Ella-1937305 ...(#1)..."I know that the article said that there was a language barrier, but why are there 12 people in a vehicle that is designed to carry 7????"

Maybe cause they couldn't read the Owner Manual where it says " Maximum Occupany---7 people" and couldn't read the SeatBelt Laws concerning Adult and Child Occupants of vehicles.....

A language barrier in Texas?

From the looks of it, it appears that it was the 5 Passenger version, not even the 7 Pass version.

Stupid is sad..

This just breaks my heart.There is never an excuse, I don't care who you are,parent or not, for sticking that many into a car.Especially helpless children, without proper child seats,booster seats, enough seat belts or ensuring you can drive safely by doing so. I suspect with that many little ones crammed into the car, driving would have been very distracting at best.

There is never an activity worth piling too many people into a car that exceeds it capacity.Both adults need to be held accountable.Not only is this an avoidable tragedy, but even more, is that other people will continue to make the same mistakes and others will pay the cost for their poor judgment.

I usually blast the drivers when this type of accident occurs, but today, for the kids, I cry.

My guess is the owner's manual was written in spanish as well as english.

Speed kills. Inattentive driving and speed would be my guess as to the cause.

Rather than a language barrier it seems there was a brain barrier in the thought processes of the two idiot adults who crammed so many people into an SUV and apparently were incapable of driving it safely. Very sad for the innocent children who died because of someones stupidity.

Sounds like the adults had seatbelts on and they came out of this just fine. They should be put in jail for manslaughter. Simple enough, not enough seat belts, don't take that many kids.

They absolutely should be held responsible. Big jail time. Something. The adults were probably drunk or high on top of that.

I will say I'm happy that half of them passed away as opposed to surviving

That is quite possibly the most sickening, horrible thing I've ever had the misfortune to read, anywhere.

Shocking.

Back in the 1960's and 70's coach Botine packed that many little leaguers into his old VW bus all the time - but the thing only went 35mph.

In Arizona people ride in the back of trucks all the time, no motorcycle helmet laws either.

Obviously the SUV was drunk. Bad SUV, bad, bad, bad!

How come the driver of the SUV is not being mentioned at all in the report other than as a victim?

SUV's dont operate themselves, this is shoddy reporting trying to smear SUV's.

Bad reporter, bad, bad, bad!

Headline should read "Moron flips vehicle, killing children on board"

Enforce our immigration laws --- NOW!

how on earth do you get 12 people in a 5 passenger SUV; very sad for all involved, however stupid negligence on behalf of the adults.

A couple of clueless mexicans packing a bunch of kids into a vehicle.......what's new??

Actually, I would not be surprised to learn that they were not Mexicans...for the simple reason that any Texas police department probably has a Spanish language interpreter.

Cassandra,

That is true at the police station maybe, but not immediately at the scene. My brother is a cop. I believe they were talking about at the scene. I would bet they are all illegal. ALL! They are certainly looking a jail time for manslaughter x 5. Jus more recruits for the mexan mafia that run the nations prison system.

Many years ago on car trips when my sisters and I were making too much noise my dad would start making threats and then at 70 mph turn around in his seat and try to reach back to swat one of the back seat troublemakers, certainly an unsafe practice.

While I doubt that 2 adults and 10 young kids under the age of 13 could have substantially overloaded even a 5-passenger Envoy on a gross weight basis, or even on a center-of-gravity basis, quite likely this was caused by some kind of distraction, followed by over-controlling and then losing control, or possibly the vehicle already had some kind of mechanical deficiency that failed catastrophically, such as a sway and steering component, and then it turns into a 70-mph out-of-control deathtrap.

Yes, child seats, booster seats, and seat belts would have saved lives in a single vehicle high speed rollover event, and I am afraid that the responsible party is guilty of a count of manslaughter for each unbuckled child who died, no matter what the cause of the crash was.

What happened is a terrible tragedy, something all of us can learn from too. If you are the driver, you are responsible for the safety of your passengers, and responsible to comply with any and all traffic safety laws, including seat belt, booster seat, and child safety seat laws. Failure to comply can have disastrous consequences, both in terms of human cost, as well as in terms of criminal penalty too.

All of the comments about the race or ethnic background of the victims are not helpful or ethical, as the victims could easily have been legitimate foreign tourists too.

