Seventeen vehicles, including a big rig, were involved in the crash, which happened at approximately 9:15 a.m. on the southbound side of the highway between North and Cedar avenues, the California Highway Patrol said in a news release. CHP said there were at least two separate crashes happening "moments apart." The pileup began when a couple exited their car during the initial crashes and were hit by another vehicle.
After recent rains drenched the Central Valley, dense fog is now rolling in through the holiday weekend. Murky conditions blanketed the region Friday morning, earning a dense-fog advisory through 10 a.m. due to visibility of less than a quarter of a mile. The most affected areas included Bakersfield, Delano and the southern portion of Interstate 5, Stephen McCoy, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, told SFGATE.