Four people were injured, including one who later died, in a suspect DUI collision on Highway 154 in the mountains above Santa Barbara Thursday evening, according to the Santa Barbara County Fire Department.
The crash involving a Mazda 3 sedan and a Toyota 4-Runner SUV, occurred at about 6 p.m., roughly a mile downhill from Painted Cave Road, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The collision occurred when the eastbound Mazda crossed over into the westbound lane, directly into the path of the Toyota, the CHP said.
The Toyota slammed into the passenger side of the Mazda, fire Capt. Daniel Bertucelli said.
Extensive extrication was required to remove one of the victims from the wreckage, he added.
The right front passenger in the Mazda — identified Friday afternoon as Cole DeBortoli, 21, of Santa Barbara — suffered major injuries, and died later at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, according to CHP Capt. Cindy Pontes.
The driver of the Mazda — Brian Watana Dul, 22, of Goleta — suffered moderate injuries, the CHP said, while Kelly Summer, 52, of Long Beach, a passenger in the Toyota, sustained minor injuries, the CHP said.
All were taken by AMR ambulance to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital.
The 4-Runner driver, Mitchell Summer, 59, of Long Beach, sustained minor injuries, but was not hospitalized.
Dul was subsequently arrested on suspicion of felony DUI and vehicular manslaughter, Pontes told Noozhawk.
Traffic was slowed for a time in the area of the crash, which remained under investigation by the CHP.
The CHP was asking that anyone with information about the collision contact investigators at 805.967.1234.
— Noozhawk executive editor Tom Bolton can be reached at tbolton@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
