A two-car collision in the Montecito area Thursday afternoon caused minor injuries and forced a brief closure of all Highway 101 lanes, according to the California Highway Patrol.
All lanes reopened just before 1 p.m. but heavy traffic was still seen in that area around 1:30 p.m., per the CHP.
Emergency personnel first responded to Highway 101 northbound near Sheffield Drive at 12:22 p.m. for a report of a traffic collision.
The Montecito Fire Protection District initially responded to the incident, but a Carpinteria-Summerland Fire Protection District fire engine was closer and arrived on scene first, according to Montecito Fire spokesperson Christina Atchison.
Two patients sustained minor injuries in the collision, per Atchison.
This was the third vehicle collision along that stretch of the highway this week. The other two collisions happened within the construction zone for freeway widening.
A white van overturned on the northbound lanes in Montecito at around 8 a.m. Monday morning. The van hit the K-rail and barrels in the construction zone and one person was transported to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, per CHP.
A second vehicle overturned in that same area at around 6:30 a.m. Wednesday morning after it hit the center divider on the highway at Olive Mill Road.
In both previous instances, the collisions blocked Highway 101 lanes and caused significant traffic delays in the area.
