Just after 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Santa Barbara Police received multiple 9-1-1 calls reporting a collision between a Jeep Wrangler, an e-bike, and an MTD bus at the intersection of Mission and State streets.
SBPD officers, Santa Barbara Fire personnel, and paramedics responded to the scene to find that the driver of the Jeep had sustained moderate injuries and was transported to Cottage Hospital for further treatment. The bicyclist sustained minor injuries, and no one on the bus was harmed.
According to witness testimony, the Jeep was driving northbound on State Street and drove into the protected left-hand turn lane at the Mission Street intersection. The bicyclist was waiting to make a left-hand turn in the lane, and the Jeep collided with the e-bike.
After the Jeep hit the bike, it proceeded to enter the intersection into oncoming traffic, then into southbound lanes of traffic on State Street before hitting the MTD bus head-on.
The left front corner of the MTD bus was left caved in, and the windshield of the Jeep cracked and hood smashed. SBPD is investigating the incident, and it is not known yet if drugs or alcohol played a role in the collision.
