Pedestrians still hospitalized in serious condition

ERIC LINDBERG
DAILY SOUND STAFF WRITER

Two people remain hospitalized at Cottage Hospital after being hit in a crosswalk in downtown Santa Barbara on Sunday, police said.
The youngest, a 14-year-old boy, remains in extremely critical condition with serious head and internal injuries, Police Spokesman Lt. Paul McCaffrey said.
"It's about as bad as it can be," he said.

The boy's mother, 54, is also being treated for very serious head and internal injuries, McCaffrey said, adding that a 18-year-old man — a member of the same family who was also hit in the crosswalk — has been treated for internal injuries and released.
"The family resides in Los Angeles, except the 18-year-old who reportedly lives in the Francisco Torres apartments in Isla Vista, and is a UCSB freshman," McCaffrey said.
Authorities are withholding the names of the victims until they can confirm that family members have been notified. However, they identified the driver of the Kia Optima that hit the pedestrians as Patricia Blatt, a 65-year-old woman who moved to Santa Barbara two months ago.
Blatt was driving eastbound on Carrillo Street toward State Street at 5:11 p.m. on Sunday, a street with a posted speed limit of 30 miles per hour, McCaffrey said.
"Meanwhile, a woman ... and her two sons ... were walking north on the east side of State Street," he said. "The family of three was in the crosswalk crossing Carrillo Street when they were struck by the Kia driven by Blatt."
Accident reconstruction experts examined the scene and the Optima, closing down the intersection for several hours on Sunday. McCaffrey said the accident is still under investigation and that he expects to release information on the cause tomorrow.
"We don't want to be too premature," McCaffrey said.