Day Care Monitor Dies After Crash of 15-Passenger Van

Kentucky Case Report: 12KY026
Release Date: June, 2013

The following report is the product of our Cooperative State partner and is presented here in its original unedited form from the state. The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the individual Cooperative State partner and do not necessarily reflect the views or policy of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.

SUMMARY

In the late afternoon of a spring day, a day care van operator and a monitor loaded 16 children into a 15-passenger van. Carrying a total of 18 passengers in the 15-passenger van, the operator and the monitor proceeded to transport the children to their homes. After dropping off two children at their residences, the van was traveling 46-50 mph in the left hand lane headed east in a 35 mph zone on a non-divided four-lane state road. As the van approached a side street on the right, the right rear tire blew out and the van veered sharply to the left, crossing over two westbound lanes and striking a tree head-on. Witnesses called emergency services and began extracting the children, operator, and monitor from the van. All occupants were transported to local hospitals for treatment of injuries. The monitor died at the hospital; the operator and all other passengers survived.

Day Care Monitor Dies After Crash of 15-Passenger Van [PDF 1,264 KB]