I know there are many of you who hate Mexicans. I get it. What is sad is that you can't even turn that crap off when precious little girls are killed. Some of you are sick and need help. To the rest of you, your compassion is appreciated greatly. Thank you.

You have never been to Mexico where they put 20 people on a pick up? 100 people on a bus?

i would contend that the other parents also had a brain barrier...and if they knew that their child was packed into the car without restraints or even a car seat then they should be charged as well....

There's 12 people in a vehicle that seats 8 because THEY ARE MEXICAN. As a matter of fact, before I even read the article, I just assumed the family was mexican, but I read the whole article to make sure I wasn't just being judgmental. Seems I was right.

Mexicans do this all the time because in Mexico, and other latin american countries, it's a way of life. I spent quite some time living in Guatemala, and this is just how they do things. They put 7 people into the standard cab of a pickup, then another 12 in the bed. This is because they can't afford vehicles, and car pooling is cheaper for them because they can't even afford the gas.

THIS is why we have laws that state you must have space/belts for each vehicle occupant.

Hate Mexicans, crying for the babies, tragic......Hey folks welcome to Texas where those who do not check in at the border could care less about the laws in our State. These folks come from a society where they have no respect for laws, safety or even for their children. The driver and the other adult passenger are guilty of gross negligence, child endangerment, and murder...guess what it will happen again and again because the folks who don't care for our laws aren't going to change because of this. These people will raise children who feel the same about our laws and have the same disregard for their children's safety. They drive our roads without a license, insurance or any regard for the safety of their own or others.

My daughter is taking drivers ed. Today she got her learners permit. I am proud of her because she gets that it is a responsibility not a right to have that license. The education for her to even get behind the wheel is a process. She knows what will get that privilege yanked if she doesn't respect herself or her passengers enough to have them buckle up. The cell phone better stay in the purse. No eating and driving and certainly no alcohol or drugs at all. Her grades have to stay above a 3.2 average and she must keep up with her responsibilities at home.

What scares me, terrifies me really, is that she will be on the road with folks who don't care enough about their own children and they will be driving with mine. Sadly this issue is not just characteristic of those from south of the border but also, in our area, a great many illegal Asians. They don't care and they aren't likely to start caring because an over loaded SUV crashed and killed children.

Bless the children that were lost and prayers for the children who were injured. You are certainly in better hands now.

@myspellcheck....

.That many people don't hate Mexicans... they are just fed up that people go around proper immigration, stay in hiding and don't follow the rules. Then this stuff happens... Who else are you gonna be pissed off at?? Law abiding citizens??

I have a GMC Envoy, and can't imagine how they could even fit 10 children inside it. There is barely room for 5 adults, much less 2 adults and 10 kids. Gross idiocy and neglect of the adults caused the deaths of those kids, nothing else. I really hope they are charged with 2nd degree murder for each child's future their stupidity stole.

I realize the adults have lost their children, but they are guilty of negligent manslaughter. They had far more people in the vehicle than it was designed to hold and most of them went flying out when the vehicle rolled. I'm willing to bet they are from Mexico (or points south) and are here illegally. I'm also willing to bet the driver is unlicensed and there is no insurance. I am an insurance agent in Texas. The latter three are very common. Lots of hit and runs around here because the drivers are unlicensed and without insurance. No problem though, they can vote as long as the Democrats get their way.

Overloading vehicles is a common practice all over the world, and I have seen it done here in the US by plenty of White people too. That said, if you can get 4 kids in the back seat, 4 more in the cargo space behind the back seat, like many of our parents used to do with us on long family car trips in the back of the old family station wagon, and two more in the front seat with the adults, that really isn't anywhere near as as overloaded as is common in the third world, where often buses are crammed to standing-room capacity and then another 30 people ride on the roof. I have even ridden on a bus in a major second-world country that was over-capacity by at least a third too, with nobody riding on the roof.

American cars are designed by law to hold 50% more weight than the weight rating, for safety reasons, and even if the junior high school age kids in this car were overweight, and the adults were both overweight too, there isn't any way to have exceeded the design capacity of the vehicle filling the vehicle with kids whose average age is 5, so the sheer number of young children involved in this crash is a moot point from an overloading standpoint, except that they were not wearing seat belts.

