Northbound Highway 99 is shut down between Elk Grove and Galt after a multi-vehicle crash left at least one person with major injuries Thursday afternoon, the California Highway Patrol said. Traffic is being diverted off the freeway, and there is no estimated time for the lanes to reopen.
CHP said the crash involved major injuries and prompted the closure of all northbound lanes, according to ABC10, which reported the blockage near Dillard Road. As reported by KCRA, the crash happened on the northbound lanes at the Grant Line Road on-ramp around 1:30 p.m., while The Sacramento Bee placed the blocked lanes just south of Eschinger Road by 2 p.m., citing CHP incident logs. The accounts differ on the precise stretch of freeway affected, but all three agree the shutdown stretches across the same general corridor south of Sacramento.
The Sacramento Bee reported that the collision involved a tractor-trailer and at least two other vehicles, and was first reported at about 1:30 p.m. Thursday. The big rig reportedly overturned onto its side and leaked oil onto the roadway, according to the same report, while crews worked to establish additional closures.
SigAlert Issued, No Reopening Time Set
Authorities issued a SigAlert for the closure, and as of Thursday afternoon there was no estimated time for the freeway to reopen, per the Bee's report. CHP is diverting traffic off SR-99 at Dillard Road for drivers heading north between Elk Grove and Galt, the agency said, according to ABC10's reporting.
As backups built behind the closure, some motorists attempted to drive the wrong way along the shoulder to get around the stopped traffic, according to CHP logs cited by the Bee. ABC10 reported that two people were taken to the hospital, one with moderate injuries and one with major injuries.
Not the First Closure on This Stretch
Highway 99 through this part of Sacramento County has seen repeated major incidents in recent months. In September, a four-vehicle collision near Jahant Road in Acampo — involving two big rigs and two pickup trucks — killed a pickup-truck driver and forced CHP to close all southbound lanes, divert traffic off the highway, and again report no estimated reopening time, according to the Bee's coverage of that crash.
A separate, unrelated incident on Dillard Road east of Highway 99 also left two drivers dead and a 2-year-old injured in a head-on collision, KCRA reported. That crash is a distinct case from Thursday's freeway closure and has not been linked to it in any of the available reporting.
