Multi-big-rig crash shuts down SLO County highway overnight
Two big rigs crashed head on late Monday night, shutting down a Central Coast highway overnight.
The semi trucks were driving toward one another in opposite directions on Highway 166 near Pine Canyon Road around 9:50 p.m. when they crashed, according to a Santa Barbara County Fire Department post on X.
The highway closed in both directions, as the trucks were fully blocking the road and leaking fuel, the post said.
The closure stretched over 50 miles from Thompson Avenue — where Highway 166 meets Highway 101 in Nipomo — to Bell Road in New Cuyama, according to an X post by Caltrans.
The road did not reopen to traffic until 8 a.m. Tuesday, the Caltrans post said.
Two people with minor injuries were assessed on the scene of the crash by ground ambulances, but were not transported to a hospital, the Santa Barbara County Fire Department post said.
The crash is still under investigation.
This story was originally published April 14, 2026 at 9:55 AM.
