LA HONDA (CBS 5 / KCBS) — One person was killed and two others were seriously injured late Thursday morning when a vehicle carrying contractors for a local open space district went off a dirt road near La Honda and tumbled into a canyon, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The CHP cited miscommunication for earlier reports that three people were killed. Aside from the fatality, two other crash victims were airlifted to Stanford University Medical Center.

The crash occured at 11:22 a.m. in the area of Alpine and Mindego Hill roads.

Rescue crews initially had trouble reaching the crash site, which was only accessible by foot and horseback, CHP Officer Kevin Bartlett said.

KCBS’ Margie Shafer Reports:

The people who were in the truck were contractors who were out spraying non-native plants for the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District, district spokesman Gordon Baillie said.

The crash scene was “in a remote area of the Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve,” he said.

(Copyright 2011 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services may have contributed to this report.)