1997 — Sep 9, Van and Pickup Collide/burn, Hwy 1, ~San Julian Ranch & Lompoc, CA–11

—  11  Cedar Rapids Gazette, IA. “Collision kills 11 in California.” 9-11-1997, p. 3A.

—  11  National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.  FARS 1975-2010 Fatality Analysis.

—  11  Ukiah Daily Journal, CA. “Eleven killed…in crash on California highway.” 9-10-1997, 2.

 

Narrative Information

 

Sep 10: “Lompoc — A van full of people collided with a pickup truck on a twisting coastal highway under repair, killing 11 and injuring four others, authorities said today.  Both vehicles burst into flames after Tuesday night’s [Sep 9] accident that closed a 15-mile stretch of scenic Highway 1, the California Highway Patrol said.

 

“Six bodies were found inside the charred wreckage of the van, and two others were found on the

road.  Three bodies were recovered from the truck, including that of a child.

 

“The injured were taken to nearby hospitals, where emergency personnel said they were too busy to provide information.

 

“The accident happened on the scenic highway at about 9:50 p.m. and both vehicles were engulfed in flames by the time rescue crews arrived.  The highway runs near the San Julian Ranch, about 10 miles south of this small community located 130 miles northwest of Los Angeles.

 

“Heavy construction and concrete barriers are near the crash site and a fire department spokesman said drivers often speed through that section of winding highway.  “Highway 1 at that section is not built for high speeds, although people continue to drive it that way,” said John Scott, spokesman for the Santa Barbara County Fire Department.  “There are a lot of blind curves there and when it is dark it makes it extraordinarily dangerous”.”  (Ukiah Daily Journal, CA. “Eleven killed, four injured in crash on California highway.” 9-10-1997, 2.)

 

Sep 11: “Los Angeles (AP) – Eleven people — most of them returning to Los Angeles after a day of selling corn — were killed in the fiery head-on crash of a packed van and a pickup on scenic California highway.  “I haven’t seen anything this horrendous,” California Highway Patrol Officer Jim Everly said Wednesday. Tuesday night’s collision left wreckage burning for hours and victims and ears of corn strewn across Highway 1 between Lompoc and Santa Barbara, about 130 miles northwest of Los Angeles.

 

“The names of the dead, eight from a Chevrolet van carrying a dozen people and three from a Ford pickup truck, weren’t released.  They were charred beyond recognition and the coroner’s office said identification wasn’t expected for days.  “No one is telling us who they were and we haven’t been able to find any identification,” said Sgt. Tom Nelson of the Santa Barbara County coroner’s office. Four people survived, two in critical condition.  Two of them said they had been selling corn in Lompoc during the day and were heading home to the San Fernando Valley.  Survivors spoke only Spanish, and one said he had arrived in the United States from Mexico only eight days earlier.

 

“According to a preliminary investigation by the highway patrol, the pickup went over the double yellow line and hit the van.  Witnesses said the pickup had been passing vehicles.

 

“Three off-duty correctional officers arrived shortly after the crash and pulled people from the van.  They said they saw a woman hanging out the window of the burning van and tried to pull her out, but her seat belt was holding her in.  The flames apparently burned the belt at one point and they pulled her free.  “I can still hear that person screaming,” county jail guard Charles Powell said 14 hours later.”  (Cedar Rapids Gazette, IA. “Collision kills 11 in California.” 9-11-1997, p. 3A.)

Sources

 

Cedar Rapids Gazette, IA. “Collision kills 11 in California.” 9-11-1997, p. 3A. Accessed at:  http://www.newspaperarchive.com/gazette/1997-09-11/page-3/

 

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Partial Data Dump of Crashes Involving 10 or More Fatalities, by Year, Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) 1975-2009 Final and 2010 ARF. Washington, DC: NHTSA, pdf file provided to Wayne Blanchard, 1-26-2012.

 

Ukiah Daily Journal, CA. “Eleven killed, four injured in crash on California highway.” 9-10-1997, 2. At: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/ukiah-daily-journal/1997-09-10/page-2/