A three-vehicle collision on northbound Highway 101 at the Bath Street exit resulted in two of the vehicles rolling over, snarling traffic Saturday afternoon.
According to Santa Barbara Fire Battalion Chief Mike de Ponce, the 4:45 p.m. crash likely occurred when two of the vehicles attempted to change lanes at the same time and clipped each other.
A third vehicle was caught up in the collision, he said, and the first two rolled over into a ditch adjacent to the exit ramp. The two vehicles — a sedan and an SUV — came to a stop on their wheels with moderate to major damage. The third car spun out, but had just moderate damage.
Four individuals from the three vehicles were taken by American Medical Response ambulance to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, de Ponce said.
He said firefighters had to cut back vegetation to extricate one of the victims.
The driver of the third car, the vehicle’s only occupant, was taken to the hospital as a precautionary measure after complaints of back pain.
Two fire engines, a truck company and two ambulances responded to the scene, which forced the closure of one of the freeway’s three lanes and backed up traffic for miles.
The California Highway Patrol is investigating the collision.
— Noozhawk staff writer Sam Goldman can be reached at sgoldman@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.