A Santa Barbara man died after a multiple-car collision on the southbound 101 freeway Sunday afternoon just north of Seacliff, officials said.
The initial collision involved five cars rear-ending each other at about 12:55 p.m., said California Highway Patrol Sgt. Robert Jackson. The fatality happened about a half-mile away when a car apparently struck a vehicle that stopped because of the traffic backup, he said.
The driver of the car did not stop, Guillermo Soto, 40, of Santa Barbara, was airlifted to Ventura County Medical Center in Ventura but died from his injuries, Jackson said.
The crashes created a massive traffic jam that partly shut down the southbound freeway. It reopened at about 2:45 p.m., according to California Highway Patrol logs. Traffic was moving slowly as of 5 p.m., said Ventura County Fire Capt. Matt Garrett.
“It was almost like traffic had stopped and there were multiple rear-endings,” Garrett said of the crash.
This story could be updated.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Update: Santa Barbara man dies in 101 pileup near Seacliff Sunday