Man Seriously Injured After Crashing Vehicle into Tree on SR-154

(Photos by Battalion Chief Dave Neels/SBC)

A man was seriously injured after crashing his vehicle into a tree on Highway 154 early Monday morning.

Santa Barbara County firefighters responded to the scene west of Foxen Canyon Road at 12:44 a.m. They discovered a pickup truck had left the roadway and struck a large oak tree head-on. 

It took fire crews approximately 30 minutes to extricate the male driver, the only occupant of the vehicle. The truck hit the tree with such force, a tow truck was needed to help separate the two during extrication, said Public Information Officer Mike Eliason.

A helicopter was unable to fly due to weather constraints, so a ground ambulance transported the driver to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital with major injuries. 

CHP is investigating the cause of this incident.