2 killed, several injured in multiple-vehicle crash on Interstate 5 near Bakersfield
Two people died and several others were injured Saturday after two cars collided, triggering a pileup of at least 20 vehicles on a foggy stretch of southbound Interstate 5 near Bakersfield, California Highway Patrol officials reported.
A 50-year-old man and a 35-year-old woman from Manteca died in the crash, CHP public information officer Brian Moore said. Their names were not released.
The couple were in one of two passenger vehicles that crashed just before 9 a.m., Moore said.
Soon after the initial crash, a tractor-trailer struck both vehicles, triggering a series of at least 12 other crashes involving 20 or more vehicles altogether, including recreational vehicles and big-rigs, he said. Several people were injured in the chain reaction, and at least one had major injuries, Moore said.
The crash occurred on I-5, north of the Highway 99 split, where Moore said there was less than 500 feet visibility because of the fog.
Video footage of the scene showed the cab of a tractor-trailer separated from the truck. Officials rerouted motorists around Southbound I-5, which remained closed until 5:50 p.m., Moore said.
Follow Cindy Carcamo on Twitter @thecindycarcamo
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UPDATES:
7:10 p.m.: This article was updated with details about the chain-reaction crash.
This article was originally published at 5:10 p.m.
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