AN OVERLOADED MINIVAN TRAVELING ALONG INTERSTATE -10 near Baton Rouge, Louisiana on Saturday, blew a tire and rolled over several times, spewing passengers out with every tumble. The eight-passenger van had 15 people in it, 2 adults and 13 children, when a front tire blew, causing the van to sideswipe a delivery truck in the next lane and then careen into the median and roll over several times, coming to rest in the opposite lanes. The Associated Press and WAFB-TV have this video report:
Only the driver and the front-seat passenger were wearing seat belts and all 13 other passengers were ejected from the van as it rolled. Louisiana State Police Trooper Russell Graham said that the accident happened just before noon and that the children ranged in age from infancy to 14 years old. The Advocate newspaper relates:
Michael Gorrondona, of Baton Rouge, was one of the first witnesses to reach the crash site on I-10 east of La. 928 in Ascension Parish. Gorrondona said he was driving east on his way from Baton Rouge to Metairie about 11:45 a.m. when he saw debris flying across the road in front of him. “They were just laying everywhere,” he said of the children flung from the van. “Kids were spread out across 60 feet.”
Troopers and Ascension Parish sheriff’s deputies worked together to get the roadway cleared while first responders from the Prairieville Fire Department, St. George Fire Department, Acadian Ambulance and Baton Route EMS tended to the injured, State Police said.
Read the full article in The Advocate HERE.
The State Police released the names of the passengers this morning, saying that Mona Hines, 38, was driving the 2000 GMC Safari minivan. She died alongside four of her passengers: Ricky Hines Jr., 2; Lachante Floyd, 12; Edward Barnes 14; and Ashley Hines, 14. One other adult on board — Stacey Hines, 28 — survived, and so did seven other children, ages 6 months to 14 years. They all remained hospitalized in critical condition at 12 a.m. Sunday.
WBRZ-TV via CNN has some raw video from the scene:
After all of the victims had been tended to and transported,
remaining Fire, EMS and Police gathered for a prayer.
The Advocate
Also on FireGeezer…
- Ambulance Rear-ends Truck – December 27, 2010
- Ambulance Collsion Leaves 3 Injured – March 6, 2011
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