Cuesta Grade crash injures driver as rain soaks SLO County
An intense on-and-off rainstorm soaked San Luis Obispo County on Friday, creating hazardous conditions on local roads and likely contributing to several traffic incidents.
The most dramatic of the crashes occurred when a San Luis Obispo man driving a Jeep Cherokee southbound on Highway 101 smashed through the guard rail at about the midway turnout of the Cuesta Grade, plummetting about 500 feet down the green hillside on the west side of the freeway.
The driver, William Garcia, 51, of San Luis Obispo, stayed upright on his wheels for about a 50-yard stretch of the downslope of cattle-grazing land. Then it appears he rolled over, badly smashing the SUV and totaling the vehicle.
CHP Officer J.W. Townsend said Garcia told officers he lost control of his jeep while driving, causing him to veer off the road.
The property owner, Mark Rhomberg, who lives on the 2300 block of Stagecoach Road, said he heard a car horn honking continually from his home and went out to check, finding Garcia conscious but very woozy.
“He was kind of moaning, not really talking,” Rhomberg said. “He had a big bump on his head. There was a lot of blood, but I’m not sure where it was coming from, maybe his hands because the hands go flying in an accident like that.”
Rhomberg said his wife, Megan Ahearn, called 911 immediately. Fire officials from Cal Fire and other local agencies responded within minutes, reaching Garcia on Stagecoach Road. Cal Fire Battalion Chief Josh Taylor said Garcia was taken to Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center for trauma treatment. Garcia was listed in serious condition late Friday afternoon, hospital spokesman Ron Yukelson said.
Fire officials didn’t know what caused Garcia to drive off the roadway.
“It’s really incredible what happened,” Rhomberg said.
According to the California Highway Patrol website, a separate SUV rollover crash occurred at Highway 101 northbound at Los Berros Road between Arroyo Grande and Nipomo at 9:24 a.m. Friday; nobody was hurt.
Yet another car spun out and hit the guard rail at the Highway 101 northbound off-ramp at North Traffic Way in Arroyo Grande at 10:16 a.m.
And at 10:18 a.m., a large tree also was toppled onto the roadway at Las Tablas Road and Old Country Road in Templeton.
More than an inch of rain fell in some communities throughout the county on Friday. Totals ranged from 0.39 inches in Shandon to 1.38 inches at the Lopez Lake Ranger Station. San Luis Obispo’s public airport collected 0.79 inches, Nipomo had 1.02, and 0.62 inches dropped at Paso Robles Airport, according to John Lindsey, a PG&E meteorologist.
This storm will produce showers Sunday and Monday with dry conditions expected for Saturday. Gale-force winds are expected on Saturday, ranging from 25 to 38 miles per hour.
Rainfall amounts are expected to range between 1.25 and 2.75 inches between Friday and Monday with higher amounts in the Santa Lucia mountains, according to Lindsey.
Dry weather is expected to return by mid-week and last for a few days, with fresh to strong winds ranging from 19 to 31 miles per hour on Wednesday.
This story was originally published March 11, 2016 at 11:06 AM with the headline "Cuesta Grade crash injures driver as rain soaks SLO County."