Pickup truck crashes into roadway wall on Highway 99 in Atwater

A woman from Sacramento crashed her Chevrolet pickup truck into a sound wall along southbound Highway 99 on Wednesday morning after she clipped the trailer of a semi-truck while changing lanes in Atwater.

Michelle Buller, 35 of Sacramento, said she was trying to get into the right lane so she could exit at Applegate Road but had difficulty changing lanes due to several semi trucks lined up close together. When she attempted to get into the right lane she clipped the left side of an open-top trailer. The right front tire of her truck was blown out and she crashed into the sound wall.

She said she was shaken from the accident, but not injured.

She said she was traveling to Merced to auction off some item at UC Merced. Some of her items were strewn about the highway shoulder. She also had a dog with her in a pet-carrying container. The pet was not hurt, she said.

The right lane was closed while a tow truck removed the vehicle from the shoulder. Traffic backed up and began to exit at Atwater Blvd. at around 11:30 a.m.

This story was originally published July 12, 2017 at 4:42 PM with the headline "Pickup truck crashes into roadway wall on Highway 99 in Atwater."