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August 2010 |
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 15-Passenger Vans: Risky Business
A variety of groups and organizations across the U.S., including schools, churches, sports teams, daycare facilities and airport shuttle services, use 15-passenger vans due to their ability to transport large amounts of people and cargo. While 15-passenger vans are convenient and seemingly safe, many people who own and/or drive them are unaware of the risks they bring.
Since 1990, the government estimates there have been more than 1,200 fatalities nationwide, as a result of problems with 15-passenger vans, most significantly, their propensity to roll over.
These types of vehicles have a higher likelihood to be involved in a dangerous rollover accident than any other vehicle on the road today, due in large part to their design. When loaded with passengers and cargo, 15-passenger vans can become extremely unstable. This instability causes them to fishtail, lose control and oftentimes roll over.
Several jurisdictions in the U.S. and Canada have banned these types of vehicles from roadways, which makes us wonder why the Federal Government hasn't taken a more aggressive stance when it comes to nationwide legislation involving 15-passenger vans.
The Problem with 15-Passenger Vans
While the majority of 15-passenger vans on the highway have been produced by Ford Motor Company, Chrysler and General Motors have also manufactured similar and equally dangerous models as well. Ford, Chrysler and GM 15-passenger van models include:
- Ford E350
- Ford Club Wagon E350
- Dodge Ram Wagon B350
- Ram Van/Wagon B350
- Chevy Express 3500
- GMC Savana
- Rally/Vandura G3500
Our own Brian Chase is intrinsically familiar with the dangers of 15-passenger vans, since he routinely stages crash testing of these types of vehicles.
Initially built to haul cargo, vans such as these were never redesigned to safely haul passengers. To begin, the rear of these vans extends over four feet beyond the rear wheels. What's more, they're extremely bulky and top heavy. Flaws such as these make them unsafe during emergency maneuvers, including sudden turns or braking.
When five or more people are riding in a 15-passenger van and an emergency driving maneuver takes place, the vehicle is prone to fishtailing and rolling over, often with devastating results.
Canadian School System Retires 15-Passenger Vans
Use of these types of vans drew national attention in Canada in 2008 when a 15-passenger van fishtailed on a highway in New Brunswick, causing it to collide with a transport truck. Seven members of a high school boys' basketball team and a female passenger were killed.
As recently as May 2010, a similar van was carrying 12 students and two teachers in Gravelbourg, Canada, when the vehicle fishtailed, slid off the highway and into a ditch. While no one was seriously injured, it prompted the CEF board -- the board that oversees French-language schools in that area -- to retire the school division's two 15-passenger vans.
Fixes for the 15-Passenger Van Problem
There are fixes, however, including adding another wheel on each side of the vehicle (dual wheels) at the rear of the van, to improve stability and handling during emergency driving situations.
What's more, a complete redesign of these models -- one that fully complies with federal safety standards similar to those involving school buses -- needs to be implemented to protect passengers in rollover and side impact crashes.
Finally, if 15-passenger vans can't meet federal safety requirements such as those involving school buses, for example, then these types of vans should only be used as they were originally intended -- to haul cargo and not people.
  OC METRO Names John Bisnar and Brian Chase Top Lawyers
John Bisnar and Brian Chase have been named two of the top five personal injury lawyers in Orange County in the August 2010 issue of OC METRO magazine.
The rankings are based on data from the well-known Internet lawyer rating service, Avvo, which is relied upon by thousands of people across the nation when selecting legal representation. Both John and Brian received "perfect 10" scores and "superb" ratings based on their background, years of experience as personal injury lawyers, successful track records, impeccable reputations with clients and peers and professional accomplishments.
The Avvo rating system is based on rankings in 19 different legal categories. This includes years in practice, disciplinary history, professional achievements and industry recognition. Avvo periodically collects background data from multiple sources, including state bar associations, court records, lawyer websites and other pertinent information.
The rating is calculated using input from hundreds of attorneys, thousands of consumers and legal experts. With the Avvo rating system, both John and Brian scored at the top in experience, industry recognition and professional conduct.
