Highway 154 closes after icy road conditions lead to 3 crashes on bridge

Icy road conditions early Sunday led to multiple crashes on the Cold Springs Bridge in the Santa Ynez Valley, and the closure of Highway 154, according to the Santa Barbara County Fire Department.

Firefighters and other emergency personnel were dispatched at about 7:15 a.m. to the arch bridge on Highway 154 at the east end of the valley, said Mike Eliason, a Fire Department spokesman.

There were three separate collisions on the bridge involving a total of eight passenger vehicles and a semi truck, Eliason said.

An elderly man suffered moderate injuries and required extrication from the wreckage of his vehicle, Eliason said.

He was taken by AMR ambulance to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, along with two pregnant women who were transported as a precaution.

Their names and details on their conditions were not available.

Crews on scene reported there was a lot of ice on the bridge, which was blocked by the wreckage.

Highway 154 was to remain shut down in the area for an unknown duration, Eliason said.

The collisions were under investigation by the California Highway Patrol.