Three reports of traffic deaths were released last Friday, two that happened that day and one the week before.
The identity of the man who dove headfirst from La Cumbre Road overpass to the 101 below on November 5 was released on the 13th. He was 44-year-old Chancellor “Chance” Bernard of Amarillo, Texas, who was found in the center median of the highway around 9:45 a.m. as cars swerved to avoid his body. His death was determined to be a suicide, according to law enforcement, and his history included episodes of mental illness. His obituary published in Texas recalled he loved fast cars and had been a drag racer since the age of 16.
A 50-year-old man — Kelly Chadic — released from County Jail and walking home to Lompoc was clipped by a car in a northbound lane of the 101 at around 8 p.m. near El Capitan. The driver swerved to avoid Chadic but hit him with the right side of his car. Chadic had been released from jail at around 3 a.m. after an arrest 13 hours earlier for meth possession and being under the influence. He’d been offered a ride home by Sheriff’s deputies who met up with him near Winchester Canyon, but he refused. Chadic was an Afghanistan War veteran who had served from 2007-08. He was diagnosed with PTSD and schizophrenia, and family members stated he had a history of suicidal ideation and had made an attempt in the past.