Woman killed in Highway 166 crash on Central Coast identified

The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Coroner’s Bureau identified a Bakersfield woman as the vehicle passenger killed in a rollover crash on Highway 166 last week near New Cuyama.

The woman was killed and two other people were critically injured Dec. 18 when the driver of a van drifted off the roadway and the vehicle hit a dirt embankment and overturned, the California Highway Patrol said.

Passenger Rosa Isela Mendez Santos, 25, was declared deceased at the scene.

Driver Javier Mendez Santos, 19, of Bakersfield, and a male passenger suffered major injuries in the crash, and were transported to Bakersfield Memorial Hospital.

Details on their conditions were not available.

The CHP is investigating the collision, which was reported on Highway 166 near Aliso Canyon Road.

Noozhawk managing editor Giana Magnoli can be reached at gmagnoli@noozhawk.com.

This story was originally published December 27, 2023 at 1:50 PM with the headline "Woman killed in Highway 166 crash on Central Coast identified."