Calif Highway Patrol: Dense Fog Blamed for Highway 99 Pileup.
A massive pile-up on California's Highway 99 in Tulare County has now reopened after being shut down following a catastrophic crash involving nearly 60 vehicles on Saturday morning.
The official count from the California Highway Patrol (CHP) is 59 vehicles involved, not to be confused with a earlier post by the county estimating up to 150. The latter was quickly disputed as "not accurate."
This accident happened at an intersection where it seems fog may have been the main cause of visibility issues, said CHP Officer Adrian Gonzalez.
The scene in which the pileup took place involved significant wreckage and injuries, according to Officers, with ten people taken to a hospital and nine of them having what officers described as minor. A tenth person had more serious head injury that required medical attention.
The accident happened very quickly - it stopped traffic on both sides of Highway 99 near Avenue 24 after approximately eleven minutes, all before being cleared in the space of six hours.
Officer Gonzalez said that "vehicle debris and fluids" were scattered across the road alongside passengers waiting for rides outside, with witnesses describing the scene as a 'carnage.'
CHP officers say they had to clear the debris from both lanes, clearing over 59 vehicles and making the highway open in a matter of hours.
This incident comes just weeks after another pile-up on Highway 99 near Fresno, which involved 17 drivers who lost their lives in that accident.
The authorities stated that "our main goal is how quickly we can provide this service to the motoring public," saying they had learned valuable lessons from a recent investigation into similar accidents and applied these knowledge to help with clearing all of the vehicles in question - ultimately opening up the highway once more just six hours later.
In an urgent message to drivers, Officer Gonzalez urged everyone on Highway 99 to slow down their speed - warning that fog may be reducing visibility.
A massive pile-up on California's Highway 99 in Tulare County has now reopened after being shut down following a catastrophic crash involving nearly 60 vehicles on Saturday morning.
The official count from the California Highway Patrol (CHP) is 59 vehicles involved, not to be confused with a earlier post by the county estimating up to 150. The latter was quickly disputed as "not accurate."
This accident happened at an intersection where it seems fog may have been the main cause of visibility issues, said CHP Officer Adrian Gonzalez.
The scene in which the pileup took place involved significant wreckage and injuries, according to Officers, with ten people taken to a hospital and nine of them having what officers described as minor. A tenth person had more serious head injury that required medical attention.
The accident happened very quickly - it stopped traffic on both sides of Highway 99 near Avenue 24 after approximately eleven minutes, all before being cleared in the space of six hours.
Officer Gonzalez said that "vehicle debris and fluids" were scattered across the road alongside passengers waiting for rides outside, with witnesses describing the scene as a 'carnage.'
CHP officers say they had to clear the debris from both lanes, clearing over 59 vehicles and making the highway open in a matter of hours.
This incident comes just weeks after another pile-up on Highway 99 near Fresno, which involved 17 drivers who lost their lives in that accident.
The authorities stated that "our main goal is how quickly we can provide this service to the motoring public," saying they had learned valuable lessons from a recent investigation into similar accidents and applied these knowledge to help with clearing all of the vehicles in question - ultimately opening up the highway once more just six hours later.
In an urgent message to drivers, Officer Gonzalez urged everyone on Highway 99 to slow down their speed - warning that fog may be reducing visibility.
what a crazy morning out there! i mean, i know we all love our coffee but c'mon people slow down when driving in the fog lol 6 hours is super quick to clear up tho gotta give props to the CHP for their work 
hope everyone's okay 
and yeah it's crazy how one thing can turn into another 
that second pile-up is just devastating 
so fingers crossed for a safer road ahead 
. I mean, what happened to people just being able to look outside and see if it was safe to drive? Now we've got these crazy foggy mornings where visibility is basically zero 
. It's like they say: "if you can't see 50 feet in front of you, don't go" 
. And the worst part is, people are still getting hurt because of it 
. I remember when Highway 99 was just a simple country road where you could actually enjoy the view... nowadays it's like a war zone 
. Anyways, glad to hear that the authorities were able to clear the highway eventually 
, but seriously, people need to slow down and think about their safety before getting behind the wheel 
.
You see this accident could've been avoided if those drivers were payin' attention and slowin' down in them thick fogs. It's like, we're all just tryin' to get from point A to point B but sometimes our own distractions can put others at risk. The CHP is doin' their part to keep the roads safe, but it's on us as drivers to be more mindful and patient, especially in conditions that can reduce visibility. It's like when we're facin' tough situations in life, we need to take a deep breath and stay focused on what's at hand - our own driving, or just dealin' with everyday challenges. We gotta look out for each other, 'cause ultimately it's all about keepin' ourselves and others safe 
. I'm just glad no one lost their life... again 
.
i mean, i know fog can be super treacherous, but come on, 59 vehicles?! it's just too much 
59 is like, whoa! 
that's insane! 
especially the one with that head injury 
slow down in them foggy conditions, ppl! it's not worth risking ur life or others on the road 
and what's w/ the super fog on Hwy 99? is it like this often? 
