[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/butlerfirm.com\/blog\/6-dead-6-burned-in-van-wreck-stability-fire-defects\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/butlerfirm.com\/blog\/6-dead-6-burned-in-van-wreck-stability-fire-defects\/","headline":"Recovery Van Crash on I-85: Stability & Fire Defects in the Van","name":"Recovery Van Crash on I-85: Stability & Fire Defects in the Van","description":"Butler Kahn has recently been retained to work on the van crash on I-85 that killed six people and injured six more.\u00a0 As reported in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the tragic crash apparently began when the driver of the van swerved to avoid another vehicle or an obstacle.\u00a0 Then the van \u2013 a 2002 Ram 15-passenger… Continue reading Recovery Van Crash on I-85: Stability & Fire Defects in the Van<\/span><\/a>","datePublished":"2021-04-30","dateModified":"2026-04-17","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/butlerfirm.com\/blog\/author\/butler\/#Person","name":"Jeb Butler","url":"https:\/\/butlerfirm.com\/blog\/author\/butler\/","identifier":9,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f5a02bc71d91db5fc8645f129c4424ce6ef7af7e24fe54f4a85315a9dd28f317?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f5a02bc71d91db5fc8645f129c4424ce6ef7af7e24fe54f4a85315a9dd28f317?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Butler Kahn","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/butlerfirm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Butler-Law-Firm-Logo.png","url":"https:\/\/butlerfirm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Butler-Law-Firm-Logo.png","width":210,"height":93}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/butlerfirm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Ram-Van-15-passenger.jpg","url":"https:\/\/butlerfirm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Ram-Van-15-passenger.jpg","height":360,"width":480},"url":"https:\/\/butlerfirm.com\/blog\/6-dead-6-burned-in-van-wreck-stability-fire-defects\/","video":{"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"VideoObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=V65gAkyjCgc#VideoObject","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=V65gAkyjCgc","name":"Van Accident Case: Woman Pulled from Burning Van that Flipped Over","description":"When the driver of this 15-passenger van swerved to avoid a car that cut in front of her, the 2002 Ram Van (a notoriously unstable vehicle) rolled onto its side and caught fire. This video shows one of the occupants being pulled out of the burning van after a bystander kicked out the windshield.\n\n*****************************************************\nSHARE THIS VIDEO: https:\/\/youtu.be\/V65gAkyjCgc\n*****************************************************\n\nCheck out our previous video: https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=dC3nt5Eu9co&t=1s","thumbnailUrl":["https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/V65gAkyjCgc\/default.jpg","https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/V65gAkyjCgc\/mqdefault.jpg","https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/V65gAkyjCgc\/hqdefault.jpg","https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/V65gAkyjCgc\/sddefault.jpg","https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/V65gAkyjCgc\/maxresdefault.jpg"],"uploadDate":"2021-05-05T17:02:20+00:00","duration":"PT7S","embedUrl":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/V65gAkyjCgc","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCeMYGr94Sf4LpYwIcO3P2Qw#Organization","url":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCeMYGr94Sf4LpYwIcO3P2Qw","name":"Butler Kahn","description":"We help people and families.\n\nOur firm specializes in personal injury and wrongful death cases. We are based in Atlanta, Georgia. We handle cases across Georgia and, for certain types of cases, all across the country.\n\nTOP-QUALITY LEGAL WORK. We do the work that lots of law firms skip. We track down witnesses, dig into the evidence, and prepare intensely for every deposition, trial, and hearing. We take a small number of cases so that we can devote our full attention to the clients we represent.\n\nPERSONAL SERVICE. If you hire us, you get us. You won't get blocked by a receptionist or leave unreturned messages. If you want to speak with your lawyer, you can.\n\nDOING WHAT WE SAY WE'LL DO. Some law firms make big promises at the beginning, then don\u2019t follow through. We shoot straight \u2013 when we tell you something about your case, good or bad, we mean it. No fake promises.