Tractor-trailer overturns on Highway 99 near Livingston

A tractor-trailer overturned Friday morning on southbound Highway 99 near Livingston, an area of highway that has been the scene of several fatal crashes in recent months.

The driver, 52-year-old Daniel J. Cundiff, said he was headed to Corcoran from the Sacramento area hauling saffron for North Valley Transport. The California Highway Patrol initially reported on its website he was hauling sunflowers.

Cundiff, who has been driving trucks since 1986, said a puff of smoke or dust appeared from between the two trailers he was hauling, and he believes the tires separated while he was driving. He lost control of the truck and struck the guardrail about 9:38 a.m. in the southbound lane of Highway 99, near the Sultana Drive onramp, before the truck rolled.

Cundiff said he had to be cut out of his seat belt and the cab of the truck, which came to rest upside-down. He suffered a cut on his head and had minor pain in his shoulder, he said.

“I’m lucky I’m sitting here,” he said. “I’m blown away I actually got up and walked away from that.”

Traffic was moving slowly as a result of the crash and motorists were told to expect delays.

Several major crashes have been reported recently on that stretch of roadway between Livingston and the outskirts of Atwater.

“We’ve had quite a few crashes here,” said CHP Officer John Moran. “They don’t seem to be related in cause. It must just be a coincidence.”

A Merced schoolteacher and her 12-year-old son were killed in a crash Sept. 7. Four people were killed Aug. 4 when a northbound charter bus slammed into a large road sign near the Hammatt Avenue exit.

A retired Merced court commissioner was killed in a crash in June on Highway 99 south of Atwater. A week later, a 50-year-old Sacramento man was killed in a crash on southbound Highway 99 just north of Winton Parkway.

Cundiff said he is familiar with the route and hasn’t had any problems on the road in the past.

The California Department of Transportation is installing a guardrail in the center median of the highway, but that hasn’t seemed to cause any issues, Moran said.

This story was originally published September 16, 2016 at 10:26 AM with the headline "Tractor-trailer overturns on Highway 99 near Livingston."