Fatal Traffic Collision Occurs on North Hope Avenue

On October 24, 2021, around 2:00am, Santa Barbara Police Combined Communications Center received a frantic call regarding a medical emergency occurring at a residence located on Broadmoor Plaza. It was reported a 53-year-old male had collapsed in his bathroom with an unknown medical condition and required paramedics.

AMR Paramedics and Santa Barbara City Fire Department responded to the home to render aid. While responding, a Santa Barbara Police Dispatcher was providing emergency medical dispatch (EMD) instructions to the reporting party over the phone. Fire department personnel and paramedics arrived and conducted CPR on the patient tirelessly. Tragically, the man passed away.

Officers arrived on scene and started an investigation and learned the male subject had been involved in a traffic collision several hours earlier in the 900 block of North Hope Ave. The man, and a friend were both independently riding mopeds around midnight and accidently collided with each other. Both subjects were thrown from their mopeds and landed on the roadway. Both seemed to be uninjured and remounted their vehicles and traveled to another friend’s house. While at the friend’s home, the 53-year-old started experiencing chest pains, was not feeling well, and decided to go home. Once at home his condition deteriorated quickly, and he was pronounced dead at his home on Broadmoor Plaza.

California state collision reporting guidelines deem any collision where death occurs because of injuries sustained in a collision within 30 days of that collision shall be deemed a fatal traffic accident. It appears at this time the earlier collision was directly linked to the death of the male subject.

The Santa Barbara Police Collision Reconstruction Team responded to the scene of the accident. This incident is still under investigation. The decedents name is being withheld pending notification of family.