A Santa Maria man was killed and three other people were injured Sunday in a multivehicle crash that shut down part of Highway 154 in the Santa Ynez Valley for several hours, according to the Santa Barbara County Fire Department.
The three-vehicle collision occurred at about 10:25 a.m. on Highway 154 near Meadowvale Road, a little more than a mile north of the Highway 246 roundabout, according to the California Highway Patrol.
According to the CHP, the 40-year-old Santa Maria man was eastbound on Highway 154 in a Ford CMAX when he swerved into the opposing lane to avoid stopped traffic in front of him.
The compact car collided with a westbound BMW X5 driven by 60-year-old Katha Penny of Oxnard, causing her vehicle to overturn, the CHP said.
The CMAX continued eastbound, where it slammed into a Toyota Highlander driven by 52-year-old Steven Mon of Anaheim.
The driver of the CMAX was declared dead at the scene, fire Capt. Scott Safechuck told Noozhawk.
His name was being withheld pending notification of family.
Mon and two of his passengers suffered moderate injuries, the CHP said, and were taken by American Medical Response ambulance to Marian Regional Medical Center in Santa Maria.
Penny sustained minor injuries, but was not hospitalized.
Highway 154 was shut down in both directions, with the eastbound closure at Edison Street and the westbound closure at the Highway 246 roundabout. The closure lasted several hours.
The crash was under investigation by the CHP, which said alcohol and drugs do not appear to be factors.
Anyone with information about the collision is asked to call the CHP’s Buellton office at 805.688.5551.
— 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.