Carpinteria woman injured in rollover

BY ERIC LINDBERG
DAILY SOUND STAFF WRITER

A single-car rollover on Highway 101 on Monday afternoon left a 23-year-old Carpinteria woman with major injuries to her left arm and hand, authorities said.
The victim, identified as Penelope Ayala, had been driving north in a silver 2007 Volkswagen Jetta at approximately 1:40 p.m., California Highway Patrol Officer Dan Barba said, approaching the Sheffield Drive onramp at an unknown speed.

“We still don’t know why, but the vehicle began to just swerve and went off the roadway to the right,” Barba said.
After skidding down the embankment, the Jetta hit the onramp, flipped onto its roof, and slid another 30 feet before hitting a tree and dense shrubbery, he said. Montecito fire officials said Ayala, the sole occupant, had exited the vehicle with the help of a passerby by the time emergency crews arrived on the scene.
Paramedics transported the 23-year-old to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, where hospital officials said she is listed in serious condition.
Cleanup crews closed down the northbound Sheffield Drive onramp for approximately one hour in order to remove the Jetta from heavy brush. Barba said it is unknown if alcohol was a factor. No other vehicles were involved.