A devastating 15-passenger van accident last week is once again underscoring to Houston product liability lawyers the dangers of these vehicles.
The accident occurred in New York, and involved a van that was carrying members of a Bronx church to a religious event. According to news reports, the left rear tire of the van blew out, causing the van to flip over. Several of the passengers were ejected, and six of them sustained fatal injuries.
Consumer safety groups like Public Citizen have once again raised questions about the fact that these vans are still operating on our roads in spite of enough evidence to show that they are unstable and increase the risk of a rollover. According to experts, about 15% of all 15-passenger van rollovers occur because of tire blowouts. Between 1982 and 2008, federal agencies recorded a total of 724 fatal rollover accidents involving these vans. A total of 1,153 people were killed, and more than 1,500 were seriously injured in these accidents. These rollovers have involved vans manufactured by Ford Motor Company, Dodge/Daimler Chrysler and General Motors. The van involved in the New York accident was manufactured by Ford.
Ford has launched a strong defense of the van. It insists that there is nothing wrong with the design or stability of these vans, and that they are safe if operated by an experienced driver and all passengers are buckled in. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration too has failed to act to ensure that Americans are not at risk from these unstable vehicles. All that the agency has done is issue recommendations to the operators of these vans, informing them about the increased risks of a rollover.
Between May 2001 and 2009, the NHTSA issued several such advisories. However this year, the agency skipped issuing an advisory. In 2009, the agency said in its advisory that there had been a steady decline in the number of fatalities in 15-passenger van accidents. However, a closer look at the statistics shows that the number of deaths from these accidents in 2004, 2007 and 2008 was actually higher compared to the previous years. In spite of all this evidence, the agency has been content with merely issuing safety advisories.
Image Courtesy: Flickr – Hugo90
Vuk Vujasinovic is a Board Certified Houston personal injury attorney who practices Houston auto accident and other personal injury cases.
For more info on how Vuk can help you with your potential case please call him at (877) 724-7800 or fill out the contact form on the right.
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