Edhat Staff
Large rocks fell on Highway 101 near the Gaviota Tunnel causing two vehicle collisions and five injuries on Saturday.
At 10:44 p.m., Santa Barbara County firefighters responded to northbound lanes approximately 1/2 mile north of the tunnel.
Crews discovered a Chevy Tahoe struck a large rock in the roadway and rolled on its side. Five people in the vehicle sustained injuries.
Two males and three females were able to self-extricate from the SUV. All were transported to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital by two ground ambulances with minor to moderate injuries, according to Captain Scott Safechuck.
A second vehicle also sustained damage after hitting a rock, although there were no injuries reported.
One lane was closed for a period of time while the roadway was being cleared of rocks and debris.
Yikes! Tight curves, narrow shoulders and looming hill along the road make for a precarious stretch of road. Sounds like driver skill/awareness was not a factor here.
Glad it wasn’t worse!
Lucky to be alive.
But i expected to see some front bumper or grill damage from a rock being hit.
Or maybe the rock hit side of SuV?