Hair delayed the extrication of a passenger Friday morning after a sport utility vehicle rolled over on southbound Highway 101 just north of Spyglass Drive in Shell Beach.

A 2001 Acura MDX drifted off the left edge of the roadway onto the center divider, overturned and slid on its top along a metal guardrail about 10 a.m., according to California Highway Patrol.

Driver Megan Woods, 18, of San Luis Obispo overcorrected as she swerved back onto the roadway, causing the car to overturn, said CHP Officer Joe Vega.

Cal Fire Capt. Bill Grundler said passenger Leslie Woods, 42, of San Luis Obispo had to be extricated from the totaled vehicle.

Her hair was lodged between the car and the ground, trapping her, Grundler said. Firefighters couldn't cut the hair because her head was too close to the vehicle's roof.

“We were trying to even dig (the hair) out a little bit, but it was under (the car) a little bit further than we thought,” he said.

Firefighters finally used air bags to lift the vehicle and a wrench to free the hair, Grundler said. It wasn't clear how the wrench was used. The extrication took about 20 minutes.

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Both women were transported to Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center. The CHP said Megan Woods suffered injuries to the left shoulder; Leslie Woods suffered a broken right arm.

Both were wearing seatbelts, according to the CHP.

Neither speed, weather, alcohol nor foul play were factors in the accident, Vega said.

“It was a case of just drifting off the roadway and overcorrecting,” he said.

Traffic was backed up northbound and southbound on the highway for about a quarter to half a mile.

April 21, 2007