Full Notification

Santa Barbara Police Department Traffic Collision Investigators have completed their investigation into the August 9, 2016 triple fatal traffic collision that occurred on the 1200 block of Cliff Drive.  This collision involved a single vehicle that was occupied by a driver and three passengers.  Investigation revealed that the driver of the car was under the influence of alcohol and that the vehicle was travelling at an unsafe speed at the time of the crash.

On August 9, 2016 at 8:49 p.m., Santa Barbara Police, Santa Barbara City Firefighters, and AMR Paramedics responded to the 1200 block of Cliff Drive on a call of an injury traffic collision involving a single vehicle that had driven off the roadway and struck a tree.  The involved vehicle, a white 1997 Lexus LS400, had been occupied by four people: driver Angel Luis Flores, age 24, of Santa Barbara; front passenger Michael James Mendoza, age 29, of Santa Barbara; left rear passenger Daniella Diane Hearn, age 19, of Santa Barbara; and right rear passenger Benjamin Samuel Rubio, age 28, of Carpinteria.  Flores, Hearn, and Rubio died at the scene.  Mendoza survived with severe injuries.

Investigation indicates the following.  Flores had a blood alcohol content of .20 and was driving his vehicle eastbound on the 1200 block of Cliff Drive at approximately 94 miles per hour prior to the first point of impact.  He drove off of the roadway and collided with multiple fixed objects, resulting in his death, the death of two of his passengers, and severe injuries to one passenger.

An objective of law enforcement traffic collision investigations is to identify the element or driving action that is the main cause of the collision, referred to as the primary collision factor, which is usually a violation of the Vehicle Code.  In this case the primary collision factor is a violation of 23152(a) & (b) VC, driving under the influence of alcohol, on the part of Flores.  An associated factor is a violation of 22350(a) VC, unsafe speed.  Investigators also concluded that roadway engineering and environmental conditions did not have a role in causing this collision.