Two people were killed and two others suffered major injuries in a vehicle accident Thursday afternoon east of Santa Maria, according to the Santa Barbara County Fire Department.
The wreck occurred shortly before 3 p.m. on Philbric Road, about a mile north of Betteravia Road, said fire Capt. David Sadecki.
A forklift collided with a Honda Civic, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Two people were declared dead at the scene, and two others were airlifted to local hospitals — one with critical injuries and one with serious injuries, Sadecki said.
There were reports that the critically injured patient died en route to the hospital, but that could not be confirmed.
The names of those involved and other details were not immediately available.
Philbric Road was closed in the area while authorities investigated the crash.
Check back for updates to this story.
— 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.