Amish van crash: Feds have warned about rollovers for years

Amish van crash: Feds have warned about rollovers for years

By Bill Ruthhart

October 23, 2007

Federal safety officials have warned of the dangers of 15-passenger vans for years, yet many — including church groups and sports teams — continue to use them.

Sunday, one such van, packed with two Amish families heading home after a church function, rolled over on I-69 near Muncie, killing five and injuring 11.

Killed were the van’s driver, Melvin Fisher, 39; his wife, Savilla Fisher, whose age was unknown; and their sons Ruben, 16; Christian, 11; and Eli, 1.

State Police investigators say a tire blowout on the Ford Club Wagon likely caused the crash.

For safety officials, it’s an all-too-familiar story.

A national survey found that 15-passenger vans have an unusually high rate of improperly inflated or worn tires. Other studies have shown the more passengers and luggage in the vans, the more likely they are to roll over.

“The problem with these vans is that they have a high center of gravity, a narrow track width and a short wheelbase, which makes them much more likely to tip over in an accident,” said Jeff Wigington, a Texas attorney who has researched the vehicles and represented victims of 15-passenger van accidents in more than 20 cases in 10 states.

“It all only gets worse with the more people you put in the van.”

Van manufacturers have defended the vehicles’ safety, and some have added stability control in recent years to help prevent rollovers. Automakers also have stressed the importance of wearing seat belts.

GMC, Chevrolet, Ford and Dodge are among the major manufacturers of the vehicles.

According to federal statistics, nearly 80 percent of those who died in 15-passenger van rollovers from 1990 to 2003 were not wearing seat belts. The study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration also found that 91 percent of those who buckled up survived the accidents.

Police said it was not clear how many, if any, of the 16 people involved in Sunday’s accident were wearing seat belts.

“One thing that might never be determined,” State Police Sgt. Rod Russell said, “is where everybody was sitting in the van.”

What police do know is that one of the van’s tires had a hole. Studies have shown tire problems are commonly found in accidents involving 15-passenger vans.

According to the NHTSA, 74 percent of all 15-passenger vans have at least one tire that is not properly inflated, compared with about 40 percent of cars.

For years, the agency repeatedly has issued warnings about 15-passenger vans and their propensity for rollovers. According to research from the group, a full 15-passenger van is 5.5 times more likely to roll over than one with only a driver.

Safety experts say that’s because as weight is added inside the vehicle, its center of gravity shifts higher and rearward. That, they say, increases the van’s chances of fishtailing and overturning.

Sunday, Melvin Fisher — a licensed driver and owner of the vehicle — was driving south on I-69 when he lost control of the van. It rolled over at least four times before crossing the median and landing on the berm of the northbound lanes. No other vehicles were involved.

Delaware County Coroner James Clevenger Jr. said all five deaths were caused by multiple blunt-trauma injuries.

Mike Dobbs, assistant chief of the Gaston Volunteer Fire Department, was one of the first to arrive at the scene.

“It was a bad day,” he said. “The sheer numbers are what it must be like at a battle scene.”

Seven medical helicopters lined I-69 to transport the injured. Four parents and 12 children were riding in the van.

“It is bad enough to see one child injured, but when you see that number, you really cannot describe it,” said Rodney McNeill, a veteran paramedic who responded to the crash.

“It was almost as if an explosion had happened.”

There have been other notable single-vehicle accidents involving 15-passenger vans in Indiana.

In 2004, the van of a Carmel soccer team crashed in Colorado on an interstate outside Denver, injuring 18.

In 1999, three members of Indiana University’s rowing team were hospitalized after their van flipped three times on an Illinois highway.

Since then, Indiana and other colleges across the state have banned the vans’ use. At the time of the Carmel soccer accident, GuideOne, a major auto insurer of church organizations, had stopped issuing policies on the vehicles, citing their dangers.

There are some signs that public awareness about the vehicles is beginning to catch on. According to the NHTSA, fatalities from 15-passenger van rollovers have declined 35 percent since the agency began issuing advisories about the vehicles in 2001.

Still, more than a million of the vehicles are registered nationwide.

“These vans are an accident waiting to happen,” said Wigington, the Texas attorney. “I wouldn’t let my child ride in one. They’re too dangerous.”