15 Passenger Van Rollover 

Rollover crashes often result in catastrophic injury, including traumatic brain injury (TBI), spinal cord injury, paralysis, or death. Roofs crush inward on drivers, passengers, and occupants. Vehicles with a propensity to rollover are often do not have side curtain airbags.

Further, vehicles prone to rollover are often not designed with the required strength to maintain the vehicles’ integrity, resulting in roof crush, passenger ejections, and passenger compartment intrusion.

15 Passenger Van Accident

15 passenger vans are known for their high propensity for rollover accidents. Additionally, the vans have been found to have other design defects that endanger the passengers in them.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has issued a cautionary warning to users of 15 passenger vans because of an increased rollover risk under certain conditions: NHTSA: 15 Passenger Van.

The results of a recent analysis by NHTSA revealed that 15 passenger vans have a rollover risk that is similar to other light trucks and vans when carrying a few passengers. This risk of rollover increases dramatically as the number of occupants increases from fewer than five occupants to over ten passengers.

15 Passenger Van Propensity to Rollover

15 passenger vans with 10 or more occupants had a rollover rate in single vehicle crashes that is nearly three times the rate of those that were lightly loaded.

NHTSA's analysis revealed that loading the 15 passenger van causes the center of gravity to shift rearward and upward increasing the likelihood of rollover. The shift in the center of gravity will also increase the potential for loss of control in panic maneuvers.

Because of these risks, it is important that only experienced drivers operate these vehicles. A person transporting 16 or more people for commercial purposes is required to have a Commercial Driver's License (CDL), which requires certain specialized knowledge and driving skills. Although the drivers of these vehicles are not required to possess a CDL, they should still understand and be familiar with the handling characteristics of their vans, especially when the van is fully loaded.

NHTSA has made this information available because of these findings and because of several highly publicized rollover accidents involving 15 passenger vans loaded with college students (often driven by a fellow student rather than a professional driver).

While Federal law prohibits the sale of 15 passenger vans for the school-related transport of high school age and younger students, no such ban exists for vehicles to transport college students or other passengers.

Personal Injury Claim and Wrongful Death Claim

As personal injury lawyers, we represent seriously injured persons and their families in cases involving car accident, truck accident, 15 passenger van accident, rollover accident, and product defect claims.

If you or your family member have been seriously injured in a 15 passenger van accident, rollover accident, or other traffic crash, and the cause of the accident or rollover was the negligence of another, or the result a defective vehicle, then contact an accident attorney at our firm as soon as possible for a prompt, confidential, and caring discussion of your personal injury or wrongful death claim. Prompt investigation and vehicle preservation are critical in these cases.

Because these are complex cases which are expensive to prosecute, we often team up with other injury lawyers whom we know and trust to join us in our pursuit of justice on your behalf.  But time is the enemy of every injury and accident claim. Contact us today.

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For experience and prompt action, contact our injury attorneys.  We proudly serve deserving clients and their families who are seeking to overcome the challenges of serious personal injury and wrongful death throughout Florida and beyond in other States.

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We provide aggressive, prompt, and ethical advocacy on behalf of individuals and families who have suffered serious personal injury, accident injury, and wrongful death.