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Personal Injury Blog

New York 15-Passenger Van Accident Underscores Design Risks

Last week, six people were killed in an accident involving a 15-passenger van that rolled over on a New York State Thruway.  The accident remind California auto accident lawyers and the public about the dangers of these passenger vans and make us question why they still continue to operate on the roads.

The 15-passenger van was carrying 14 people from a Joy Fellowship Christian Association on their way to an event near Schenectady in New York, when the tire blew out and the van rolled over.    Several of the passengers in the van were ejected.  Six of them sustained fatal injuries, and eight passengers were injured.

In the wake of the deadly accident, questions have been raised not just in New York, but also in California and around the country about why federal agencies continue to allow 15-passenger van to operate in spite of a mountain of evidence about the dangers of these vehicles.  According to statistics from National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there were 1,090 accident deaths between 1997 and 2006 in accidents involving 15-passenger vans.  Out of these, 680 accident involved rollovers.

The van involved in the accident here was manufactured by Ford Motor Company, and as expected, the company has released a statement saying that the vans are safe when these vehicles are properly maintained, everybody on board is wearing seatbelts, and these vehicles are operated by experienced drivers.  In short, Ford is washing its hands of any responsibility for its design in this accident.

However California car accident lawyers and auto safety groups, including Public Citizen and Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety have already spoken about their frustration at the fact that that the NHTSA has turned a deaf ear to all their appeals for a recall, retrofit or at least redesign of these vans.   In fact, Joan Claybrook, a board member of Public Citizen and former chief of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration calls it a criminal act that manufacturers continue to produce these dangerous vans.

These vans can be extremely dangerous, and have an unstable design that renders them susceptible to rollovers.  Ford is not the only manufacturer making these vans in the country.  Other vans are manufactured by Chrysler and General Motors Company.

Back in 2002, Claybrook wrote a letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, noting that very often these vans are used by community organizations, like churches and schools.  Any accidents therefore, have a significant community impact.  Her letter suggested that manufacturers retrofit such vans with four tires instead of two on each rear axle, to make the vehicle more stable.  However, those recommendations were ignored both by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and the manufacturers of the 15 passenger vans.

Instead, the federal agency has simply been content with issuing safety recommendations for these vans, asking motorists to check the tire pressure frequently, and to seat passengers in the front when the van is not full to capacity.  The agency has simply failed to understand the significance of the risk to motorists and occupants during such rollovers.

The Reeves Law Group is a law firm with offices throughout California dedicated exclusively to the representation of personal injury victims, including victims of 15-passenger van accidents. Please visit our website at trlglaw.com. If you desire a free consultation on a personal injury matter, please call us at (800) 644-8000 or email us.

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