A pickup truck driver suffered major injuries Monday night when his vehicle veered off Highway 101 and plunged into Gaviota Creek, according to the Santa Barbara County Fire Department.

Firefighters and other emergency personnel were dispatched at about 8:30 p.m. to the crash scene just north of the Gaviota Tunnel.

It took firefighters about 15 minutes to extricate the driver, the sole occupant, from the wreckage of the Toyota Tacoma, which was about 70 feet below the highway in Gaviota Creek, fire Capt. Scott Safechuck said.

He said crews set up a rope system to bring the man up to the roadway, where he was loaded into a Calstar medical helicopter and then flown to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital.

The driver’s identity and details on his condition were not available.

The northbound highway lanes were shut down for nearly 90 minutes, causing a significant traffic backup.

Shortly before 10 p.m., the right-hand lane was reopened, while the left lane remained shut down to allow the truck to be hauled up from the creek, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The CHP is investigating the cause of the crash.