Two Injured in Santa Barbara E-Bike and Transit Bus Crash

SANTA BARBARA, CA – Two people were injured Tuesday evening when a Jeep Wrangler struck an e-bike rider and then collided head on with a Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District bus near State and Mission streets, according to police. No one aboard the bus reported an injury.

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Jeep First Struck E Bike Rider

The Santa Barbara Police Department received multiple 911 calls shortly after 6:30 p.m. Oct. 20. Officers, firefighters and paramedics responded to the 2000 block of State Street, where they found the Jeep, the e-bike and the MTD bus involved in the same collision sequence.

Witnesses told investigators that the Jeep was traveling north on State Street and entered the protected left-turn lane at Mission Street. The witness collision account said the e-bike rider was waiting in that lane to turn left when the Jeep struck the bicycle.

Police had not said whether the rider was moving or stopped at the moment of impact. The initial account also did not identify the Jeep’s speed or explain why it entered the turn lane while the rider was there.

Jeep Then Hit Bus Head On

After the contact with the e-bike, the Jeep continued into the intersection and crossed into oncoming traffic. The vehicle briefly traveled north in the southbound lanes of State Street before hitting the MTD bus head on, according to a second crash sequence report.

The bus’s left front corner was caved in. The Jeep’s windshield was cracked, and its hood was crushed. The initial reports did not identify the bus route or say how many passengers were aboard, but police said no bus occupant was injured.

The Jeep driver sustained moderate injuries and was taken to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital for further treatment. The e-bike rider had minor injuries. Authorities did not describe the rider’s treatment or say whether the rider was transported from the scene.

Police Continued Investigation

The reported sequence involved two separate impacts: the first between the Jeep and e-bike, and the second between the Jeep and the oncoming bus. Police had not attributed any pre-impact action to the bus driver or identified a bus equipment problem.

Investigators had not announced whether drugs or alcohol contributed to the Jeep driver’s path. The public reports also did not mention an arrest or citation, and no formal finding of fault had been released.

The identities of the Jeep driver, e-bike rider and bus operator were not released. The registered owner of the Jeep also remained unidentified in the first reports. Those details would distinguish the injured people and clarify the ownership and operation of the vehicles involved.

By Tuesday night, police continued to investigate why the Jeep entered the turn lane, struck the e-bike and crossed into the southbound lanes. The latest confirmed information was that the Jeep driver and rider were injured while everyone aboard the MTD bus avoided injury.