatal nighttime crash occurred north of Turnpike Road in the Goleta area and led to the closure of two of the freeway’s three lanes until around 1:30 p.m.
The closure impacted nearby streets. There was a gridlock on Hollister Avenue, along with heavy traffic on Foothill and Cathedral Oaks roads. Traffic was backed up on Patterson Avenue as motorists tried to get on the freeway.
The big rig, which was pulling a trailer, approached Turnpike Road at an undetermined speed. The pedestrian walked from the right shoulder toward the center divider of Highway 101, the California Highway Patrol reported.
The closure of lanes on Highway 101 contributes to gridlock on Hollister Avenue in Old Town Goleta, which saw a mix of its usual traffic and motorists who left the highway. Motorists crowd into one lane on southbound Highway 101 between Patterson Avenue and Turnpike Road. The closure ended early Thursday afternoon.The pedestrian was struck in the second lane, and the driver of the big rig stopped on the right shoulder and called 9-1-1. The CHP, the Santa Barbara County Fire Department and the American Medical Response ambulance company responded.
The pedestrian sustained major injuries and succumbed to them at the scene, the CHP reported. The driver of the big rig pulling a trailer did not sustain any injuries and was not suspected to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs, the CHP said.
This crash is still under investigation. Anyone with information is requested to contact the California Highway Patrol, Santa Barbara Area, Monday through Friday, between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. at 805-967-1234.
The fatality was the second local one this week on Highway 101. On Wednesday, a motorcyclist weaving in and out of all the lanes at a high rate of speed, died after he collided with the left rear portion of a Honda CRV and was ejected and landed on the roadway.
That crash, which occurred in the northbound lanes south of Salinas Street in Santa Barbara, is also under investigation, and anyone with information is asked to contact the CHP. Again, the number is 805-967-1234.
email:kzehnder@newspress.com
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