Three Killed in Tragic Auto Accident near Cold Spring Bridge

[Update: Oct. 28] The CHP has released the name of the Camaro driver in this incident: John Roderick Dungan. The woman who was killed was Rebecca Bley, 34, of Solvang, the Sheriff’s/Coroner’s Office stated. The identity of the two children in the car with her is being determined by DNA sent to the Sacramento County Coroner’s Office for an ANDE Rapid DNA System test, said Raquel Zick, Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s spokesperson.

CHP Captain Cindy Pontes asks that witnesses to the incident near Cold Spring Bridge on Friday around 4:45 p.m. contact investigators at (805) 967-1234.

[Original Story] A woman and two children were killed in a crash just west of the Cold Spring Bridge along State Route 154 on Friday afternoon, CHP Captain Cindy Pontes announced just after midnight. The Chevy Volt they were driving was headed toward Santa Barbara at about 4:45 p.m. when a Chevy Camaro coming toward Santa Ynez crossed into their lane. In the resulting head-on collision, a GMC Yukon behind the Volt also collided with their car. Both vehicles landed to the side of the highway where they caught fire, causing a two-acre brush fire.

Identification information on the three in the Volt has not been released. The 55-year-old man and his 13-year-old passenger in the Yukon were physically unhurt; they were from Los Gatos. The 28-year-old man in the Camaro, a Santa Barbara resident, sustained major injuries and had to be extricated from his car by firefighters. He was airlifted to Cottage hospital.

The 154 was closed for several hours. Firefighters quickly extinguished what was called the Spring Fire. The California Highway Patrol is investigating the cause of the crash.