Carpinteria man killed, 3 Lompoc men injured in Highway 1 crash

One person was killed and three were seriously injured in a head-on crash Friday morning along Highway 1 between Lompoc and Gaviota.

One car involved was reported stolen. CHP believes the driver of that car was under the influence. Officers say the driver drifted into oncoming traffic.

“For reasons that are still being investigated, the northbound vehicle drifted over the double yellow line into the path of the southbound vehicle, resulting in a head-on collision,” explained Officer Rick Larson with the California Highway Patrol in Buellton. 

Investigators suspect drugs and/or alcohol played a role in the crash.

The accident happened just before 6 a.m. Emergency crews rushed to the scene. The wreckage was blocking Highway 1 about 10 miles south of Lompoc.

CHP said the driver, a 35-year-old man from Carpinteria, was heading toward Lompoc. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The vehicle he was driving had been reported stolen out of Santa Barbara.

The impact from the crash caused the other car to go over the side of the road, landing on its roof in a concrete cattle undercrossing. Officers said the three men in that vehicle were all from Lompoc and between the ages of 33 and 65. Their injuries ranged from moderate to major.

“My recommendation is, as best you can, always look as far ahead as you possibly can to try and avoid any errant drivers or any hazards that are within the roadway,” Officer Larson said.

Highway 1 was closed for approximately four hours. Officers said crashes on that stretch of Highway 1 are not very common, although many people use it to commute. The last deadly crash was in December of last year.

The names of the four people involved in Friday’s crash have not been released.

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Car involved in deadly crash near Lompoc was reported stolen