mojo
02-06-2002, 09:21 AM
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2002/02/05/MN230006.DTL
Deadly 90-car pileup
At least 2 killed, dozens injured on foggy highway south of Fresno
Larry D. Hatfield, Chronicle Staff Writer Tuesday, February 5, 2002
A 90-vehicle pileup on fog-shrouded Highway 99 killed at least two people and injured dozens in the southern San Joaquin Valley this morning, authorities said.
The busy north-south highway was closed in both directions for the rest of the day in the Selma area south of Fresno.
California Highway Patrolman Kirk Arnold said the chain-reaction crash began at 7:14 a.m. when a southbound car crossed lanes into oncoming traffic.
With visibility down to 50 feet, vehicles crashed into one another for the next several minutes. Included in the crash were at least five big rig trucks.
At the time of the crash, CHP cruisers were "pacing" in the area -- driving at low speeds to slow down traffic.
Joe Galba, 43, of Visalia, said he slowed down just before he saw brake lights signaling the crash. He even remarked at how fast some drivers were traveling given the conditions.
"As they passed, I said, 'See you on the news,' " Galba said.
He heard a series of crashes -- including a truck hitting his car -- and swerved onto the shoulder before landing in a ditch.
Another driver, Brent Wilson, 38, of Tulare, also saw brake lights. He pulled into the median lane and waited, fearing someone would slam into his car, too.
"You know what's going to happen, then the screeches started and someone hit," he said.
Triage stations were set up by emergency crews along a five-mile stretch of the highway about 20 miles south of Fresno. After initial treatment, victims were rushed to several area hospitals.
One man and a woman were confirmed dead, and at least 22 others were injured, CHP officers reported from the scene. Fresno County fire officials first reported five dead.
Chain reaction accidents in the Central Valley are not uncommon, particularly along the high-speed Highway 99 and Interstate 5 corridors that link Northern and Southern California.
On Jan. 3, near Caliente in Kern County, 77 vehicles collided in 15 separate collisions near the intersection of Highways 99 and 58, killing one man and injuring 15 others.
Tule fog, common in Northern California during chilly winter months, is caused when air in contact with the ground is cooled by conduction. This air becomes denser than the air around it, and slides into hollows and valleys, creating dense fog banks.
Fog this morning, and the past several mornings, has dropped visibilities to near zero in various parts of the Central Valley and the Bay Area. Traffic along Highway 37 in Napa, Sonoma and Marin counties was slowed to a crawl by fog just after dawn today. Dense fog also was reported on the Peninsula.
The National Weather Service reported visibility of only a quarter of a mile at San Francisco International Airport at 7 a.m. today, although air operations during the morning were near normal.
Fog in most areas had dissipated by late morning.
A small craft advisory was in effect for the North Coast from Cape Mendocino to Point Arena.
The forecast for the Central Valley remained the same -- cold nights, foggy mornings, sunny afternoons. A frost advisory was posted for tonight in the western San Joaquin Valley.
For the Bay Area, locally dense patchy morning fog was forecast. Otherwise tomorrow was expected to be mostly sunny. There's a slight chance of rain tomorrow night and Thursday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. / E-mail Larry D. Hatfield at [email protected]
Deadly 90-car pileup
At least 2 killed, dozens injured on foggy highway south of Fresno
Larry D. Hatfield, Chronicle Staff Writer Tuesday, February 5, 2002
A 90-vehicle pileup on fog-shrouded Highway 99 killed at least two people and injured dozens in the southern San Joaquin Valley this morning, authorities said.
The busy north-south highway was closed in both directions for the rest of the day in the Selma area south of Fresno.
California Highway Patrolman Kirk Arnold said the chain-reaction crash began at 7:14 a.m. when a southbound car crossed lanes into oncoming traffic.
With visibility down to 50 feet, vehicles crashed into one another for the next several minutes. Included in the crash were at least five big rig trucks.
At the time of the crash, CHP cruisers were "pacing" in the area -- driving at low speeds to slow down traffic.
Joe Galba, 43, of Visalia, said he slowed down just before he saw brake lights signaling the crash. He even remarked at how fast some drivers were traveling given the conditions.
"As they passed, I said, 'See you on the news,' " Galba said.
He heard a series of crashes -- including a truck hitting his car -- and swerved onto the shoulder before landing in a ditch.
Another driver, Brent Wilson, 38, of Tulare, also saw brake lights. He pulled into the median lane and waited, fearing someone would slam into his car, too.
"You know what's going to happen, then the screeches started and someone hit," he said.
Triage stations were set up by emergency crews along a five-mile stretch of the highway about 20 miles south of Fresno. After initial treatment, victims were rushed to several area hospitals.
One man and a woman were confirmed dead, and at least 22 others were injured, CHP officers reported from the scene. Fresno County fire officials first reported five dead.
Chain reaction accidents in the Central Valley are not uncommon, particularly along the high-speed Highway 99 and Interstate 5 corridors that link Northern and Southern California.
On Jan. 3, near Caliente in Kern County, 77 vehicles collided in 15 separate collisions near the intersection of Highways 99 and 58, killing one man and injuring 15 others.
Tule fog, common in Northern California during chilly winter months, is caused when air in contact with the ground is cooled by conduction. This air becomes denser than the air around it, and slides into hollows and valleys, creating dense fog banks.
Fog this morning, and the past several mornings, has dropped visibilities to near zero in various parts of the Central Valley and the Bay Area. Traffic along Highway 37 in Napa, Sonoma and Marin counties was slowed to a crawl by fog just after dawn today. Dense fog also was reported on the Peninsula.
The National Weather Service reported visibility of only a quarter of a mile at San Francisco International Airport at 7 a.m. today, although air operations during the morning were near normal.
Fog in most areas had dissipated by late morning.
A small craft advisory was in effect for the North Coast from Cape Mendocino to Point Arena.
The forecast for the Central Valley remained the same -- cold nights, foggy mornings, sunny afternoons. A frost advisory was posted for tonight in the western San Joaquin Valley.
For the Bay Area, locally dense patchy morning fog was forecast. Otherwise tomorrow was expected to be mostly sunny. There's a slight chance of rain tomorrow night and Thursday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. / E-mail Larry D. Hatfield at [email protected]