3 injured in head-on crash on Highway 166 near Santa Maria

Three people were injured Friday afternoon after a head-on crash involving two vehicles on Highway 166 northeast of Santa Maria.

Just before 2 p.m., emergency personnel from multiple agencies were dispatched to the crash involving a minivan and a SUV on Highway 166 near Cottonwood Canyon Road.

One person was trapped and required extrication from one of the wrecked vehicles, according to emergency dispatch reports.

Two people were critically injured in the crash and a third person reportedly had moderate injuries.

Responding agencies included the Santa Barbara County and Los Padres National Forest fire departments plus California Highway Patrol and a Santa Barbara County sheriff’s deputy.

An ambulance from American Medical Response plus helicopters from CalStar and the county’s Air Support Unit also responded to the scene to transport patients for treatment at local hospitals.

Both highway lanes were blocked due the crash, according to emergency dispatch reports.

CHP dispatchers were told the driver of a minivan was crossing over double yellow lines while trying to pass multiple other vehicles before the collision, according to emergency dispatch reports, but that could not be confirmed.

The CHP is investigating the cause of the highway collision.

Additional details were not immediately available.

Check back with Noozhawk for updates to this story.

—Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com.

This story was originally published February 23, 2024 at 6:10 PM with the headline "3 injured in head-on crash on Highway 166 near Santa Maria."