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Driver ‘lucky to be alive’ after scary crash into a tree on Highway 101

A motorist escaped injury Sunday after his car veered off Highway 101 near Gaviota and slammed into a tree.

The driver, a man in his 20s whose name was not released, was southbound south of the Nojoqui Summit when the crash occurred at about 9:30 a.m., Santa Barbara County fire Capt. Scott Safechuck said.

The Toyota sedan had major damage, but the man was unharmed, Safechuck said, adding that he was “lucky to be alive.”

Firefighters had to extricate the man from the mangled wreckage.

The right-hand lane of the highway was closed for a time while crews removed the vehicle, which was off the rain-slicked roadway.

The crash was under investigated by the California Highway Patrol.

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.

The driver of a Toyota sedan had to be extricated from the wreckage.
The driver of a Toyota sedan had to be extricated from the wreckage. Santa Barbara County Fire Department


This story was originally published December 5, 2022 at 5:59 PM.

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Joe Tarica
The Tribune
Joe Tarica is the editor of The Tribune in San Luis Obispo. He’s worked in various newsroom roles since 1993, including as an award-winning copy editor, designer and columnist. A California native, he has been a resident of San Luis Obispo County for more than 35 years and is a Cal Poly graduate.
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