Chico woman dies after multi-vehicle crash on Highway 99 on Tuesday

BUTTE COUNTY, Calif. — Highway patrol officials released further details regarding the now-confirmed fatal multi-vehicle crash on Highway 99, north of Chico, on Tuesday afternoon.

At around 3 p.m. on Tuesday, four vehicles became involved in a crash on State Route 99 just north of Cana Highway.

CHP said a 52-year-old Chico woman was driving a silver Toyota sedan north on SR-99 when, for reasons still being investigated, she drifted into oncoming traffic and collided with the left side of a big rig traveling in the opposite direction. CHP said the crash caused the rear axle of the big rig's trailer to become detached and then travel into the northbound lane where it collided with a red Toyota pickup truck.

The crash reportedly caused the Toyota pickup truck to roll onto its side on the right shoulder of northbound SR-99.

CHP said the impact of the axle and Toyota's crash caused the axle to travel back into the southbound lane where it collided with a silver Honda sedan.

Butte County Cal Fire said their teams successfully extricated two patients from their vehicles following the crash.The driver of the red Toyota pickup truck, 52-year-old Chris Larges of Shasta Lake, sustained moderate injuries and was transported to the Enloe Medical Center for treatment. However, according to CHP, the 52-year-old Chico woman in the silver Toyota sedan sustained serious injuries and later succumbed to her injuries in the hospital.

CHP says whether distracted driving or driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol were a factor in this crash remains under investigation.

Cal Fire said debris from the crash covered a quarter-mile of the highway. Drivers are being directed onto Cana Highway as an alternate route while emergency crews investigate and work to clear the crash site. Driver should expect delays for the next several hours.

Check back for updates.

Chico woman succumbs to injuries from multi-vehicle crash on Hwy 99