Two Amish families returning from a church function lost 5 family members in a terrible auto accident on I-69 near Muncie Indiana. Eleven other family members were injured and transported by helicopter to local hospitals. The 15-passenger van rolled over at least four times and because of a hole in one of the tires, police think the accident may have been due to a blown out tire. Even experienced emergency workers who responded to the crash scene were affected by the sheer number of children involved in the accident.
The Indianapolis Star reported that the National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA) has warned consumers about these van for years.
In a new research report related to improper tire maintenance on 15-passenger vans, the NHTSA study found that 74 percent of all 15-passenger vans had significantly mis-inflated tires. By contrast, 39 percent of passenger cars were found with significant inflation problems. NHTSA research has consistently shown that improperly inflated tires can change handling characteristics, increasing the prospect of a rollover crash in 15-passenger vans.
NHTSA continues to stress to the owners of these passenger vans the importance of proper tire maintenance in hopes of preventing tragic accidents such as this one.
For more information on this subject, please refer to the section on Car and Motorcycle Accidents.
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