Driver dies after his vehicle ‘flew off’ Hwy. 101 and crashed in SLO County, CHP says
The driver of a vehicle that “flew off” Highway 101 southbound early Tuesday morning has died, the California Highway Patrol confirmed.
CHP spokesperson Angela Molinar told The Tribune a vehicle was driving southbound on Highway 101 when it lost control, “flew off” the highway through a barrier fence and landed on Hutton Road, which runs parallel to the highway. According to CHP’s incident log, the crash occurred at 3:36 a.m.
Molinar said the crash involved a single vehicle with a single occupant — a 25-year-old male — who died from his injuries. It was unclear what circumstances led to the crash as of Tuesday midday.
Molinar said the agency is waiting to release the driver’s name until next of kin is notified. She confirmed both CHP and the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office were investigating the incident.
Tony Cipolla, spokesperson for the Sheriff’s Office, told The Tribune that CHP was investigating the incident.
He also confirmed the Sheriff’s Office was investigating to see whether the crash was connected to a report of a man stealing wallets out of cars in Nipomo.
The early morning crash caused “major delays” Tuesday morning, with a hard closure of Hutton Road between the highway and Cuyama Lane and the right lane of Highway 101 just north of Highway 166 closed for an undetermined amount of time shortly after 5 a.m., the CHP said.
Caltrans Quickmaps showed heavy traffic on Highway 101 southbound from Highway 166 to north of Tefft Street, where a third CHP incident log showed a hit and run was reported around 8 a.m.
But as of 11 a.m., CHP said on social media, the road and lanes were reopened and traffic was moving normally, but the off-ramp from Highway 166 and Hutton Road were still closed.
This story was originally published December 10, 2024 at 9:07 AM.
