FSAE Students killed in towing accident
 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">3 college students die in van accident
BY CECIL ANGEL
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER

May 18, 2005

Three Minnesota college students died in a van accident Tuesday in Berrien County on their way to today's Society of Automotive Engineers student competition at the Pontiac Silverdome.

According to Chikaming Township Police Officer George Knoll, at 3:30 p.m. the van was pulling a box trailer eastbound on I-94 in the township when it began to fishtail. The van crossed into the median and rolled several times.

Several people were thrown from the van before it came to rest in the westbound lanes of I-94, Knoll said. Two tractor-semitrailers then smashed into the van.

Two of the students were dead at the scene. Another student was pronounced dead at Lakeland Hospital in St. Joseph. Five other passengers also were taken to Lakeland but Knoll did not know their condition.

The semi drivers were treated at Lakeland Hospital for minor injuries, Knoll said.

According to Michael Cooper, media relations director at Minnesota State University, Mankato, at least one of the students was in critical condition.

The van carried seven students and one faculty member headed to the Formula SAE competition which is through May 22. The group was towing a Formula Series car that the students built for the competition, Cooper said.

Police did not know why the driver lost control of the van but Cooper said he was told a gust of wind blew the van into the median.

"We really are devastated by it," Cooper said. "We're in shock, and obviously our hearts go out to the families." </TD></TR></TABLE>

More info
http://wcco.com/topstories/loc....html

My thoughts and prayers go out to the familys and firends. Reading this leaves me speechless and brings tears to my eyes.

Re: FSAE Students killed in towing accident (canuckr)
 

That is truly a sad to hear.

God Bless.

Re: FSAE Students killed in towing accident (canuckr)
 

Sad to hear that.

Has anyone read the article in SportsCar magazine by Randy Pobst?
He talks about how much more dangerous it is getting to the track than the actual race itself.

https://honda-tech.com/forums/images/smilies/emsad.gif
That sucks.... really sorry to hear that.

Van with 7 passenger + enclosed trailer, doesn't sound like a good combo.

Re: (Wai)
 

I hate to see that.

Colleges and vans don't mix. It's a huge problem with athletic programs as well - especially smaller teams that don't have the budget for commercial buses or airfare.

Re: (Wai)
 

That sucks! What a thing to happen in the name of education.

We rented a Ryder truck to get our F-SAE car from CA to MI. No trailer, just the truck. I can imagine how it is much more dangerous to get to a track event than to actually compete in one.

Re: FSAE Students killed in towing accident (canuckr)
 

Sad to hear that. pray for their families. https://honda-tech.com/forums/images/smilies/emthup.gif

Re: (Crack Monkey)
 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Crack Monkey &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I hate to see that.

Colleges and vans don't mix. It's a huge problem with athletic programs as well - especially smaller teams that don't have the budget for commercial buses or airfare.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Kenyon College swim team a few years back.... a good friend was almost on that van.... thank God for tonsilitis....

Very sad to hear about these kids https://honda-tech.com/forums/images/smilies/emsad.gif

Brian

Re: (Brian*STi)
 

Towing is WAY more dangerous than racing. I've crashed twice as many trailers as race cars. This is a sad thing.

K

no words ... so sad!

Re: FSAE Students killed in towing accident (canuckr)
 

God damn that is sobering. We just got finished picking up 5 cars for the GRM challenge over the weekend and indeed, I had a very big moment with a tank slapper with car in tow. Man I can't even imagine how I'd feel if anyone from my club got hurt in an accident while traveling. Wonder if anythingobvious could have been done to prevent it.

I hope this doesn't lead to risk management boards around the country's colleges dismantling their FSAE programs. We had enough trouble as it was even getting autocrossing past the concerns of the suits.

Re: FSAE Students killed in towing accident (JMU R1)
 

oh wow....

there are dual rear wheel conversions for those types of vans now. they ended up being much safer in maneuvering..

this is a horrible tragedy. makes me be glad my truck can barely do 65 when towing...

Re: FSAE Students killed in towing accident (E-AT_me)
 

So sad.

What kind of van is this? It sure doesn't look like a Chevy or a Ford.

http://images.viacomlocalnetworks.co...e_137223900/xl

http://images.viacomlocalnetworks.co...e_137223813/xl

I assume this is the trailer it was towing.

http://images.viacomlocalnetworks.co...e_137223837/xl

If the above is the case, the root cause analysis won't take long. I'm always amazed at what people will tow with their vehicles as long as it's within the weight limitations. But a 6000 lb 24' trailer is a completely different animal than a short trailer loaded with dirt totaling 6000 lb.