John received his JD degree from Pepperdine University School of Law in 1978. He was admitted to the California State Bar in July 1978 and shortly after, he graduated from Pepperdine University College of Trial Advocacy. To date, he has represented 6,124 clients with a 97.8 percent track record, having recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for catastrophically injured accident victims and the families of deceased accident victims.
Brian has been practicing law for over 17 years, concentrating on automobile product liability, catastrophic injury cases and government tort. He attended Pepperdine University School of Law, where he earned a JD degree and was associate editor of the Pepperdine Law Review.
He has tried over twenty jury trials and, in the last couple of years, has successfully obtained numerous seven- and eight-figure settlements with various automobile manufacturers. Within the last year, he settled, during trial, two major cases against Ford Motor Company involving wrongful deaths and catastrophic brain injuries.
 The Giving Spotlight
"Getting Casual" for a Good Cause
Danielle Olson, Executive Assistant at BISNAR | CHASE, is collecting $5 donations between now and October 4, 2010, in honor of the Lee National Denim Day, one of the largest single-day nationwide fundraisers for breast cancer. The donations will go to support Lee Jeans' research efforts to detect and treat breast cancer, and to provide support and education programs for breast cancer victims across the U.S.
Then on Friday, October 8, 2010, as part of the official Lee National Denim Day, BISNAR | CHASE employees will wear jeans to work, to show their support of breast cancer detection, treatment, education and awareness.
Lee National Denim Day began in 1996 after an everyday conversation among several Lee Jeans' employees revealed they had all been touched by breast cancer in one way or another. In its first year, Lee Jeans set a goal of raising $1 million by inviting employees at businesses across the nation to wear jeans to work on Denim Day in exchange for a $5 contribution in the fight against breast cancer. In all, more than $1.4 million was raised that year, sparking what would become one of the largest single-day breast cancer fundraisers in the country.
To learn more about Lee National Denim Day, including how your organization can get involved, visit the Lee National Denim Day website. There, you can register a new team, register an existing team, learn how to promote the cause at your place of employment or make a donation to help support Lee Jeans and its breast cancer treatment, prevention and awareness initiatives.
You can also contact Danielle Olsen to make a donation on behalf of BISNAR | CHASE by calling (949) 752-2999. Thanks for your support!
Believe it or not, it was so cold last winter, I saw a lawyer with his hands in his own pockets!
A World Without Lawyers
You Have to See This!
For more information, please visit Does the World Need Lawyers?
Cases in the Queue
Appeal Granted in Case Against Ford Motor Company
BISNAR | CHASE was granted an appeal from the Superior Court of Los Angeles County in an auto defects case involving Ford Motor Company, Cooper Tire and Rubber Company, Leader Auto Sales of San Diego, California, and Power Tires, also of San Diego.
The suit alleges that the vehicle's fuel system design was defective, including its fuel tank and fuel filler neck assembly that allowed for dangerous gas leakage.
The original case, filed in 2006 in San Diego County Superior Court, involves a 1995 Ford Explorer rollover accident that killed two occupants and seriously injured two others after the vehicle's tire lost its tread and came apart, causing the SUV to lose control and roll over.
The lawsuit claims the 1995 Ford Explorer was wrought with a variety of defects, including unsafe tires that were prone to tread separation, defective A and B pillars/windshield headers and roof rails that lacked sufficient strength and structural integrity.
In February 2007, the defendants moved to have their case dismissed in California and relocated to Mexico, arguing the crash occurred in Mexico and involved residents who lived there, making Mexico the most appropriate forum in which to try the case.
On appeal, we argued the defendants took advantage of California discovery laws to delay their motion to dismiss by obtaining information that went far beyond the issues of whether California or Mexico was an appropriate forum to try the case. What's more, court documents reveal much of the information requested by the defendants was irrelevant in determining whether or not the case should be dismissed in California and moved to Mexico.
The appeal was granted on May 27, 2010 and the opinion has been certified for publication (case # JCCP-4292/GIC873813). A new trial date is pending.
Get a copy of John Bisnar's book "The Seven Fatal Mistakes That Can Wreck Your California Personal Injury Claim" while it's still available at no cost.
Latest Fashion Craze
Our own Matt Diemert models Paris designer wear.
Yours truly,
John Bisnar
BISNAR | CHASE
www.BestAttorney.com
1-800-561-4887
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