In July 2010, a church group of adults and children traveling home from a day-trip to an Amusement Park in Orlando, crashed into a highway dividing wall, killing one, and injuring 16 others. The 68 year old victim, Paulette Noel, was the oldest member of the group.

According to survivors, the crash was caused when the driver, 49 year old Jocelyne Jean-Gilles, lost control momentarily of the 1999 van. Moments before the bus crash occurred, a large truck passed at a high speed, causing the van to shake.

Fifteen passenger vans tend to be top heavy leading the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to put out a warning relating to these vans. They recommend that drivers be trained, experienced drivers, with plenty of rest. Additionally, they recommend limiting drive time to no more than 8 hours in any 24 hour period.

The trip to Orlando began at 4 AM on Saturday morning, after making the 3 ½ hour trip to Orlando, and spending a full day enjoying the theme park, the group began their trip back to Deerfield Park. The crash occurred at around 8 PM in Osceola County, about 54 miles south of Orlando.

While the crash is still under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol, there seem to be two possible causes for this terrible accident. One is driver error. It is unknown whether there were any modifications made to the van, but it is clear that the driver may have been tired, as the group was already 16 hours into their day at the time of the crash. If the FHP determine driver error as the cause of the crash, the Church’s insurance will be responsible for any claims made by injured passengers.

Additionally, Florida law requires drivers of 15-passenger vans to have a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL). At this point, it is unknown whether the driver has a valid CDL.

The other possible cause is a fault in the design of the van. It is well known that 15 passenger vans have a tendency to roll over. In the past, there have been successful lawsuits brought against van makers for the design flaws that lead to instability in these vans.