Most children have been transported in a 15-passenger van to church youth group outings, youth club events, sporting events and other activities. Parents who send their children on outings in these vehicles often are blissfully unaware of the enormous danger. A 15-passenger van is particularly vulnerable to rollover accidents. These vehicles were originally designed to transport cargo. The design of the vehicles was not appropriately modified to safely transport large numbers of vehicle occupants. 15-passenger vans combine a high center of gravity with unsafe weight distribution when loaded with passengers to make them especially likely to rollover in a motor vehicle collision.
These vehicles are similar to other vans except that they are longer so that more occupants can be transported. These 15-passenger vans are designed with a high center of gravity and narrow wheelbase. While most people presume that these vehicles are designed to carry a large number of passengers, the reality is that 15-passenger vans are much more prone to rollover when carrying more vehicle occupants. The vehicles typically sit 4 passengers behind the rear axle when fully loaded, but this creates more weight behind the rear axle. This makes the vehicle not only top heavy but also back end heavy so that when a van must swerve to suddenly avoid an obstacle the back end of the vehicle will swing around toward the front of the vehicle. 15-passenger vans are so prone to rollover accidents that 85 percent of the time they rollover in accidents when loaded with 10 or more passengers.
These motor vehicles also may lack seatbelts, which makes rollover accidents especially dangerous. If a vehicle occupant is involved in a rollover accident without a seatbelt, there is a high risk of suffering serious injury when being slammed against the interior of the vehicle or suffering vehicle ejection. If you child is traveling in a 15-passenger van, you should warn your child that seatbelt use is absolutely required. It is important to be aware that less than 15 percent of fatal accidents with one of these vehicles involved occupants wearing seatbelts.
While manufacturing defects may contribute to collisions involving 15-passenger vans, there are other factors that also contribute to the danger associated with these vehicles. The weight distribution in such a vehicle means that it reacts differently than an ordinary passenger vehicle so only professional drivers should operate 15-passenger vans. Many times youth organizations permit these vehicles to be driven by coaches, counselors, parents or other inexperienced drivers. Tire pressure or worn out tires are also dangerous so the tires on a 15-passenger van should be checked prior to a trip.
If you are injured in a 15-passenger van in Mississippi, you may have a right to seek financial compensation against any responsible parties. This may include the vehicle manufacturer, vehicle owner, inexperienced driver, organization arranging the transportation or other vehicle drivers. If you or your loved one suffer serious injury or wrongful death, we invite you to call contact us to learn how we can assist you in seeking compensation for your loss and injuries. The experienced Mississippi 15-passenger van accident attorneys at Barrett Law have been providing tenacious representation to victims of motor vehicle accidents for over 75 years. We provide diligent legal representation and impassioned advocacy so we invite you to call us today at 662-834-2376 to learn how we can help.