Woman and Dog Hit by Multiple Cars in Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara’s accident prone area claimed another life. The Milpas Street in Santa Barbara is one of the busiest and most congested streets in the city. Last year, it was designated as a major accident zone.


On the night of November 3rd, a 26-year old woman, along with her dog, was struck and killed by multiple cars as she tried to cross the highway 101 near the Milpas Street off-ramp. The woman was identified as Hannah Strombergs, a local transient. Authorities said the woman was walking across the southbound lane of the freeway when she was hit by as many as five cars. The cars involved in the accident include a Honda, a Mercedes, a Cadillac Deville, and a Toyota Scion. Officers are still looking for a Kia that they believe is also involved in the incident.

The unfortunate incident came as the City of Santa Barbara is taking action on making the Milpas Street safer for pedestrians, bicyclists and drivers alike. The city had already repaved and repainted the streets. According to Sebastian Aldana, Jr., Vice President of the Milpas Community Association, “They're going to put a bike lane here in the next few weeks, those flashing beacons will be installed. The City Council has put the east side neighborhood a number one priority for public safety.”

"It's a high traffic area, foot traffic, it's very important, there's been a couple deaths already, we don't need another one," Aldana added.

Recent accidents in Milpas Street include a bicyclist who was hit by a car after she failed to use a crosswalk at Milpas and a teenager who was hit and killed by a truck at corner of Milpas and Ortega Streets.

In Santa Barbara, car crash accidents and other personal injury cases are very common. Safety on the road should always be one of your concerns. Next to it is the awareness of what to do if ever you are involved in an accident.

Call a Santa Barbara personal injury lawyer as soon as you can. Santa Barbara law firms are very experienced in dealing with cases like these and Santa Barbara injury lawyers can assist you as you deal with the intricacies of personal injury law. If you are involved in an accident, no matter whose fault it is, contact a Santa Barbara personal injury attorney immediately.

Santa Barbara County and Sheriff Department to Pay Millions on Personal Injury Compensation

Back in 2009, a Santa Barbara car crash happened when a drunk driver entered Highway 101 and drove the wrong way. It resulted to the death of one teenager and permanently injured two.

The driver named, Richard Rodriquez, entered the freeway and begun driving North on the fast lane of Southbound 101 until he collided with the vehicle driven by Marcos Arredondo, 18. His sisters Yessica and Karina were seated at the back seat. Rodriguez was sentenced to 13 years in prison and was ordered to pay restitution to the victim's families.

But the Arredondos also filed a wrongful death claim against the Santa Barbara Sheriff's Department. According to their Santa Barbara personal injury attorney, the Sheriff's Deputy who responded to the incident acted with negligence causing Arredondo to crash head-on with the wrong way driver. The family claims that the deputies lacked training in responding to wrong way drivers and broke from the protocol. They also said that freeways were under the jurisdiction of the California Highway Patrol, who have their own set of protocol for dealing with wrong way drivers. They claim that the deputy's negligent actions forced Arredondo's car into the path of the wrong way driver.

According to the complaint, Sheriff's Deputy Jeremy Rogers entered the southbound of Highway 101 and was driving at a very slow speed. He did not activate his left turn signal, overhead lights, or siren. He unexpectedly merged in Lane 2 where Arredondo was driving, forcing the young driver to go into Lane 1 in order to avoid the deputy which led to his collision with Rodriguez.

Though they initially denied any negligence on the deputy's response, the Santa Barbara County and Sheriff Department agreed to pay $4.8 millions in settlement to the victim's family. The Santa Barbara personal injury lawyer of the Arredondo's estimated the damages of the fatal car crash to total more than $12 million, but the family is grateful for the amount settled. Most of their compensation will go to their medical expenses.

If you are a victim of personal injury in Santa Barbara, consult injury lawyers immediately. Most Santa Barbara law firms are experts in dealing with personal injury cases.