One Dead, Several Injured in Three-Vehicle Accident in Santa Ynez

[Update 4:45 p.m.] The Santa Barbara County Coroner’s Bureau has released the name of the man killed in Sunday morning’s fatal crash on Highway 154 west of Meadowvale Road near Buellton. The deceased driver is Joseph Anthony Nunez, 40, of Santa Maria.

[Original Story] One man is dead and three people are injured following a head-on collision involving three vehicles Sunday morning in Santa Ynez, according to Santa Barbara County Fire Department spokesperson Captain Scott Safechuck.

The accident occurred around 10:30 Sunday morning on Highway 154 near Meadowvale Road in Santa Ynez, just north of Mission Drive and Highway 246. Safechuck said there were five people involved in the collision: a solo male driver in a Ford compact; two males and one female driver in a BMW SUV who sustained injuries and were transported to a nearby hospital; and a solo female driver in another vehicle, who also received medical assistance but was not hospitalized.

According to California Highway Patrol, the driver of the Ford swerved into the opposite lane — reportedly in an attempt to overpass congested traffic — and collided with the BMW, causing the vehicle to flip. The Ford then collided with another vehicle. 

The driver of the Ford was declared dead at the scene. There was no suspicion of drugs or alcohol involved in the incident. The driver’s name is being withheld pending notification of next of kin.

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