A 29-year-old woman was killed Thursday in a head-on collision south of Lompoc that closed Highway 1 in both directions for several hours, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The collision, involving a Chrysler PT Cruiser and a Honda Civic, occurred shortly before 7 a.m. on Highway 1 north of Jalama Road, the CHP said.
Mirella Hernandez of Lompoc, who was driving the Civic, was declared dead at the scene, CHP Officer John Ortega said.
Hernandez was northbound on Highway 1 at an unknown speed when, for unknown reasons, she drove across the double yellow line and slammed into the PT Cruiser, which was driven by Karla Santos-Lomeli, 25, of Lompoc, Ortega said.
Santos-Lomeli and her passenger — Ricky Santos-Lomeli, 18, of Lompoc — suffered major injuries in the crash, and both were transported to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, Ortega said.
Passengers were reported trapped in at least one of the vehicles.
Traffic in both directions was halted while emergency workers tended to the injured and cleaned up the wreckage, and officers investigated.
Northbound traffic was being stopped at Highway 101, and southbound motorists were being detoured at Highway 246.
The roadway remained closed for about five hours, Ortega said.
— 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.