I have even ridden on public buses and subway trains in the US that were so jammed that you could hardly breathe, and a large number of people standing in the aisle will in fact raise the center-of-gravity and negatively affect such a vehicle's handling characteristics during sudden evasive maneuvers too, just as swinging meat or heavy liquid cargoes negatively affect the same handling characteristics in large trucks.

One time in Mayfield Heights, Ohio, an older station wagon with 15 White teenagers in it hit a hump in the pavement on a residential sidestreet going maybe 35 mph, and the teenage driver lost control of it and it rolled, also killing several of the occupants. I even remember once getting myself and 7 friends into my 1971 Duster at the age of 17 too. It is pretty common for younger Americans no matter what their race or ethnic background to occasionally overload a vehicle. It is also still fairly common for trucks to operate overloaded too, which more often than not is the shipper's intentional fault.

So, before you high and mighty whitey types start bad-mouthing anyone because of their race or ethnic background, whether American or not, you should know that American drivers are very nearly as guilty of overloading their vehicles to unsafe levels as are third-world drivers too.

Here are some critical weight specs for a 5-passenger 2007 GMC Envoy:

2007 GMC Envoy 2WD 4dr SLE

Weight Information

Trim Curb Weight: 4316.00
Standard Weight - Front: 0
Standard Weight - Rear: 0
Base Trim Weight - Front: 2300.00
Base Trim Weight - Rear: 2016.00
Gross Axle Wt Rating - Front: 2950
Gross Axle Wt Rating - Rear: 3200
Curb Weight - Front: 2300
Curb Weight - Rear: 2016
Option Weight - Front: 0.00
Option Weight - Rear: 0.00
Reserve Axle Capacity - Front: 650.00
Reserve Axle Capacity - Rear: 1184.00
As Spec'd Curb Weight: 4316.00
As Spec'd Payload: 1234.00
Maximum Payload Capacity: 1234.00
Gross Combined Wt Rating: 10000
Gross Axle Weight Rating: 6150.00
Curb Weight: 4316.00
Reserve Axle Capacity: 1834.00
Total Option Weight: 0.00
Payload Weight Front: 0
Payload Weight Rear: 0
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating: 5550.00

GVWR: 5550 lbs minus 4316 lbs (empty weight) equals a 1234-lb legal payload at legal GVWR

Total axle capacity for the vehicle is 6150 lbs, which leaves an 1834-lb design capacity before axle design weights are exceeded.

http://www.pscars.com/gallery/2007/GMC/Envoy/2WD-4dr-SLE_284301.html

So, it would have been almost impossible for the occupants of this vehicle to have exceeded the design axle capacity for the vehicle, so all that leaves is ethnic hatred.

I have a freind who works for California Dept of Trans. He has seen this numerous times! Way too many kids packed in a truck/car and then there is a horrific accident. I feel for the kids! NOT the idiot, law breaking parents!! Alot of these so called parents really care less about all the kids they pump out, they just use them (anchor babies) for thier benefit. And yep, there are things allowed in Mexico, like no seat belts,drunk driving, raping women,etc that is NOT acceptable here. They don't care. They just flip ya the finger and say we is gonna take everything WE deserve from America and screw it's citizens! I see it all the time here! I am talikng about the ILLEGAL ones, not the law abiding ones.

I am opposed to illegal immigration as much as anyone But the article does not mention their status so there is just as much reason to believe that they are Documented or they are indeed citizens but in either case 5 children died and a few others are not out of the woods yet so people here that are screaming for deportation and enforcing immigration laws need to get their heads out of their butts and show some kind of human compassion

There are a huge number of Canadians in the US at any given point working illegally, as well as huge numbers of Asian illegal immigrants too, and I do not hear the same level of contempt for them as I hearing here for our south-of-the-border neighbors, who are in fact humans too. so I must conclude that racism is alive and well in America, especially in Texas.

Old Timer. I remember riding in the front seat between my parents with my brothers in the back of our station wagon. Problem with that scenario today though is, it's doubtful that you would fit 4 kids in the back of a 7 passenger SUV. There just isn't that much room behind the back seat. As for the front, I have yet to see an SUV with a bench seat to handle the two extra kids. Other than Pickups, it's rare to see any vehicle today with a bench seat. Most are bucket seats with the console in the middle.