Re: FSAE Students killed in towing accident (SMSP)
 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by SMSP &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
What kind of van is this? It sure doesn't look like a Chevy or a Ford.

http://images.viacomlocalnetworks.co...e_137223900/xl
</TD></TR></TABLE>


Looks like one of the new DODGE vans the big ones those usually are cargo vans that i have seen around here.

Re: FSAE Students killed in towing accident (ITAIntegraLS)
 

Yes, looks to me like the van used to be a Dodge Sprinter
http://www.dodge.com/sprinter/
from the looks of the RR wheel in the picture.

Knowing how the "old" Dodge van was used a great deal at the institutional level, I would expect the Sprinter van would be, also.

Very sad...

Re: FSAE Students killed in towing accident (kedwards)
 

The FSAE event is 5 minutes up the road from my work. I drove by yesterday and wondered how they all must be feeling.

Very sad indeed.

I drove in one of those Sprinters without a huge trailer and it scared me!

Re: FSAE Students killed in towing accident (redlynr)
 

My thoughts and prayers are with the freinds and families.

The new Dodge Sprinters if not the Daul Rear Wheel option are very "top heavy" and interesting to drive. I would not want a 24' enclosed behind one of those anyday.

Towing is very dangerous. That is the main reason I went with a 1ton Dual Rear Wheel Diesel Pickup. Anything can happen on the road when towing. All be Safe in your towing to tracks!

Re: FSAE Students killed in towing accident (Smitdog)
 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Smitdog &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
The new Dodge Sprinters if not the Daul Rear Wheel option are very "top heavy" and interesting to drive. </TD></TR></TABLE>

I daily drive a non-dually Sprinter and its not too bad as far as handling goes. But I don't tow with it. Its rated to tow 5000 pounds in the US IIRC, more in Europe. They come standard with anti-lock brakes, brake assist, traction control and electronic stability control.

Recently there was a recall on the tire valves. I wonder if that had anything to do with this accident. These vans run twice as much tire pressure as the average passenger car. I guess substandard valves were mistakedly installed on some of these. A few owners reported valves popping out of their wheels.


<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Smitdog &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">My thoughts and prayers are with the freinds and families.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Re: FSAE Students killed in towing accident (mos)
 

I just got back from the competition. They haven’t announced anything officially yet about what happened; however it’s on everyone minds. Today everyone is trying to pass tech and make it to all the presentations, so it probably hasn’t suck in yet. I guess there going to something at the banquet on Sunday.

Re: FSAE Students killed in towing accident (canuckr)
 

We have a Sprinter where I work, and I've driven it quite a bit. It handles pretty good but I wouldn't even consider pulling a big enclosed trailer behind that thing!

Re: FSAE Students killed in towing accident (canuckr)
 

Very sad, my thoughts and prayers to the families.

Re: FSAE Students killed in towing accident (MinorObsession)
 

https://honda-tech.com/forums/images/smilies/emsad.gif

Re: FSAE Students killed in towing accident (MaddMatt)
 

Thats terrible. https://honda-tech.com/forums/images/smilies/emsad.gif

I hope all the students stay safe during this event.

Re: FSAE Students killed in towing accident (canuckr)
 

The towing capacity of the Sprinter is 5000 lbs, which is higher then I'd have suspected. Those trailers weigh about 4000 lbs. I'm sure they had at minimum 2000-3000 lbs of stuff, tools, etc. in that trailer (you'd be amazed how much 'stuff' weighs).

Enclosed trailers are nice but they are also a huge wind-sail. The swaying of a enclosed trailer is one of the reasons I don't really want to get one, and if I did I'd make sure I had an anti-sway hitch setup to prevent the cyclical feedback of when a trailer gets pushed and starts to wag the truck.

It is also why I recommend to everyone to get a weight distributing hitch--which distributes the loads across all the wheels on the truck and the trailer, which really stabilizes everything makes it easier to tow, steer, brake, etc.

Towing is some serious stuff, I just wish people would take it more seriously.

What a terrible thing to happen.

Re: FSAE Students killed in towing accident (rotten)
 

thats so sad, i hear all the FSAE cars at competition are showing the minn state school sticker and their #28