Biker seriously injured in collision

BY ERIC LINDBERG
DAILY SOUND STAFF WRITER

A 23-year-old bicyclist suffered serious head injuries after colliding with a car Monday morning near the Mission Street offramp, Santa Barbara police said.
Upon arrival, officers found the man, identified as Johan Montoya, unresponsive with serious head trauma despite wearing a helmet at the time of the collision, Sgt. Lorenzo Duarte said. The driver of the red Nissan Xterra involved in the accident, Lilia Buenrostro, 34, escaped injury, he added.

Paramedics took Montoya to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, where he underwent surgery. He remains in the Intensive Care Unit and is listed in stable but critical condition, Sgt. Duarte said.
Collision investigators shut down the Mission Street underpass for more than six hours yesterday, including the Highway 101 southbound onramp and offramp, as they attempted to reconstruct the accident. Authorities reopened the roadway at approximately 1 p.m., Sgt. Duarte said.
Authorities are still trying to piece together exactly what happened and are urging witnesses or those with information about the collision to call the police department’s traffic accident investigator at 897-3719.