A heavy-equipment operator clearing storm-related debris from the railroad tracks along the Gaviota Coast was injured Tuesday when the excavator he was using overturned.
At 7:47 a.m., Santa Barbara County Fire Department crews responded to a medical call after the excavator toppled and fell about 10 feet down when the ground apparently collapsed in a “large erosion event,” fire Capt. Mike Gray said.
The man, whose name was not available, sustained minor injuries and was transported by American Medical Response ambulance to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, he said.
A section of Union Pacific Railroad track in the area was washed out by floodwaters in the last storm, and Amtrak said Pacific Surfliner service is temporarily suspended north of Goleta.
Tracks north of Goleta are impassible from high water levels and damage, so Train 779 is canceled from Goleta to San Luis Obispo. Bus transportation is offered as an alternative, Amtrak said.
Medical Emergency / Hard Railroad Closure Update Video– Gaviota Coast (Hwy 101 & Arroyo Quemada) pic.twitter.com/9ylO7HaNRb
— PIO (@PIOSBCFireInfo) January 6, 2026
There were several delays and cancellations for passenger train traffic over the weekend due to landslides and other weather-related issues on the coastal tracks.
Southern Santa Barbara County was hammered by heavy rainfall on Saturday, and in several storms the previous two weeks.
Floodwaters and mudslides inundated Highway 101 along the Gaviota Coast Saturday during a flash-flood warning, and authorities implemented a full closure for most of the day.
Caltrans District 5 crews worked overnight to clear mud and other debris from the lanes, and all lanes of the highway were fully reopened Sunday afternoon.
