USU van rollover compared to others

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the van crash near Tremonton that killed eight Utah State University students and their instructor to see if additional safety recommendations need to be made or previous ones need to be reiterated.

The federal agency intends to compare that accident with two other 15-passenger van crashes that occurred in Texas and North Carolina in 2001.

After the Texas and North Carolina accidents, the board issued a detailed report with numerous recommendations to van makers, state governments and federal agencies on ways to improve safety.

In the Texas accident, four people were killed and eight were seriously injured after a church van rolled over on a rural road near the Oklahoma border on its way to an outlet mall in Gainesville, Texas.

In the North Carolina accident, a church van carrying 13 teenagers rolled over about 30 miles south of Greensboro, N.C., killing one and injuring 13 on the group's way back to Roanoke, Va., from Myrtle Beach, S.C.

In both accidents, investigators determined the probable cause of the accident was tire failure, the drivers' response to that failure and the drivers' inability to maintain control of their vans.

Contributing to the accidents was the deteriorated condition of the tires as a result of the churches' lack of tire maintenance and the handling characteristics of the van, according to the report.

"This one in Utah seems to be similar. We're going to find out the facts in this one and take a look at it in light of our report," said NTSB spokesman Paul Schlamm in Washington, D.C.

An investigation by the Utah Highway Patrol indicates the Utah State University van was traveling at speeds between 95 and 100 mph when the Sept. 26 crash occurred. The posted speed limit on Interstate 15 near Tremonton is 75 mph.

Witnesses told police the van, which was returning to the Logan campus after a field trip to a farm, overtook another vehicle before the left rear tire blew, and it crashed. None in the van appeared to be wearing seatbelts.

Two students survived. Robert Petersen was listed in good condition Friday and Jared Nelson remains in intensive care, both at Ogden hospitals.

It will take several months for federal investigators to complete their report on the Utah accident.

Schlamm said it's unclear how comprehensive the report will be or if it will just be a comparison with the other two accidents. One outcome, he said, could be an effort to make people more aware of the previous recommendations, which include requiring van drivers to receive training and an endorsement on their driver license, installing seatbelts in the center seat of vans and strengthening the roofs of vans.