Lukins & Annis | Fifteen-Passenger Van Litigation

Fifteen-Passenger Van Litigation

The use of fifteen-passenger vans has resulted in many deaths. Unfortunately, churches, daycare centers, schools, universities, retirement centers, and airport shuttles frequently use fifteen-passenger vans. About half of a million 15-passenger vans are on the roads today.

From 1990 to 2002, 1,111 people died in crashes involving fifteen-passenger vans. These troubling numbers led the National Highway Traffic Safety Agency (NHTSA) in November, 2004, to report a “growing concern regarding the crash involvement and safety of 15-passenger vans and the resulting injuries and fatalities.” NHTSA warned that “heavily loaded 15-passenger vans are particularly susceptible to rollover.” The NHTSA Action Plan for 15-Passenger Van Safety may be read by clicking here. A NHTSA web site warns consumers about the dangers of 15-passenger vans. The NHTSA consumer advisory is available by clicking here. You may witness the performance of a 15-passenger van by watching a streaming video of a Ford E-350 15-passenger van completing a rollover test by clicking here.

In May of 2005, NHTSA issued a research note regarding 15-passenger vans and tire pressure. In the note, NHTSA warns that "a very high percentage of vans have significantly under inflated tires[.]" Under inflated tires can result in tread separations and tire blowouts which can cause drivers to lose control and result in rollovers. NHTSA's research note on tire pressure and 15-passenger vans is available online by clicking here.

As 60 Minutes II reported, “the 15-passenger van is one of the most dangerous vehicles on the road in terms of rollover.” CBS News noted that since the 60 Minutes II report aired, “two insurers used by churches and schools say they won't cover any more 15-passenger vans, and several universities will no longer allow their athletes to be transported in the vans.” Read the CBS News report by clicking here.

Federal and state legislators have enacted laws to protect school children from riding in 15-passenger vans. A federal law prohibits the sale of 15-passenger vans for the transport of students in high school or elementary school. Washington’s Superintendent of Public Instruction made it clear that in Washington all vehicles that seat ten or more people, including the driver, must meet school bus safety specifications if they are used to transport elementary or high school students in connection with a school activity. 15-passenger vans do not meet school bus safety specifications. Read a letter from the Chief Counsel of NHTSA, Frank Seales, Jr., by clicking here and then clicking on the link titled, “Don't use 15-passenger vans for school transportation”.

Tragedies involving fifteen-passenger vans are all too common. The death toll includes:

Five young people who died in March, 2003, when the 15-passenger van they were riding in rolled over during a church retreat near Yermo, California. The driver lost control of the group’s rented 2002 Ford Econoline E-350 as they approached a right curve on northbound Interstate 15.

A thirteen year old boy who died when the 15-passenger van he was riding in fishtailed on wet pavement, veered into a ditch and rolled onto its side. Five other children were seriously injured in the 2003 crash. The van, a Ford E-350, was used by a local church in St. Louis, Missouri.

Four churchgoers who died near Barstow, California in March 2003, when the 2002 Ford 15-passenger van they were traveling in rolled over after the driver lost control of the vehicle.

Five firefighters who died on their way to fight a wildfire in Colorado. The firefighters were killed when the driver reportedly reached for something inside the 15-passenger van, a Ford E-350, the van to drifted into the median and the driver overcorrected, which caused the van to roll four times.

Five college athletes who died in four separate rollovers in 2000. On January 13th, the Kenyon College swim team: one dead. The next week, DePaul University’s women’s track team: three injured. The week after that, the University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh, swim team: two seriously injured. The week after that, Prairie View A&M: Four members of the track team were killed and seven injured.

Two people died and twelve people were injured on June 9, 2005, when a 2002 Ford 15-passenger van overturned. The driver lost control of the van, while traveling from Houston, Texas, to Springfield, Virginia, when he tried to pull off the side of the road at Exit 35 off I-85. Six of the fourteen passengers were thrown from the van.

A 15-passenger Ford van went out of control and rolled over on May 5, 2005, when the driver swerved to miss an antelope on the way Colorado Springs to host a conference for his ministry. The passengers included the driver, his wife, and their six children. All were injured. The driver was left in a coma and his wife and son were seriously injured.

A Prosser, Washington, Pastor and his ten year old son, died in Arkansas on April 19, 2005, after being ejected from a Ford 15-passenger van. Pastor Jupp and five of his eight children were raising money for a missionary trip to Cambodia, when their 15-passenger van was passed by a semi-truck. The van left the roadway and rolled.

One man died on April 9, 2005, when the 15-passenger van he was riding in rolled over on a Florida turnpike. Four passengers were ejected, including an infant.

Seven men died and twelve were injured on April 1, 2005, when the 15-passenger van they were riding in flipped. The accident occurred on Florida's Interstate 95 near Orange Avenue when the driver moved from the right lane to the left lane to pass a semi-truck.

An eleven year old girl died May 16, 2004, when a 15-passenger van flipped several times . The 15-passenger van was full of children returning from a YMCA camping trip in Gainsville, Florida. The driver lost control when she swerved to avoid a seat cushion that flew out of a boat in front of the van.

Two high school students died on a field trip when the Ford 15-passenger van they were riding in rolled over on State Highway 395, near Ritzville, Washington. Additionally, there were multiple injuries to the other students riding in the van.

Lukins & Annis, P.S., is a law firm based in Spokane, Washington. The firm has successfully advocated for citizens of the Pacific Northwest. If you have been injured in a 15-passenger van accident, please contact Lukins & Annis, P.S., Robert J. Crotty, Chief, 15-Passenger Van Litigation Team, (509)455-9555.