2 men rescued after car plunges 100 feet off cliff near Santa Barbara

Two men were seriously injured Saturday afternoon when their vehicle plunged over the side of Gibraltar Road in the mountains above Santa Barbara.

Firefighters and other emergency personnel were dispatched at about 3:15 p.m. to the incident near Flores Flat.

The vehicle was located on its roof in a creek, approximately 100 feet below the roadway, according to Capt. Scott Safechuck of the Santa Barbara County Fire Department.

Firefighters set up a rope system to lower personnel down to the scene, Safechuck said.

In addition, a firefighter/paramedic was lowered to the vehicle from a county helicopter.

Two people were in the vehicle, and one was able to self-extricate, Safechuck said.

That man was hoisted up into a county helicopter, then transferred to an AMR ambulance waiting up on the roadway and taken to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital.

The second man had to be extricated from the wreckage. He also was hoisted into the copter, then flown to the hospital.

Both suffered moderate injuries, Safechuck said, but their names and details on their conditions were not available.

Northbound Gibraltar Road was shut down for a time following the crash.

The crash was under investigation by the California Highway Patrol.

— Noozhawk editor in chief Tom Bolton can be reached at tbolton@noozhawk.com.

This story was originally published February 2, 2025 at 12:49 PM with the headline "2 men rescued after car plunges 100 feet off cliff near Santa Barbara."