The Vehicle Most Likely to Rollover, Injure And Kill Innocent Children and Churchgoers Is The 15-Passenger Van - 15- Passenger Van Lawyer Warns Consumers
For many years, the 15-passenger van accident and SUV rollover lawyers at Reiff and Bily have been representing passengers that have been catastrophically injured or killed while being transported in 15 passenger vans that have flipped over. The rollover risk posed by 15 passenger vans, including those predominantly used by church groups, school groups and other unsuspecting individuals, is the most dangerous on the road today. 15 passenger vans started out as cargo utility vehicles in the early 1970's and is still essentially a cargo van with modifications made to accommodate passengers. If a 15 passenger van is fully loaded it is 6 to 7 times more likely to flip over than a van containing only a driver. As a matter of fact, NHTSA has noted that fully loaded 15 passenger vans are more likely to rollover than any other passenger type of vehicle, including cars, mini vans, SUVs and pickup trucks.
Internal documents by the major automotive manufacturers, including but not limited to Ford, Chrysler and GM, revealed that the companies were and still are well aware of safety and deficiencies with the 15-passenger van. However, the manufacturing of these passenger vehicles and the transition from cargo to passenger vans became too profitable and the automobile manufacturers have made a consistent effort to place profitability over consumer safety. Documentation of testing data indicates that the engineers who designed these cars knew they were unsafe and suggested necessary fixes to protect innocent and unsuspecting consumers. Initially in April 2001, NHTSA issued a report on the rollover propensity of 15-passenger vans. It is significant that NHTSA had never done this for any other vehicle and during that time period there had been approximately 800 fatalities.
Between 1990 and 2002, there were 1,576 15-passenger vans involved in fatal crashes resulting in 1,111 deaths to occupants. Testing noted that loading a 15-passenger van to gross vehicle weight caused an adverse effect on the rollover propensity due to the creation of a higher center of gravity and resulting instability. Not only are the vehicles unstable, the restraint systems and roof systems are inadequate and unreasonably weak, creating a vehicle that is not crashworthy. Basically, the 15-passenger van amounts to be a death trap when loaded to full 15-passenger capacity and operated by an inexperienced driver unaware of these specified handling characteristics.
Most 15-passenger vans sold in the United States are built by the Ford Motor Company and are widely used by schools, churches and community organizations to drive large groups of people to outings. Models of Ford 15-passenger vans include the Ford Econoliner E Series, such as the Ford E350 and Club Wagon E350. Other manufacturers of 15-passenger vans include the Dodge Ram B350 and the Ram Valley Wagon B3500, as well as the Chevrolet Express 3500 and the GMC Savannah 3500 and the Rally/Vandora 3500.
In more than 80% of all single vehicle accidents involving 15-passenger vans that result in fatality, the vans rolled over. The lawsuits against the manufacturers claim that the manufacturers had specific knowledge that the vehicles were defective in design and unreasonably dangerous because of instability and the tendency to rollover as well as having inadequate restraint and roof systems. Ford’s own tests results revealed that it was possible to attain a lift of two wheels of the vehicle at speeds under 40 mph and in some test situations, the vehicles were found to roll at speed of 33 to 35 mph. If these 15-passenger vans had been built in a more stable fashion, the vehicle would not rollover. In fact, there are many “fixes” to this known problem. In addition, once it rolls over, it is not crashworthy and as a result, the occupants are killed in what would otherwise be easily survivable crashes.
It is astounding that since 1971, when the full sized Dodge Ram wagon passenger van (one of the oldest 15-passenger vans) hit the showroom, followed by the development of the Ford E Series 15-passenger van in 1972, there has been little technical advancement in these vehicles to date. Obviously, the 15-passenger van is one of the most dangerous vehicles on the road in terms of rollovers.
The experienced rollover lawyers at the Philadelphia SUV rollover law firm of Reiff and Bily have been researching, handling and testing automotive defects and SUV rollover and 15-passenger van cases since 1979. If you, your family or church group or school is using 15-passenger vans, please contact us for information regarding safety concerns.
If you or a loved one has been seriously injured or killed in a rollover accident involving 15-passenger van or any kind of SUV rollover, please contact us at 1-800-421-9595 or online at www.reiffandbily.com. We have the experience and the track record of successful results in the handling of these claims. Our firm is based in Philadelphia but we have represented catastrophically injured clients who have suffered fatalities throughout the United States. We are dedicated, skilled and have the resources necessary to protect your rights.
