59-car crash in heavy fog on California freeway

A thick fog caused a major car pile-up on Highway 99 in California’s Central Valley over the weekend, as reported by the California Highway Patrol and numerous media outlets. The incident occurred on State Route 99 near Avenue 24, close to Delano in Tulare County, approximately 34 miles from Bakersfield, before 8:30 a.m., after the authorities received several reports of the crash. Visibility in the region was severely limited, ranging from 100 to 200 feet on certain parts of the road. CHP Officer Adrian Gonzalez described the scene as chaotic, with vehicles stacked on top of each other. Initially, Tulare County officials estimated around 150 vehicles were involved, a number later revised by CHP to 59. Despite the extensive damage to numerous vehicles, only 10 individuals sustained minor to moderate injuries and were taken to the hospital. The crash led to a six-hour closure of both north and southbound lanes. Motorists were advised by authorities to reduce speed and manually switch on their headlights rather than relying on automatic settings due to the extreme fog conditions. While the fog cleared by noon on Sunday, the National Weather Service warned that similar dense fog conditions were expected each morning in the San Joaquin Valley area for the early part of the week, posing risks to drivers.