Edhat Staff
[Update: A full video of the dashcam footage has been added below]
A California Highway Patrol (CHP) dashcam captured video of the Montecito mudslide on Olive Mill Road just before it hit the freeway.
In the early morning hours of January 9, two CHP officers responded to the first reports of a structure fire in Montecito, before reports of mud flow.
In a CHP cruiser, they were traveling on Olive Mill Road and drove head-on into the path of the mudflow.
The patrol vehicle was elevated off the road by the mudflow and was spinning without traction. The car was spun 180 degrees after fifteen seconds and was able to gain traction.
The officers drove ahead of the mudflow, stopping for just a few seconds to warn a pedestrian to get out of the way. They reached Coast Village Road and turned right to make a call back to headquarters. After a few minutes of inspecting the vehicle, the mudflow hit the intersection and the officers got back into their vehicle to reverse further.
A full version of the dashcam video is available below:
Another full version of the dashcam video is available here.
