Fatal 17-vehicle pileup on SR 99 halts Fresno County traffic

A deadly multi-vehicle pileup on southbound State Route 99 in Fresno County on Jan. 12, 2026, involved as many as 17 vehicles, including a big rig, and left at least one person dead and around 20 others with injuries. The California Highway Patrol reported the crash happened at about 9:15 a.m. between North Avenue and the Cedar Avenue on-ramp, in dense morning fog with visibility estimated at 10 to 15 feet.

CHP and Fresno Fire Department investigators said the incident began as separate collisions that occurred moments apart and quickly became a chain-reaction pileup. Two people who had exited their vehicles were struck by other cars at the scene. A 61-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene; the names of victims have not been released pending family notification and further investigation.

First responders staged a large emergency operation. Multiple ambulances and crews from Fresno Fire Department converged on the highway, and a Fresno FAX bus was pressed into service to transport several injured people to area hospitals. Local emergency departments reported a substantial surge of patients as crews triaged and distributed those needing urgent care. Traffic through this primary north-south corridor was stalled for hours while crews worked to clear wreckage and investigators documented the scene; CHP later reopened lanes after cleanup and initial investigation.

The crash underscores the danger of valley fog conditions for anyone using SR 99, a key route for commuters, farmworkers, and freight moving through Fresno County. Dense fog can reduce visibility to a few feet and erase the distance drivers rely on to react to slowing or stopped traffic. Investigators urged motorists to slow for hazardous conditions and asked anyone who witnessed the chain-reaction collisions to contact CHP with information as the crash remains under investigation.

The immediate consequences rippled across the county: long delays for morning travel, diverted commercial traffic, and a concentrated demand on first responders and hospital staff already juggling winter-season caseloads. For people who rely on SR 99 for work, school commutes, or hauling crops and goods, the pileup was a stark reminder of how quickly fog can turn routine travel dangerous.

Our two cents? Treat fog like a red flag—slow down, use low beams, increase following distance, and when visibility drops to near zero pull safely off the roadway if you can. Staying cautious on SR 99 during Tule fog mornings could keep you and your neighbors out of the kind of emergency that closed the highway this week.