Unlicensed driver behind the wheel of crashed Alpha Kids Center van

Our Houston crash injury lawyers were stunned to learn of the extent of the negligence involved in the Monday van crash that injured 16 children. Several rather alarming safety issues emerged as additional news coverage revealed the details relating to the Alpha Kids Center van crash:

• The van’s driver, Concepcion Coronado, did not have a valid driver’s license.
• The 15-passenger van was of a type banned from school use by the federal government due to its high risk of dangerous rollovers.
• The van was overloaded with 18 occupants at the time of the crash.
• The van did not contain enough seatbelts for all of its occupants.
• The van’s driver ran a red light in the 10000 block of Gulf Bank just before the van was struck by a pickup truck.
• The van might not have been marked with the name and number of the day care center as required by Texas law when transporting kids on a field trip.

The day care center clearly overlooked some serious safety issues in transporting the 16 children, aged 6 o 12 years, to and from a field trip. Officials from the Department of Family and Protective Services are now investigating the Alpha Kids day care center in the wake of the van crash. These officials have barred the Center from transporting any children on vans. (Sources: Andrew Horansky, khou.com 7/11/12 and Vicente Arenas, khou.com, 7/11/12.)

Concepcion Coronado and Darryl Freeman, the owner of the Alpha Kids day care center, are facing charges of injury to a child and of child endangerment because of the van crash and the safety violations surrounding it. Our Houston crash injury lawyers note that Coronado remains in jail on an immigration hold.

The seemingly rampant disregard for the safety and well being of the children in the care of the Alpha Kids Center leaves us in a state of some shock. Aside from all of the other safety issues, running a red light full of young children, at least some of whom probably aren’t even seat-belted in, poses such a grave risk as to be wantonly negligent.

Our Houston crash injury lawyers can’t emphasize enough that parents leaving their children in day care should check the credentials and safety practices of the day care center they have chosen. The 16 children from the Alpha Kids Center were lucky. Those 16 kids sent to the hospital for their injuries following the crash are all expected to recover. In a van prone to rollovers, driven by an unlicensed driver who ran a red light, and without enough seatbelts to prevent ejection from the vehicle, it’s almost unbelievably fortunate that all involved escaped more serious injury.

If you or your child suffers injury in a crash and you need help recovering for the harm done to your family, contact our Houston crash injury lawyers for a free and confidential legal consultation. We’ve dedicated our professional lives over the past 14 years to helping unjustly injured accident victims make full financial recoveries for their harm. Let us help you and your loved ones hold negligent parties accountable for your injuries. Call or email us today.