108 Vehicles in California Fog Crash

In a horrific matter of minutes along a foggy stretch of Highway 99 south of Fresno, two people were killed and 41 others injured Saturday morning in one of the worst pileups in central San Joaquin Valley history.

It involved 108 vehicles -- and, investigators said, a man suspected of driving while drunk.

The first impact happened just before 8 a.m. in the northbound lanes just south of Fresno. Even as rescuers worked to help the injured, more cars and trucks crashed into the growing pileup. Survivors described a harrowing chill of silence broken every so often by the crash of steel on steel.

"Our firefighters could hear other crashes happening in the distance," said Cal Fire/Fresno County Fire Protection District Capt. Mike Bowman. "It definitely affects the psyche of the firefighters."

By the time it was over, the wreckage extended about a mile from American Avenue to Clovis Avenue, investigators said.

"It doesn't look real," said California Highway Patrol officer Paul Solorzano. "It looks like it's out of a movie, until you see all the damage. And then you see all the people standing around on the shoulder wondering how they're going to get home."

Those killed were a 5-year-old boy and a 26-year-old man identified by investigators as Travis Rogers of Selma. The name of the boy was not being released until authorities were able to talk to his family.

Rogers was a truck driver who worked for his father, Doug Rogers. He was unmarried and had no children.

On Saturday afternoon, the CHP arrested a 61-year-old man from San Antonio, identified by the Associated Press as Morris Taylor, on suspicion of misdemeanor driving under the influence, but it was unclear what role he played.

"It appears he was in a collision at the front of this," said Scott MacGregor, chief of the CHP's Central Division. But, he said, investigators have not determined whether the man triggered the pileup.

The man was treated at an area hospital and was to be taken to Fresno County Jail, the CHP said.

Officials won't say that fog was the sole cause of the pileup, but it was certainly a factor. Investigators will be looking at how fast people were driving on a weekend morning when traffic was moderate, but visibility minimal.

The accident, which involved 18 big rigs, was one of the worst pileups ever in the central San Joaquin Valley in terms of the number of vehicles. The most deadly weather-related accident happened the day after Thanksgiving in 1991. Fierce winds stirred up a huge dust storm that reduced visibility to zero on Interstate 5 in western Fresno County. Five pileups involving 127 vehicles left 17 people dead.

On Saturday, 41 people were injured and 39 were taken to area hospitals.

Dazed drivers and their passengers -- those who emerged with only aches and pains -- milled around and tried to call family and friends on cell phones. The pungent smell of spilled fuel and oil carried through the chilly air.

Not only were clusters of mangled cars and trucks strewn along the three-lane route, but there were gouges in the concrete and shards of broken glass everywhere.

Traffic was backed up for miles on the highway, a major north-south connector through the Central Valley. By 9:30 p.m. the northbound lanes were reopened.

Bowman said the accident could have been worse. Only two vehicles caught fire, and both were quickly doused by motorists using fire extinguishers.

To see a video and photos from the scene of the pileup, go to: www.sacbee.com/links