Three people were able to get themselves out of the wreckage of a rollover crash on Highway 154 above Santa Barbara on Saturday afternoon, but one of the occupants ran from the scene, appearing to be cognitively “altered in some fashion,” according to responders.
According to California Highway Patrol dispatches, a Nissan Sentra had rolled over on its roof near Painted Cave Road about 4 p.m.
CHP, Santa Barbara County firefighters, sheriff’s deputies, Los Padres National Forest personnel and an American Medical Response ambulance all responded to the crash scene, about 2½ miles north of Goleta.
County Fire Capt. Dave Zaniboni said all three men, who appeared to be in their 20s, escaped on their own from the sedan. However, one of them fled down the highway, prompting a search by sheriff’s deputies, who ultimately found him 200 feet over the edge of a cliff.
Zaniboni said the man appeared to have suffered minor injuries and “appears to be combative and altered in some fashion.” He said fire and sheriff’s personnel were working to subdue him and hoist him back to the road, and that he would likely be transported to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital.
One of the other two occupants was taken to the hospital with minor injuries, Zaniboni said.
— 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.