Deadly Van Crash May Be the Latest Example of Risks Posed by 15-Passenger Vans

At least three people have died in a single-vehicle crash involving a multi-passenger van in Chester County, Pennsylvania, according to breaking news coverage.

The afternoon crash on Oct. 16, 2019, on Route 1 southbound, near the Newark Road Exit, in New Garden Township, reportedly left eight others injured, some of them critically.

What’s known at this time from news reports is that the van overturned. Two people were ejected, and some were trapped inside. It is presently unknown how many passengers the van was designed to hold. However, there are many vans on U.S. roadways that are designed for 15 passengers.

15-Passenger Vans Pose Roll-Over Risks

Feldman Shepherd attorney Alan Feldman said that 15-passenger vans are notorious for roll-over risks. Feldman’s legal practice focuses on crashworthiness claims, which are catastrophic personal injury cases in which the vehicle itself, because of its unsafe design or the absence of necessary safety features, fails to protect the occupants from injury. He said it is well-recognized that these vans have significant stability and handling problems, which are exacerbated when the vans become fully loaded.

“Fifteen-passenger vans are notoriously unstable and have accounted for too many serious injuries and deaths. Our firm has substantial experience with these kinds of auto defect claims, and we are available to discuss potential cases arising from unsafe multi-passenger vans,” Feldman said.