15 Passenger Vans - Injury Attorneys

Pennsylvania - New Jersey - Delaware - New York - Nationwide

Fifteen-passenger vans often used by daycare centers, business commuters, sports teams, churches, senior citizen groups and others are among the most dangerous vehicles on the road. Perhaps the most dangerous.

Of particular concern is the propensity of these large vans to roll over. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 15-passenger vans are more likely to be involved in single-vehicle rollover accidents than any other type of automobile.

Public Citizen, the consumer advocate group affiliated with Ralph Nader, calls 15-passenger vans “extremely hazardous vehicles” that are “prone to rollover and result in devastating crashes.” The group has called for a halt in the manufacture of the vans – to no avail.

If you or a loved one was seriously hurt or killed in an accident involving one of these vans, you may want to contact an attorney experienced with 15-passenger van accidents for a free evaluation of your case.

The problem with the vans, says Public Citizen, is that the rear of the vehicles extends four to five feet or more beyond the rear wheels. Heavy loading with people or cargo creates instability during emergency maneuvers such as sudden turns and the vehicles then have a tendency to fishtail and roll over.

Public Citizen has cited statistics showing that most fatalities involving 15-passenger vans occur in rollover accidents that did not involve another vehicle. In other words, the type of vehicle appeared to have played a role in the accident and its severity.

A report by the National Transportation Safety Board cited 1,441 fatal crashes involving these large vans over an 11-year period. Of those accidents, 601 involved single-vehicle crashes and 316 were rollover accidents. The NTSB has noted that about one-third of passenger cars involved in single-auto accidents roll over, while about half of the 15-passenger vans involved in such accidents experience rollovers.

NHTSA has issued four warnings about 15-passenger vans since 2001, the latest coming in 2005. While federal law now prohibits the use of these vans for school-related transportation for high school and younger students, they are still used by various college and private groups. It is estimated that roughly 500,000 of the vans are on U.S. roadways.

On April 25, 2006, 13 member of a track team were injured in a crash involving a 15-passenger van in Louisiana, where several years earlier two member of the Shreveport Emmanuel Missionary Baptist Church were killed when the church’s 15-passenger van flipped over several times.

Kline & Specter P.C., a Philadelphia-based law firm with some 30 attorneys, five of whom are also highly skilled doctors, has had success litigating product liability and auto accident lawsuits in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and nationwide. Contact a passenger van accident lawyer today.

Kline & Specter handles cases in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York and Nationwide, working with local attorneys in states outside PA, NJ and NY.

In Pennsylvania, Kline & Specter handles cases in and around: Allentown, Altoona, Bethlehem, Chester, Doylestown, Drexel Hill, Easton, Erie, Greensburg, Harrisburg, Hazleton, Johnstown, Lancaster, Levittown, McCandless, McKeesport, Monroeville, Norristown, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Pottstown, Radnor, Reading, Scranton, State College, West Chester, Wilkes-Barre, Williamsport and York.

In New Jersey, the firm handles cases in and around: Atlantic City, Bayonne, Brick Township, Camden, Cherry Hill, Clifton, Edison, Elizabeth, Fort Lee, Jersey City, Lakewood, Millville, Newark, New Brunswick, Paterson, Pennsauken, Plainfield, Toms River, Trenton, Union, Vineland, Voorhees and Willingboro.