Highway 46 shut down after car plummets hundreds of feet off SLO County road
A vehicle plummeted off Highway 46 in San Luis Obispo County on Monday afternoon, briefly closing a section of the road.
According to the California Highway Patrol’s incident report page, a reporting party said a red sedan traveling on the highway’s westbound lane just west of Old Creek Road crashed off of the side of the roadway at about 3:57 p.m.
The car had fallen several hundred feet over the edge of the roadway, according to emergency scanner traffic.
Highway 46 west at Old Creek Road was shut down around 4:51 p.m. due to the “major crash,” as the injured party was airlifted out, CHP’s Templeton Office posted on X.
“Please expect delays and watch for on scene personnel,” the post said.
Only one vehicle was involved, but it was unclear how many people were in the car or the extent of injuries, CHP spokesperson Ryan Armstrong told The Tribune on Monday evening.
As of 5:15 p.m., traffic was moving with one-way traffic control in place, the CHP said in an update on X.
This story was originally published February 23, 2026 at 5:14 PM.
