Two people were killed and several others were injured Sunday night in three separate vehicle crashes in northern Santa Barbara County.
A 32-year-old Santa Maria woman died and a 41-year-old Santa Maria man was hurt in a crash at about 8:40 p.m on Highway 101 south of Orcutt, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The single-vehicle accident occurred in the northbound lanes near the top of the Solomon Grade, fire Capt. Bob Tanner of the Santa Barbara County Fire Department told Noozhawk.
In the crash, a gray Chevy SUV ended up 80 to 100 feet off the roadway, the CHP said.
The woman, whose name was not released pending notification of relatives, was not wearing a seatbelt, and was ejected from the SUV. She was declared dead at the scene.
The man, who was the driver, was able to free himself from the wreckage, and was transported to Marian Regional Medical Center, where he was treated for a broken clavicle, the CHP said.
He subsequently was booked into the Santa Barbara County Jail on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, the CHP said.
His name had not been released as of Monday morning.
The crash remained under investigation.
Another fatal crash occurred at about 8 p.m. on northbound Highway 101 near the Gaviota rest stop, fire Capt. David Sadecki said.
Emergency crews spent nearly 90 minutes searching for the GMC pickup, which had plunged into the creek bed between the northbound and southbound lanes, according to the CHP.
Due to his speed on the wet roadway, the driver lost control of the pickup, the CHP said.
After an extensive search, the vehicle was located at about 9:30 p.m. about 30 feet below the roadway, the CHP said.
A 64-year-old Lompoc woman who was a passenger suffered major injuries and was declared dead at the scene, the CHP said.
The driver, Mario Orellana, 52, of Lompoc, suffered moderate injuries, and was taken to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, the CHP said. Details on his injuries and condition were not available.
Earlier in the evening, three people reportedly suffered minor to moderate injuries in a crash on southbound Highway 101 near the Highway 1 turnoff, north of Gaviota, according to emergency radio traffic.
Details on that crash were not available.
Light rain was falling throughout the region Sunday, which may have contributed to all of the wrecks.
— 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.