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A Navy fork lift car steadies a vehicle teetering off a bridge on northbound Highway 101 on Thursday near Buellton.
(Leah Thompson, Santa Maria Times)
(OC REGISTER) A San Juan Capistrano family was rescued Thursday afternoon from a car that was unsteadily dangling over a freeway overpass south of Buellton.
Firefighters removed a 10-year-old girl, a 10-week-old baby girl and a 36-year-old woman from a BMW that was left hanging over the edge while lodged in the bridge railing.
Accident occurred on the northbound 101 freeway near Buellton in Santa Barbara County, said authorities with the California Highway Patrol
The woman, identified as Kelli Lynne Groves, and the 10-year-old girl suffered major injuries and were flown to the hospital, the CHP said.
The 10-week-old girl was "conscious and alert" at the scene and sustained minor injuries.
The 48-year-old driver of a big-rig died at the scene of the crash.
The two-vehicle crash occurred at about 2:40 p.m. on Thursday when the big-rig driver struck the BMW from behind on the northbound 101 near Santa Rosa Road and forced the BMW into the bridge railing, the CHP said.
Meanwhile, the big-rig went through the bridge railing and into the creek bed below and burst into flames, the CHP added.
The Santa Maria Times described the collision as a violent one that blew out chunks of concrete guardrail on both sides of the bridge. The crash shut down both directions of the 101.
Also according to the newspaper, the rescue effort was aided by a group of Navy Seabees who were stuck in southbound traffic near the crash. They used a forklift they were transporting to stop the BMW from sliding off the bridge.
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TXT 24
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