Driver Identified in Cliff Drive Crash

Nineteen-year-old Sophia Koch turned herself in to the Santa Barbara Police Department yesterday for the one-vehicle crash on Cliff Drive on May 7. Accompanied by her attorney, Koch admitted to police that she had driven the purple Land Rover at 1 a.m., which struck two cars and a concrete wall, and seriously injured her passenger. Koch was helped from the car by a nearby resident, but her passenger had to be cut out of the car by firefighters. The name of her passenger has not been officially released, but the young woman’s family has started a GoFundMe page for her extensive medical needs.

Charges against Koch include driving under the influence, joyriding, driving without a license, going more than 30 mph over the speed limit, and felony great bodily injury. She is held in County Jail on $100,000 bail.

Correction: The driver’s first name is Sophia, not Sofia; last name is correct. Also, a neighbor pulled her from the car; firefighters cut her passenger from the vehicle. She was not released on her own recognizance and is now listed as a jail inmate.

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