Church Van Accidents

It is not uncommon for a church to use 15-passenger vans or small buses to help disabled and elderly church attendees arrive each week at service.

The church may even use these vans and buses to transport congregation members to a special venue or retreat.

Church buses and 15-passenger vans, unfortunately, are not above getting involved in vehicle collisions.

Catastrophic causes may entail:

The driver of the church bus or van’s negligence; another driver’s negligence; improper repairs or maintenance of a church bus or passenger van by a repair service; equipment with defects on the bus which could be the responsibility of the manufacturer; tires of defect which could be the responsibility of the manufacturer; et al.

Naturally, it is atypical for a church member to strive to sue his or her church. However, many churches do have insurance for these exact kinds of collisions.

At times, the collision may be the result of an outside party, such as the repair facility or manufacturer of the vehicle.

It doesn’t matter who may be at fault. Receiving compensation for sustained injuries is necessary. Medical bills accumulate, and you are not able to go back to work due to the injuries.

The NHTSA, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, recently provided warnings to the use of 15-passenger vehicles by church groups. This is due to the fact accidents with church vans occur too often.

NHTSA warned that maintenance of tires is crucial to prevent rollover collisions and other catastrophes.

The church buses should use tires that are sized appropriately. The tires should be properly checked for the appropriate inflation prior to getting on the road.

It is common for a church group to use their vehicles no more than two days a week, typically for local transportation. Thus, the safety administration cautioned a degrade of tires over time, even when the vehicle receives a minimal amount of road mileage.

The NHTSA, in fact, made clear this warning of tires more than ten years old shouldn’t be on vehicles whatsoever.

The safety administration, finally, provides some safety tips for individuals planning to use a 15-passenger van for a church trip:

Ensure the church bus is maintained properly if you are the owner; vehicle operators should be experienced and completely trained to operate a passenger van due to different handling capabilities.

These church vehicles are quite susceptible to loading. Thus, exercise extreme care to make sure the passenger van is loaded sufficiently.

There is an increase in rollover risk when overloading. In other situations of handling, this can cause the vehicle to be unstable.

Tires of the appropriate size should be used on the passenger vehicle, with properly inflated tires. Prior to a road trip, the bus driver should inspect tires for tear and wear, as well as other dilemmas.

Due to an increase of rollover risk with passenger vehicles, it is more crucial for the passengers on the van to wear seat belts to safeguard against any rollover ejection.

If you or a family member sustained injuries, or someone was killed in a collision involving a church bus or passenger van, immediately contact an experienced bus accident personal injury attorney.

Contact us for a free consultation or call Anzalone Law Firm PLLC, at: 603.548.3797.