Chain reaction collision with big rig, ambulance shuts down northbound Highway 99
A chain reaction collision on Highway 99 involving a big rig, an ambulance and a hit-and-run driver shut down northbound lanes for more than four hours early Monday.
Just before 1 a.m., a big rig hauling perishable food and other items was in the slow lane approaching Standiford Avenue when, for unknown reasons, the 52-year-old driver allowed the tractor to veer right off the roadway where it struck a roadway sign, according to California Highway Patrol Officer Thomas Olsen.
The driver turned to the left and lost control of the big rig as it re-entered the traffic lanes, overturning and blocking all three traffic lanes. He was not injured.
A minute later an ambulance from Sacramento came upon the overturned big rig, Olsen said. The driver told investigators he never saw the big rig before colliding with it.
The driver and passenger, both 21-year-old employees, suffered minor injuries and were taken to Doctors Medical Center. There was no patient on board, Olsen said.
Another minute later, a 32-year-old woman from Salida came upon the crash and was able to stop in time but a pickup behind her rear ended her Kia.
Olsen said the woman was not injured and that the pickup driver fled the scene.
The Highway was closed until 5:20 a.m. while officers investigated the collision and the wreckage was cleared.
It was not raining at the time of the collisions but the road was wet, Olsen said. Drugs or alcohol do not appear to be factors, he said.
This story was originally published April 6, 2020 at 9:32 AM.
