Clovis mother survives multi-vehicle crash on Highway 99, thankful to be alive

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Melissa Culver is 1 of astatine slightest 2 twelve radical who were progressive successful the deadly multi-vehicle clang connected Highway 99 successful Fresno connected Sunday morning.

Action News spoke with her and says she's conscionable thankful to beryllium live and hug her children

"Out of nowhere, conscionable this heavy furniture of fog," she says. "And past a rattle and a consciousness of disbelief, and earlier composure tin ever measurement in, yet again, it is different rattle, bang, each implicit the place, what conscionable happened, and past connected repeat."

It was a infinitesimal that felt endless for Culver and her hubby arsenic they made their mode to church.

Their present crushed bluish Hyundai was 1 of the 17 vehicles progressive successful a crash.

Melissa says they were precise alert of the foggy conditions but ne'er expected to beryllium successful the mediate of a pile-up, "We ended up successful a side-facing position, and I judge interaction 3 done 7 were each connected my husband's side."

Melissa has bruises connected her forearms and thorax from her seatbelt. Her ribs are sore and she's experiencing whiplash.

Her hubby besides has bruises with respective insignificant cuts.

They were harmless but 1 mates progressive successful the pileup was not.

The CHP says the antheral and pistillate had gotten retired of their car, which was struck by different car.

61-year-old Gustavo Villanueva Vargas died astatine the country and his woman is successful the hospital.

"He was thrown astir 30 feet to the close shoulder. And the operator was thrown implicit the embankment, 40 feet," says CHP Officer Mike Salas.

Investigators accidental the fog was a origin successful the crash, with visibility estimated betwixt 10 and 15 feet.

Culver is present looking astatine beingness with a antithetic perspective: "Seeing the children for the archetypal clip was surreal, filled with hope, ace thankful to beryllium capable to travel location to them."

Action News besides spoke connected the telephone with the antheral who was driving the large rig.

He said helium had ne'er experienced specified a speedy modulation from daylight to dense fog connected the road and is inactive shaken up.

CHP is urging drivers to beryllium cautious connected the road.

The clang is an ongoing investigation.

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