Eight people were injured — five of them seriously — in a head-on collision on Highway 154 near Santa Barbara on Sunday.
The crash occurred shortly after 10 a.m. in the Windy Gap area about a half mile north of San Antonio Creek Road, according to CHP dispatch reports.
Three vehicles were involved, including one that went about 30 feet off the roadway and had people trapped inside, according to Capt. Dave Zaniboni of the Santa Barbara County Fire Department.
Drizzly conditions were reported at the time, and the roadway was slick, according to witnesses at the scene.
Firefighters had to do extensive extrication to free three people from the sedan that went over the side, Zaniboni said.
One suffered major injuries and the other two had moderate injuries, Zaniboni said, adding that all three were taken by AMR ambulance to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital.
Three people in a second vehicle also were seriously injured, including the driver, who had to be extricated. They also were taken to Cottage Hospital.
Two people in a third vehicle sustained minor injuries; they were treated at the scene but were not hospitalized.
Lanes of the highway were blocked by the wreckage, and Highway 154 was shut down in both directions.
The roadway was reopened at about 12:45 p.m.
Check back with Noozhawk for updates to this story.
— 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.
