UPDATE: According to the California Highway Patrol, the CHP officer who was injured in Tuesday night's crash, was reporting to the scene of a big rig fire and was getting out of his patrol vehicle when his car was rear ended.
The officer sustained moderate injuries and was taken to a hospital in Visalia for treatment.
The driver of the car that hit the officer suffered minor injuries.
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Southbound Highway 99 was shut down for several hours near Earlimart, just north of Kern County, Tuesday night according to Caltrans.
According to our sister station ABC30 in Fresno, a crash that left a California Highway Patrol officer injured led to the shut down.
The CHP officer was responding to a semi-truck fire. While at the scene of the fire, the officer was hit by a vehicle and suffered major, non-life threatening injuries.
The officer was taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital.
There were several other small vehicle collisions in the area, but it doesn't appear anyone else was injured.
UPDATE Tulare: Southbound 99 FULL CLOSURE; detour at Ave 56, south to Ave 48 to reconnect with 99. No ETO
— Caltrans District 6 (@CaltransDist6) March 21, 2018
Caltrans said traffic was being diverted at Avenue 56, south to Avenue 48 to reconnect with Highway 99.
Lanes reopened around 10 p.m.
