The damaged guardrail is shown on the Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard overpass above Highway 99 in Sacramento on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, after a driver crashed through the barrier and plunged onto the freeway below. The driver was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence after the crash, which caused minor injuries and traffic delays as crews cleared debris and repaired about 40 feet of railing.
California Highway Patrol
A driver was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence after crashing through a south Sacramento freeway overpass guardrail and plunging onto Highway 99 late Thursday, the California Highway Patrol said.
The car tore through the guardrail and restraining fence on the south side of the Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard overpass just after 10 p.m., then landed on its roof in the southbound lanes of Highway 99, according to the CHP’s South Sacramento office. The driver was briefly trapped in the wreckage before emergency responders freed him, officials said.
The driver suffered minor injuries, the CHP said.
The impact scattered debris across the freeway’s northbound lanes and triggered several collisions on both sides of Highway 99 as motorists tried to avoid the wreckage. The crashes were minor and no one was hurt, the CHP said.
Photos released by the CHP show a dark-colored sedan on its roof with the engine block torn free and debris scattered across the southbound roadway as emergency vehicles blocked traffic. On the overpass above, about 40 feet of guardrail was torn away, officials said. Road crews were called to repair the damage.
The crash caused significant traffic delays on southbound Highway 99 near Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard as crews cleared the wreckage.
This story was originally published February 20, 2026 at 10:31 AM.
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Darrell Smith is a local reporter for The Sacramento Bee. He joined The Bee in 2006 and previously worked at newspapers in Palm Springs, Colorado Springs and Marysville. Smith was born and raised at Beale Air Force Base and lives in Elk Grove.