Speeding Honda crashes into limousine

BY COLBY FRAZIER
DAILY SOUND STAFF WRITER

Santa Barbara County emergency crews responded to a partial head-on collision involving multiple vehicles, including a limousine, at the crest of Highway 154 yesterday. The incident was the second of its kind on the windy mountain road in less than 24 hours.
California Highway Patrol Officer Dan Barba said the chain of collisions began when a woman driving a Honda Accord westbound in the left-hand passing lane at about 70 mph hit the brakes to negotiate a curve in the roadway and lost control of the vehicle.


“The Honda slid out of control into the eastbound lanes,” Barba said. “The driver of the limousine attempted to take evasive action to avoid the head-on collision and swerved to the left, striking the right side of [a] GMC Yukon.”
But the limousine wasn’t able to completely avoid being struck by the Honda, which struck the front-end of the limousine’s passenger side.
The Yukon was traveling eastbound next to the limousine when it was struck, but a GMC Sonoma pick-up that was also traveling eastbound got enveloped in the accident as well. Barba said the driver of the pick-up saw the action up a head and swerved to the right only to be struck by the limousine.
When authorities arrived on the scene, Barba said the limousine was facing the wrong way blocking eastbound traffic, the crunched Honda came to rest several feet over the south shoulder, and the two other vehicles were parked on the south shoulder.
He said traffic was delayed for hours, but a road closure was not necessary.
The driver of the Honda was transported to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital with moderate injuries and two passengers in the limousine suffered from minor injuries.
Barba said alcohol did not appear to be involved. He did not have the names of any of the people involved.