On Friday, October 3, 2008, an accident involving two vehicles and a pedestrian occurred on along the southbound lanes of Highway 101.
According to a report from CHP spokesperson Officer Dan Barba, 43-year-old Jose Chacon of Panorama City, California, was driving his Peterbuilt big rig along the 101 south, near the Milpas Street exit. Directly adjacent to the big rig was a Honda Accord driven by 23-year-old Kory Plakos of Bishop, California. Barba related that Santa Barbara resident Jeffrey Lyberg was strolling along the right shoulder next to Chacon’s big rig when he unexpectedly ran into the far right lane, in front of the truck. In an effort to steer clear of the pedestrian, Chacon veered left, striking the side of Plakos’s Honda, but nonetheless struck Lyberg as well.
Lyberg was transported to Cottage Hospital with a fractured femur, tibia, and fibula. Barba said investigators are still looking into whether alcohol or drugs affected Lyberg’s actions.