Drivers recount being stuck in 59-vehicle pileup on Highway 99 in Tulare County

TULARE COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- Nearly 60 vehicles were involved in a massive pileup on Highway 99 near Earlimart on Saturday morning, shutting down both directions of the highway for hours and leaving hundreds of drivers stuck in traffic.

Katrina Saldivar was among those caught behind the crash scene. She said she realized something was wrong when traffic suddenly came to a stop.

"...We saw just like a bunch of red break lights come to a halt... we were like something bad must have happened. Because we also saw cars swerve to the side. So we did see cars go off the road," Saldivar said.

Debris from the crash was scattered across both northbound and southbound lanes, prompting authorities to close the major state route as emergency crews responded.

According to the California Highway Patrol, many drivers narrowly avoided being involved.

Isidro Gonzalez said he stopped just in time and feared being struck from behind.

"I stopped, and I just hoped behind me, the most dangerous part is, like, hopefully nobody hits me from behind - hopefully not a semi-truck," Gonzalez said.

CHP said the crash was largely caused by low visibility. Several vehicles were severely damaged, including multiple semi-trucks. Video from the scene showed extensive damage and blocked lanes in both directions.

Authorities said they began receiving calls about the crash shortly after 8:15 a.m.

Emergency crews worked for hours to clear the area, with Highway 99 reopening well into the afternoon.

Some drivers told officials they were completely stopped on the highway for hours as the cleanup continued.

Saldivar said that while she was grateful to be unharmed, the experience has left her uneasy about traveling through the area again, especially with changing conditions later in the day.

"Now that it's starting to become night, it's definitely a lot scarier because we're going to go back into the valley, and it's like, 'Is the fog going to be bad again? Is something going to happen again?' You know, it's definitely very scary," she said.

The CHP did not immediately release additional details about injuries related to the crash.