Wet roadways may have contributed to two fatal accidents that occurred this weekend.

Two people died Saturday in vehicular accidents, one along the Gaviota Coast and one in Santa Maria. According to the Santa Barbara County Fire Dept., rainy weather is often the cause of traffic accidents this time of year.

“Many vehicle accidents occur during inclement weather,” fire Capt. Charlie Johnson said. “Oftentimes, excessive speed for roadway conditions is the leading cause.”

At 12:20 a.m. Saturday, the county fire department received a call for a vehicular accident on Highway 166, three miles west of Rock Front Ranch. Yolanda McGlinchey of the county fire department said five patients were taken by ground support to Marian Medical Center in Santa Maria. The sixth patient was a fatality.

At 12:35 p.m. the fire department responded to a reported accident on Highway 101, just south of Dos Pueblos Ranch. The vehicle had rolled off the highway and through 200 feet of thick brush. The single occupant, an adult female, was thrown from the vehicle and trapped. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Johnson said rescue crews had difficulty extricating the body because of the brush surrounding the car.

“Rescue workers had to use chainsaws and other tools to get down the embankment to the vehicle,” Johnson said. “The vehicle traveled through thick, dense brush, took out several small trees and finally ended up upside down.”

Also on Saturday, there was another accident on Highway 101 on Los Carneros Road. The vehicle rolled into the center divide and the driver sustained minor injuries.