Highway 99 lane closed after truck crash, fuel spill near Merced, CHP says

The number one lane of northbound Highway 99 was closed north of V Street after a big rig crash and fuel spill Wednesday, according to the California Highway Patrol.

As of Wednesday afternoon, the lane remained closed.

Officers responded to the scene at about 12:17 a.m. in the northbound lanes of Highway 99 north of V Street according to Officer Eric Zuniga.

Zuniga said Jose Castaneda-Bautista, 20, of Fresno, was driving northbound in a 2014 Volvo big rig, traveling in the number two lane of Highway 99, hauling a refrigerated trailer. Authorities said the truck collided with the center median guardrail and jackknifed, partially blocking the number one lane.

According to Zuniga, the driver told authorities he fell asleep at the wheel.

The impact punctured the truck’s fuel tank causing about 100 gallons of diesel fuel to spill, according to the CHP.

Zuniga said Cal Fire hazmat crews responded to the spill and the California Department of Transportation responded to repair about 150 feet of guardrail and to assist with vehicle extraction.

Neither drugs nor alcohol appear to be a factor in the collision, according to Zuniga.