‘The Carnage’ Video Captures Chaotic 59-Vehicle Pileup in California; Drivers Involved Speak Out
A massive chain-reaction crash on Highway 99 in Tulare County, California, involved at least 59 vehicles. Several videos captured the chaos of the pileup which occurred on both sides of the highway.
Dense fog was said to have triggered the series of crashes. California Highway Patrol (CHP) reported visibility was down to 100 to 200 feet. CHP reported that traffic came to a complete halt within 11 minutes in the fog. A similar 43-vehicle pileup occurred last week on Highway 58 near Bakersfield due to fog.
Authorities closed both northbound and southbound lanes of the highway for about six hours on Saturday. California Highway Patrol trooper Adrian Gonzalez told ABC30 News, “The carnage out there. Vehicles turned over and up on each other, under each other.”
He reported that paramedics took 10 people to the hospital. Nine had minor injuries, and one had a moderate injury to their forehead.
“We had vehicle debris. We had vehicle fluid,” said Gonzalez. “We had involved parties that are on both shoulders, waiting for rides to get off.”
Drivers involved in the 59-car pileup on Highway 99 discussed their experience
Katrina Saldivar, one of the drivers caught up in the pileup, said, “We saw just like a bunch of red brake lights come to a halt… we were like something bad must have happened. Because we also saw cars swerve to the side. So we did see cars go off the road.”
Another driver, Isidro Gonzalez, told ABC 30 News, “I stopped, and I just hoped behind me, the most dangerous part is, like, hopefully nobody hits me from behind – hopefully not a semi-truck.”
In a Facebook post, the County of Tulare wrote, “During dense fog avoid travel and DO NOT rely on automatic headlights. Because it is not dark headlights and tail lights ARE NOT illuminated and your vehicle is nearly impossible to see. Make sure to manually turn on your headlights so others have a chance to see you.”
