Santa Barbara woman killed in Hwy 101 crash in Templeton

The California Highway patrol has confirmed that a late night accident Thursday in Templeton left one woman dead, and two others injured.

The single car accident happened in the southbound lanes on Hwy 101 north of Hwy 58 just after 11:30 p.m.

A C-H-P official said three friends were traveling from the Santa Cruz area in a Mazda, heading to Santa Barbara for a weekend music festival.

The officer said for some reason, the driver, 19-year-old Molly Amanino of Santa Cruz, lost control of the car, veered across two lanes, slamming the vehicle into a bridge railing.

The front seat passenger, a 20-year-old woman from Santa Barbara, died at the scene.

Her name is not being released until her family is notified.

A 19-year-old passenger from Reseda is hospitalized at Sierra Vista Hospital, along with Amanino, with moderate injuries.

The C-H-P official said the three women attended either U-C Santa Cruz or Santa Cruz City College.

Investigators have ruled out alcohol as a possible factor — the cause of the crash is under investigation.