Man Dies as 38 Vehicles Crash on Freeway in Dense Fog

Thirty-eight vehicles including at least eight tractor-trailers piled up Friday in a chain-reaction wreck on foggy Interstate 5, killing one man.

The accident started about 8:20 a.m. in northbound lanes about 10 miles north of downtown Sacramento. But smashed cars, motor homes, light trucks, big rigs and even snowmobiles were scattered over a 10th of a mile in southbound lanes by the time it was over. All lanes in both directions were shut down and traffic was diverted to other freeways.

In the northbound lanes, traffic ground to a halt several miles south of the wreck. Motorists left their cars, huddled, talked and listened to their radios.

Dense fog reduced visibility to 30 feet or less, said Jim Harris, a spokesman for the California Highway Patrol. The accident took place near the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Bridge over the Sacramento River, and the fog grew denser near the river.

One Sacramento city fire engine responding to the wreck rear-ended another vehicle even though the driver was traveling slowly, the Highway Patrol said.

There were about a dozen minor injuries, said CHP Officer Reid Thompson. Area commander Ed Prieto said about half a dozen were serious. The dead man’s body lay in the freeway, covered with a rug.

It appeared that the man was killed when he got out of his car and was struck by another vehicle, Prieto said.