The young man who was hit by a car Friday evening remains hospitalized after being removed from the intensive care unit of Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital and is listed in good condition.

The victim, Devashish Awasthi, 19, was struck by a car while crossing Camino Pescadero near the Abrego Road intersection. The driver of the car, UCSB student Elizabeth Quiroz, 21, was not found at fault for the accident, according to California Highway Patrol Public Information Officer Don Clotworthy.

Quiroz was neither intoxicated nor driving with excessive speed according to the CHP report. She was wearing a seatbelt and driving with headlights on, the report said.

Awasthi and his cousin Aditya Oswal were both wearing dark clothing and crossing the street diagonally, the report said. Clotworthy said the dark clothing made it more difficult for motorists to see Awasthi, and the accident is a prime example of what can happen when pedestrians do not use a crosswalk when attempting to cross a street.

“With the influx of UCSB students into the Isla Vista area for the start of the school year, many of whom are new to the area, it’s an important reminder to be as visible as possible when walking at night,” he said in the report.

Awasthi is a resident of Milpitas, Calif., and was in Isla Vista that night with Oswal, a UCSB student, when the accident occurred.

Neither Oswal nor Quiroz could be reached for comment.

Print