Overloaded SUV Rolls And Kills 8-Year-Old boy
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An eight-year-old boy was killed Saturday when an SUV, fill with kids going to a church event, rolled on I-95.
The single-vehicle crash occurred 4:45 p.m. near the Volusia and Flagler county line. The ten children onboard were members of a church choir from Orlando heading to Jacksonville.
Once again, the vehicle that rolled was a Ford Explorer, and once again we are hearing that a rear tire blew, forcing the driver to lose control and overturn. The front two passengers were wearing seat belts. No word on where the boy was sitting, but he was the only one killed.
Three young people were airlifted from the scene.
This story is reminiscent of the Explorer SUV rollover in June that killed four high school students. The vehicle was overcrowded, with 11 passengers in this overcrowded Explorer, there were just not enough seat belts for all of the young passengers. That means it’s very likely someone will exit a window in a rollover.
A rear tire blew in both accidents. Did overloading cause stress on a worn tire? Since the passengers were 10 children, it's unlikely that weight played a role, but not having seat belts for all passengers certainly did. With a third seat, a Ford Explorer SUV can carry eight passengers at most.
Then there is the issue of the Ford Explorer SUV. The year of this vehicle is not mentioned, but before the 2006 model, stability control was not an added feature. A high center of gravity, a bad tire, an overloaded vehicle, and not enough seat belts to go around is a very bad combination all around and a young boy had to pay with his life.
We are very sorry for the loss of this young boy and send our prayers to his family and friends. #