Two people were seriously injured Friday afternoon in a head-on collision involving a cement truck and a van on Highway 166 east of Santa Maria.

The crash occurred shortly before noon in the Rockfront Ranch area between Santa Maria and New Cuyama, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The van, which reportedly crossed the center line and slammed into the cement truck, ended up 50-80 feet off the roadway, the CHP said.

The driver of the van was airlifted by Calstar medical helicopter to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital with moderate injuries, according to Capt. Dave Zaniboni of the Santa Barbara County Fire Department.

The driver of the cement truck also suffered moderate injuries, and was taken by AMR ambulance to Marian Regional Medical Center in Santa Maria, Zaniboni said.

Their names and details on their conditions were not available.

An 18-wheel big-rig clipped the cement truck while trying to avoid the crash, but the driver was not injured, Zaniboni said.

The collision remained under investigation by the CHP.

— 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.