Double Fatal Traffic Collision on Highway 1

By the edhat staff

Two people have died in a head-on traffic collision on Highway 1 early Friday morning.

At 4:10 a.m., Santa Barbara County Firefighters responded to the scene near Gaviota, approximately one mile west of the Highway 101 interchange.

Crews discovered two vehicles had crashed head-on casuing one to burst into flames.

Two people died at the scene while a third person was critically injured and transported to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, reports County Fire spokesperson Mike Eliason.

The roadway was closed in both directions for a period of time with traffic diverted to SR-246 but Caltrans announced both lanes were reopened as of 8:30 a.m.

On Friday afternoon the California Highway Patrol (CHP) announced the injured person from the collision was arrested for allegedly driving under the influence.

The deceased were identified as 19-year-old Jenna Causby and 20-year-old Dorothyann Guthrie, both from Lompoc.

CHP reports the two women were in a Chevy Malibu traveling north on Highway 1 when the driver of a Ford C-Max was heading south and tried to overtake slower traffic and crashed head on into the Malibu.

The driver has been identified as Kyle Nelson, a 22-year-old from Goleta.

Santa Barbara Fire Department responded to the scene where both car were ablaze and severely crushed in the front. As firefighters tackled the flames, emergency services located those involved in the crash.

This is a developing story.