Woman Dies After Falling Off Moving Car

A 41-year-old woman died Saturday afternoon after apparently falling off the hood of a car that was in motion and hitting her head on the road, according to police. She died at the scene on the 1400 block of Sycamore Canyon Road.

The driver of the car, Dennis Gibbons, 59, was allegedly under the influence of a controlled substance, and was arrested. He remains in Santa Barbara County Jail on $100,000 bail for alleged felony DUI, gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, and felony possession of a controlled substance. According to police, crack cocaine, marijuana, and a prescription scheduled controlled substance were all found in the 1994 Mercury Sedan.

Police say Gibbons told them the woman had been riding on the hood. According to authorities, Gibbons and the woman had been drinking alcohol and doing drugs, including crack cocaine throughout the day before driving to the area where the incident occurred. After some time, Gibbons began driving the car with the woman on the hood of Gibbons’s car, which was seen by a witness.

The woman has not been identified, pending notification of her family.