A woman and dog were killed in a head-on collision Monday afternoon on Highway 1 south of Lompoc, and the male driver of the other vehicle was transported to the hospital with major injuries, according to Santa Barbara County Fire spokesman Mike Eliason.
At approximately 3:35 p.m., Santa Barbara County and Lompoc firefighters along with California Highway Patrol officers and American Medical Response personnel responded to the incident on Highway 1 at San Julian Ranch.
The two-vehicle crash involved a head-on collision between a southbound work van and a northbound Toyota 4Runner, according to Eliason.
A CalStar medical helicopter was dispatched to transport a critically injured man, the driver of the van, to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital. The female driver of the Toyota 4Runner died of her injuries, Eliason said.
Personnel from Santa Barbara County Animal Services also were sent to the scene after one small dog in the 4Runner also died in the collision, Eliason said.
Highway 1 between Lompoc and Gaviota was closed in both directions due to the crash, the CHP said, with drivers diverted to Highway 246. Officers from the CHP’s Buellton Area Office will investigate the incident. Additional information was not immediately available.