A head-on crash between a van and a minivan in Carpinteria left a woman dead and five other people injured early Saturday, authorities said.
The collision took place about 6:35 a.m. on Carpinteria Avenue, near Bailard Avenue, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office said in a written statement.
A white Nissan NV200 van was traveling west with an Oxnard man at the wheel and an Oxnard woman riding as a passenger just prior to the impact, officials said. A Toyota Sienna minivan was heading east, containing a Montecito couple and their two teenage sons.
” For an unknown reason, the Nissan crossed over the center line and collided head-on into the Toyota,” according to the statement.
Paramedics pronounced the passenger of the Nissan dead at the scene. The driver was hospitalized and expected to survive his injuries.
All four people inside the Toyota were treated for injuries described as moderate, officials said.
The cause of the crash remained under investigation. Drugs or alcohol were not initially suspected to be involved.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Senior Deputy Jeff Farmer at 805-961-7514, or via email at JLF3077@sbsheriff.org. Tips may also be submitted anonymously on the department’s tip line at 805-681-4171, or online at sbsheriff.org/home/anonymous-tip.