\n\nButler Kahn\n10 Lenox Pointe\nAtlanta, GA 30324\n678-940-1444\n","logo":{"url":"https:\/\/yt3.ggpht.com\/NTOsbNEALVOnRbUCg7jUzYGcC4kNKsUTEVHm5TtiTQdLlfFKksLTnmiZG_t6zDG_e4ygtnva=s800-c-k-c0x00ffffff-no-rj","width":800,"height":800,"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=V65gAkyjCgc#VideoObject_publisher_logo_ImageObject"}},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","@id":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=V65gAkyjCgc#VideoObject_potentialAction","target":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=V65gAkyjCgc&t={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required 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burning van after a bystander kicked out the windshield.\u00a0 Six did not.But there’s a story that the media isn’t telling yet.[su_youtube_advanced url=”https:\/\/youtu.be\/V65gAkyjCgc” rel=”no”]Bystanders pull one of the passengers out of the burning van. Rollover and Stability DefectsOur lawyers have been handling automotive product liability cases for over ten years and these vans are notorious among product liability lawyers for their stability defects.\u00a0 The vans can be driven by anyone with a regular, class-C driver\u2019s license.\u00a0 That\u2019s a big problem, because maneuvers that would be safe and maybe even smart in most cars \u2013 like swerving to avoid another car or an obstacle \u2013 can prove fatal in the 15-passenger vans.The reason is that the vans are fundamentally unstable when loaded.\u00a0 To create and sell those vans, most manufacturers (including Chrysler\/Dodge) simply took an existing van and made the part behind the rear axle longer by a foot and a half.\u00a0 That means that when the driver of the van has to swerve, the rear of the van kicks out to the side more than most drivers would anticipate and leads to \u201cfishtailing\u201d and loss of control.\u00a0 When the van is loaded near its capacity \u2013 like in this case \u2013 the problem is even worse because the fishtailing effect is stronger and the van is top-heavy.\u00a0 So drivers may swerve to avoid something and think that they\u2019re making a smart move to keep their passengers safe, but the van rolls over.Chrysler\/Dodge has known about these defects for decades.\u00a0 Almost twenty years ago, the safety-oriented nonprofit Public Citizen published an expos\u00e9 on these vans.\u00a0 The federal government, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (“NHTSA”), issued warnings in that same time frame.\u00a0 The solution was simple \u2013 manufacturers could add dual rear wheels, just like you see in millions of pickup trucks on the roads today.\u00a0 In fact most of these vans share a chassis with a pickup truck that is already sold with dual rear wheels.\u00a0 But manufacturers never offered dual rear wheels on their vans because it would have cost more than they were willing to pay. Fire and Fuel System DefectsThe fire in this collision is surprising.\u00a0 An age-old rule in automotive design is this: \u201cif the wreck doesn\u2019t kill you, you should not burn.\u201d\u00a0 We have handled several post-collision fuel-fed fire cases against Dodge\/Chrysler (now called \u201cFCA\u201d for \u201cFiat Chrysler Automobiles\u201d), including one that led to a $150,000,000 verdict, and that company has had repetitive problems with post-collision fires.\u00a0 For decades, beginning long before 2002, vehicles sold in the United States have been required to undergo testing for fuel system safety pursuant to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (\u201cFMVSS\u201d) 301.\u00a0 That test requires that fuel should not leak in significant quantities even if the vehicle rolls over after an impact.\u00a0 Clearly, fuel leaked in significant quantities here.Until we can inspect the van, which is now in police custody, there’s no way to tell for sure\u00a0why the fuel leaked.\u00a0 But the piece that should have kept fuel from spilling, even when the van tipped over, is called a “rollover valve.”\u00a0 See the diagram below for a rough picture of it.Chrysler has had problems with rollover valves.\u00a0 In other Chrysler vans, such as the Dodge Caravan and Plymouth Voyager, Chrysler had to recall its vehicles because “the fuel tank rollover valve can allow fuel to pass into the vapor canister resulting in the potential for fuel leakage,” which “increases the potential for a vehicle fire.”\u00a0 Did Chrysler use that same defective rollover valve in this 2002 Ram Van?\u00a0 We don’t know yet.\u00a0 What we do know is that gasoline was leaking onto the roadway after this van tipped over, and that should not have happened.We can be reached at (678) 940-1444, info@butlerfirm.com, or through our website. "},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Blog","item":"https:\/\/butlerfirm.com\/blog\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Recovery Van Crash on I-85: Stability & Fire Defects in the Van","item":"https:\/\/butlerfirm.com\/blog\/6-dead-6-burned-in-van-wreck-stability-fire-defects\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]