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Santa Barbara County Firefighters Crash Gaviota Highway 101

Santa Barbara County Firefighters Crash Gaviota Highway 101

2 Firefighters Seriously Injured in Gaviota Crash on Highway 101

GAVIOTA, CA (March 30, 2023) – A crash left two Santa Barbara County firefighters seriously injured on Highway 101 in Gaviota.

According to The Tribune and KSBY News, the accident took place on Wednesday morning. Officers reported the wreck on March 29 at about 5:15 a.m.

The incident began when the Santa Barbara County Fire Department responded to a vehicle which rolled over on southbound Highway 101 in Gaviota.

Two firefighters and the California Highway Patrol officers were standing on the side of Highway 101 at the time. A Nissan Quest then approached the scene at an unsafe speed for roadway conditions.

Its driver, 46-year-old Modesta Zaragoza, lost control and went across the left-hand lane into a left-turn lane. The Santa Maria woman swerved to the right as her minivan rotated clockwise.

In the process, the Nissan drove onto the right highway shoulder and struck the two fire personnel. The Quest hit a fire captain and an engineer from Station 31 in Buellton.

The van continued onto the dirt shoulder and overturned near the Highway 1 off-ramp. Both firefighters sustained moderate to major injuries as a result of the Gaviota crash.

Several Others Hurt in Wreck

A helicopter flew one victim while a ground ambulance rushed the other patient to the Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital for treatment.

The fire captain was listed in serious but stable condition in the ICU while the engineer was treated and released. The reports did not disclose their names.

Modesta Zaragoza and her three passengers survived the accident with minor injuries. Medical personnel transported one of them to the Santa Barbara Cottage for treatment of minor to moderate injuries.

Paramedics took the other four patients to the Marian Regional Medical Center. A CHP officer who dove out of the way of the minivan ended up taken to the Santa Ynez Cottage Hospital with minor injuries.

The report did not release the names of all the wounded parties. Meanwhile, authorities forced the southbound lanes of the Highway 101 to shut down following the Gaviota crash.

The cause of the wreck is still under investigation.


“Johnson Attorneys Group does not represent any of the parties mentioned above; nor is it our intent to represent any of the parties. If you would like to contribute to this story, please contact us.”

Sources: The Tribune and KSBY News

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