A group of Florida children with cuts and bruises stood by an overturned bus June 29 watching paramedics try unsuccessfully to save the life of their 6-year-old friend.
The children, from a day-care center affiliated with Central Baptist Church, Daytona Beach, Fla., were returning from a field trip when the 20-year-old driver lost control of the 15-passenger van, and the vehicle flipped off the wet highway.
The children reportedly were in their seat belts at that time. For unknown reasons, however, the seats were not firmly attached to the railings on the floor. Eleven children flew to the ceiling headfirst when the van overturned. Ten children, ages 5 to 7, were injured but not hospitalized. Blake Stamper of Daytona Beach, Fla., who was partially ejected from the van, was killed.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration warns that 15-passenger vans with 10 or more passengers are three times more likely to turn over than other vans. According to an insurance-industry publication, 424 people were killed in rollover accidents involving the vans from 1990 to 2002.
(ABP)
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