MTD Bus and Bike Collide
Day After Fatal Pedestrian Incident Downtown, Another Bus Is Involved in Montecito Accident
The day after a man was struck and killed by a Metropolitan Transit District bus in downtown Santa Barbara, another MTD bus was involved in a collision in Montecito, this time involving a bicyclist who went to the hospital for right shoulder pain.
The man, 44-year-old Scott Mann, was cycling westbound on Ortega Hill Road toward Sheffield Drive on his way home at about 3:40 p.m. on Tuesday, February 3, when he lost control of his bicycle and was unable to stop at the intersection with Sheffield. At the same time, the bus was traveling at roughly 20 miles per hour southbound on Sheffield. Mann fell off the bike at a high speed, hitting his shoulder, and the bike ran into the side of the bus.
According to a press release from MTD, the driver “took appropriate evasive action to avoid a collision.” Said MTD general manager Sherrie Fisher: “I commend our driver for his quick response to the situation and credit him with preventing a more serious incident.”
The collision was the second one in as many days for MTD, which provides more than 26,500 passenger trips everyday. The previous day, a 67-year-old was killed while crossing De La Vina Street at the intersection of Figueroa Street. The bus turned left from Figueroa onto the one-way De La Vina, striking the man, who died several hours later. According to an MTD spokesman, early results of an investigation show the driver – who had a solid driving record – was on time.
