Yet Another 15-Passenger Church Van Rolls Over Killing At Least Two And Catastrophically Injuring Others
As an experienced 15-passenger van rollover attorney and outspoken critic of the continued use of these vehicles, I find myself reporting on yet another disaster of a 15-passenger van crash. The 15-passenger Ford van was carrying 16 people from New Life Worship Center in Federal Heights and crashed in eastern Oregon this morning killing at least two people and catastrophically injuring several others. Those in the van were aged 18 to 22 years old and studying to be ministers at the Federal Heights church. The van was noted to be a 2002 Ford van and many of the passengers were ejected in the multiple rollovers. These vehicles have an extremely high roll over rate of 85% in a single vehicle crash with 10 to 15 occupants vs. 28% for vans carrying fewer than 5 people. 15-passenger vans are commonly used by church groups and student groups and have a high center of gravity when loaded with passengers. The operation of these vans requires specific knowledge and experience and an accident avoidance maneuver or a sudden driver action often results in a catastrophic loss of control.
Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the individuals injured and killed as a result of this tragic accident. I recommend that they seek the services of an experienced 15-passenger van rollover attorney to fully investigate this claim and recover proper damages that may be due to them as a result of a defective auto product design.
