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Expert: Overloaded vans are more difficult to control, likely to rollover in crash

Posted at 11:25 PM, Jun 18, 2016
and last updated 2016-06-18 23:25:00-04

CAROLINE COUNTY, Va. -- Virginia State Police are investigating the deadly crash on Interstate 95 in Caroline County.

It happened early Saturday morning north bound at the 112.4 mile marker.

Sixteen people were riding in one 1998 Dodge van. It ran off to the left, crossed two lanes, hit a 2016 Toyota Camry, continued off road, over corrected, and overturned five or six times.

Six people ejected from the van died. Ten others were taken to a hospital with serious injuries.

Police determined no one in the van was wearing a seatbelt.

“To lose six people in one vehicle that were unbelted is just absolutely tragic," said Martha Meade, Manager of Public and Government Affairs with AAA.

According to AAA in Virginia about 60 percent of unbelted passengers are ejected from the car in a crash and of those approximately 75 percent will die.

“It's terribly tragic and it's a hard reminder and a hard pill for the families of these people who died to swallow knowing that perhaps the seatbelt would have made a difference,” Meade added.

We spoke to Meade about the type of van involved in the deadly rollover crash.

“While we don’t know yet if this van was indeed overloaded, we do know that passenger vans like these are particularly sensitive to loading issue and weight issues. If they are overloaded they become more difficult to control and more likely to rollover in a crash,” she responded.

Regardless of the vehicle, Meade stressed, “Whether it's a van whether it's a small car it doesn't matter. The size of the vehicle is irrelevant. Seatbelts save lives no matter what vehicle you're in.”

The Toyota Camry hit by the van spun out, but the driver was not hurt.

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