Central California crash: 59-vehicle pileup forces temporary closure of Highway 99 in Tulare County, CHP says
TULARE COUNTY, Calif. — Highway 99 in Tulare County has reopened after a massive pile-up forced a total closure Saturday morning.
The California Highway Patrol confirms 59 vehicles were involved in the crash. A previous version of this story included a Facebook post from the County of Tulare estimating that up to 150 vehicles were involved in the crash. CHP officers dispute that estimation.
A screenshot of the County of Tulare’s Facebook post incorrectly estimating the number of vehicles involved in the Highway 99 pileup on Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026.
The CHP received several calls about the pile-up shortly after 8:15 a.m. on Saturday.
“…The carnage out there. Vehicles turned over and up on each other, under each other…” CHP officer Adrian Gonzalez said.
Authorities say the crashes happened on both the northbound and southbound lanes near Avenue 24. In just 11 minutes, all traffic stopped.
“We had vehicle debris. We had vehicle fluid. We had involved parties that are on both shoulders, waiting for rides to get off,” Officer Gonzalez said.
A crash involving nearly 60 vehicles in Tulare County forced the closure of Highway 99 in both directions, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Officer Gonzalez says 10 people went to the hospital. Nine of them had minor injuries, and one had a moderate injury to their forehead. Everyone else involved was bused to the Tulare Ag Center.
Investigators believe fog is a factor and estimate there was between 100 to 200 feet of visibility when the crashes happened.
Just weeks ago, the dense fog caused a 17-vehicle crash on Highway 99 in Fresno County, which claimed two lives. Dashcam video from that pileup captured how quickly the fog lowered visibility.
The CHP tells Action News they learned from that crash to help with the response on Saturday, clearing all 59 vehicles and fully reopening the highway in just six hours.
“We put the badges and whatever agencies aside, and ultimately our main goal is how quickly of a service can we give to this motoring public in their time of need?” Officer Gonzalez said.
With more fog on the way, Officer Gonzalez with a message to drivers:
“It’s very important to slow your speed down,” he said. “Not only is it going to give you time to react, but if there is an accident, it won’t be a major accident.”
The investigation into the pileup continues.
——–
KFSN contributed to this report.
Copyright © 2026 KABC Television, LLC. All rights reserved.
