Emergency personnel responded Monday after a vehicle veered off Highway 101 near Summerland and plunged 250 feet down a cliff towards the ocean.
The accident happened shortly after 7:30 a.m. on the southbound freeway in the area of Ortega Hill, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The vehicle, a Ford pickup truck, came precariously to rest on the steep hillside above the railroad tracks.
Crews from the Montecito Fire Protection District and the city of Santa Barbara conducted a “high-angle rescue” using a rope system to reach the vehicle and its driver.
The driver, a 72-year-old Santa Barbara man, suffered major injuries in the crash, the CHP said, and was transported by AMR ambulance to Santa Barbara Cotttage Hospital.
His name and details on his condition were not available.
Freeway traffic in the area was affected for several hours after the crash.
The CHP is investigating the cause of the collision.
— 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.
