Bakersfield, CA, October 7 – A California Highway Patrol report says at least one person suffered possible major injuries when three vehicles collided on southbound Highway 99 in Bakersfield early Wednesday morning. CHP says the crash was reported at approximately 2:08 a.m. just north of Lerdo Highway, and that officers found multiple vehicles at the scene when they arrived before the freeway was temporarily shut down for cleanup.
Bakersfield Highway 99 Crash Leaves One With Major Injuries, CHP Says
According to the CHP report, a red Toyota Tacoma ended up facing the wrong way in the center divider, and a black sedan ended up blocking the No. 1 lane. Separate reports placed a red Chevrolet Camaro at the scene as well, and indicated that one person had been found lying on the ground.
According to the CHP, investigators believe the person found on the ground may have been driving at excessive speed and in an erratic manner just before the collision occurred. The agency has not said whether that led to any citation or arrest, and it has not detailed exactly how the three vehicles came to collide on the freeway. CHP said the investigation into the crash remains open.
Crews shut down the freeway completely to remove the vehicles and clear debris from the roadway. The closure affected all southbound lanes near the crash site while the cleanup took place. The No. 2 lane reopened to traffic around 2:45 a.m., and the freeway fully reopened at 3:11 a.m. once the scene had been cleared.
The CHP has not released the identities or current conditions of those involved, nor said how many people in total were injured in the crash. The agency also has not confirmed what caused the three vehicles to collide or whether the driver found on the ground will face any citation. As of early Wednesday, the investigation remained open, and no further details had been released.
What the at-fault driver is required to carry, and why it often is not enough
Vehicle Code section 16056 sets California’s minimum liability limits, and they changed recently. For a policy issued or renewed on or after 1 January 2025, the minimum is $30,000 for injury to or death of one person, $60,000 where two or more people are hurt, and $15,000 for property damage. Policies written before that date may still carry the older minimum of $15,000, $30,000 and $5,000.
Those are floors, not typical limits, and a single hospital admission can exhaust the lower figure before any other loss is counted. Where the at-fault driver carries the minimum, the uninsured and underinsured motorist cover on the injured person’s own policy is often the part that matters most, and it is worth checking early rather than after the other insurer has made an offer.
The deadline that applies to a claim like this one
Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1 gives two years for an action for injury to, or for the death of, an individual caused by the wrongful act or neglect of another. The same two years covers an injury claim and a death claim; there is no separate, shorter period because someone died.
Talking to someone about it
Culver Legal represents people injured in collisions across California. A conversation about what happened costs nothing, and we work on a contingency fee, which means there is no fee unless we win. If we do not win, we do not pass the case costs on to you either.
Nothing on this page is legal advice about any particular case, and the facts of a reported collision often change as the investigation continues.
