A motorist was airlifted to the hospital on Sunday after her vehicle plunged off the side of Highway 166 east of Santa Maria, according to the Santa Barbara County Fire Department.
The crash occurred shortly before 8 a.m. in the eastbound lanes, about a half mile east of Rockfront Ranch, fire Capt. Daniel Bertucelli said.
The vehicle, a Honda Civic, came to rest in a dry arroyo about 50 feet below a highway bridge.
The woman, the only occupant in the vehicle, was trapped in the wreckage, and had to be extricated by county firefighters, who were assisted by crews from Los Padres National Forest.
She suffered serious injuries, and was airlifted by Calstar medical helicopter to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital.
Her name and details on her condition were not available.
Highway 166 was shut down briefly to allow the helicopter to land and pick up the patient.
The crash was under investigation by the California Highway Patrol.
— 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.