Officer Jarrod Martinez, an
on-duty CHP officer from the Santa Barbara area, was killed in a traffic
collision Oct. 29 in Los Olivos. He was 30 years old.
Martinez was on his way home
from traffic court and was riding his personal motorcycle when he slammed on
his brakes to avoid colliding with a car that had turned into his lane. The
severe braking caused Martinez to be ejected from his motorcycle and
subsequently run over and dragged about 45 feet by the car he was trying to avoid.
The driver of the car was
68-year-old Curtis S. Smith of Solvang.
An off-duty deputy medical
examiner traveling through the area stopped at the scene to render emergency
aid; however, Martinez died before paramedics arrived. An investigation is ongoing
and no arrest has been made.
Martinez
is survived by his wife, Patricia, and 4-year-old daughter, Julia.