Single-vehicle car accident leaves one child dead, one flown to hospital and others injured
VANDENBERG, Calif. – One 10-year-old child was found dead under a car and two others were injured after a car flipped over into heavy brush along Highway 1 in Vandenberg Village Wednesday morning, according to the Santa Barbara County Fire Department.
The accident was reported just before 8 a.m. along Highway 1 just south of Santa Lucia Canyon Road in Lompoc, according to county fire spokesman Mike Eliason. The driver, an 18-year-old Lompoc female resident, made an unsafe turning movement in the lefthand lane, causing the car to exit the edge of the road onto the right shoulder of Highway 1. The car flipped multiple times, ejecting two passengers before coming to rest on its left side.
A 10-year-old child girl was found dead under the car, the driver suffered major head injuries and was transported to Marian Regional Medical Center, and an eight-year-old girl was flown to Santa Barbara Cottage, according to the CHP.
Hwy Incident - UPDATE - FF’s continue search through thick vegetation for additional victims of the fatal SUV accident that went off the road, Hwy 1 near Santa Lucia Cyn Rd. near Lompoc. (SBC Photos) pic.twitter.com/TbdkH1eYBF
— SBCFireInfo (@EliasonMike) September 28, 2022
Eliason said that due to the extent of injuries to those involved, a correct count of those that were in the var couldn't be verified and firefighters were "searching methodically" by ground and air around the vehicle for other possible patients.
Alcohol and drugs did not appear to be a factor in the accident, according to the CHP.
Both southbound Highway 1 lanes were closed as of 8:40 a.m., but reopened just before 11:30 a.m.
