A massive pile-up occurred early Saturday morning, January 6, 2024, on a fog-engulfed stretch of Interstate 5 near Bakersfield, California.
The incident involved 35 vehicles, including 18 big rigs, and resulted in two fatalities, with nine other people sustaining injuries.
The chain reaction crash took place around 7:30 a.m., extending over a half-mile section of the interstate.
Visibility conditions varied in reports, with witnesses telling Manny Garcia, a public information officer with the California Highway Patrol (CHP) Buttonwillow, that it was around 100 feet at the time of the accident. Kern County Fire Department spokesperson Jim Calhoun cited that visibility had been reduced to about 10 feet by the time emergency responders arrived. The lack of visibility likely played a major role in the severity of the crash.
The force of the multi-vehicle collision led to ruptured compressed natural gas tanks on several trucks, adding complexity to the rescue efforts. This hazardous situation necessitated the evacuation of uninjured individuals who were helping with rescue operations, as the release of gas posed a significant risk.
The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) announced the closure of the southbound lanes of the interstate for an extended period to facilitate debris removal and to conduct an investigation into the crash’s cause. The closure affected the stretch between SR-223 and Older River Road, necessitating traffic reroutes onto alternate pathways.
Yesenia Cruz, a motorist in the pileup, described being hit shortly after halting her vehicle in response to a GPS alert about the crash. This event was part of a domino effect leading to the larger pileup.
Nine people were hospitalized with injuries ranging from minor to moderate, while two were pronounced dead at the site.
The CHP, along with other agencies, is working to determine the precise causes of the pileup to help prevent similar incidents in the future.