Deadly crash closes both southbound lanes of Highway 101 near Santa Barbara
Drivers headed south toward Los Angeles were being detoured off Highway 101 on Friday after a deadly crash between a semi truck and a pickup in Santa Barbara County.
The crash occurred at 2:50 a.m. just north of Dos Pueblos Canyon Road near Santa Barbara, according to Santa Barbara County Fire.
The pickup caught fire and the male driver was pronounced dead at the scene, Santa Barbara County Fire public information Officer Scott Safechuck said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. The male driver of the semi reported minor injuries but refused transport to the hospital.
Caltrans closed the southbound lanes of Highway 101 at Highway 246 in Buellton, Highway 1 in La Cruces, north of Gaviota, at Mariposa Reina and near El Capitan State Beach, the agency said in a news release. Northbound lanes remained open.
Southbound drivers can use Highway 154 as an alternate route to the Santa Barbara area, but there was heavy traffic on the roadway.
“These closures allow travelers to detour away from this incident,” Caltrans said in the news release.
Caltrans initially thought a lane would reopen around 1 p.m. Friday, but representatives later said “work is continuing to remove the big-rig truck” from the lanes, where it overturned. “An update will be provided when there is a more definitive word on opening,” the agency said at 1:30 p.m.
Southbound drivers can use Highway 154 as an alternate route to the Santa Barbara area, but there was heavy traffic on the roadway.
Pickup Truck vs Semi Truck: HWY 101 SB, Just North/Dos Pueblos, Gaviota Coast. Pickup truck(Caught fire)-male driver pronounced deceased at the scene. Semi truck- male driver w/minor injuries refused transport to ER. SB HWY shut down see CHP for cause and reopening. CT 2:50am pic.twitter.com/nJEi4yDWkc
— Scott Safechuck (@SBCFireInfo) January 5, 2024