God Bless those dead babies. I hope the adults responsible for this are appropriately charged.

Old Timer...Racism is certainly alive and well in Texas..there are often rallies by illegal immigrants where they fly the flags from south of the border and speak ill of those in their host state and country. I was so fed up about the racism directed toward my daughter that, when we moved back to the US, I refused to live in the city any more because the illegal aliens aided by the liberal legislators turned our lovely side of town into a ghetto full of criminals, drug dealers and illegals.

Interestingly enough, we moved to a bedroom community that is growing and our community has a very international appeal. Fortunately, our neighbors all work very hard to maintain their various methods of legal. I respect them for the care and councern that they place into our community along with a strong level of participation that makes a community good and safe.

Just down the road though is an area of town that is considered gang land. Full of parents who traffick their kids here for the social welfare benefits and couldn't care less that their kids are part of the criminal, gang/drug culture that plagues their communities. It is so much easier for them to claim that the Anglo's have insulted them or that the Anglos expect their children to rise to our standards. The fact is that the "Anglos", "African Americans", "Indian Americans", "Asian Americans" and the community of "Foreign Nationals" do hold the children of illegals to our standard. It is our tax dollars that goes to support their education and for them to keep their kids in school long enough to get public assistance, day care via public schools and drop out at 15 is frankly one more insult to the American culture.

It isn't racism it is a clash of cultures where one is striving toward excellence and the other is importing an apathy toward the rule of law and toward the society in which they squat.

Now lets all feel sorry for the poor driver, this will devastate that poor poor person, than lets throw his/her a$$ in jail and put smiling pictures of all the dead children around his?her cell so all he?she does for the rest of his?her life is look at them smiling back at him?her, and don't ever turn out the lights.

Re: Sally Hispanics are Caucasians. Hispanic are a different ethnicity than WASPs, but not a different race.

And then there is white trash, but let's not group all the whites together- just other groups of people. Pathetic.

"Mexicans do this all the time because in Mexico, and other latin american countries, it's a way of life."

Let's not be too smug about this. It was common practice here 30 or 40 years ago, as was the wholesale spurning of seatbelts when they became widely available -- still are, as a matter of fact, if quite as widely.

You bring up overloaded buses? Think about the school bus I rode for 12 years. Seats were designed for two, but a third person necessarily squeezed onto it with his feet in the aisle and then the aisle was crammed with standing students, too. Also each bus made first a nearby route, then came back for those of us who lived farther out. Some of us were lucky to get home by 4:45. Oh, BTW, students who lived within a half-mile of school had to walk. You think the district wanted to do this? No, but there was no money for more buses.

As a young adult, I can remember taking a friend, her six children and her mother home when they were stranded one night. We three adults and the baby were in the front seat -- thank you for consoles now -- and the other children were crammed in the back seat with the youngest sitting on the oldest's lap. Oh, and car seats were unheard of, at least in our economic set, back them.

Fortunately, most of us have been able to move beyond these practices, but let's not paint with too broad a brush here.

All that said, ten children piled into a car, even an SUV, along with two adults, is almost incomprehensible. Presumably the adults thought they couldn't afford to take two vehicles, but it certainly would have been safer had they sought other recreational opportunities. Still, having done stupid things in my life (haven't we all?), I'll do no more than shake my head at another searing tragedy.

Way to rationalize that out Nathalie...thing is we are not in Mexico or any third world country. This SUV crashed full of children in Texas. This didn't happen 30 or 40 years ago it happened in the 21st century where we have spent serious money on safety studies and equipment to assure that senseless deaths are avoided.

As for overloaded busses...certainly school districts try to get away with it....well until parents find out and suddenly a new bus is added to the route.

You probably did that as a young adult and aren't you glad nothing happened to those children? I suppose you were lucky these ten children were not...they were treated with callous disregard and that is not something we look to proudly on in Texas.

I'm going to paint with a big wide brush because driving the road here I see it several times a day. What will it take to assure that parents take care with their children. This wasn't a tragedy it was one more careless person who should not have had children in their care.

Tragic and so unnecessary.

WTF. No matter where these kids were from, all they knew was they were going to go have some fun.

Those spewing your racist hatred need to think about that...children who were young enough not to know what racism is, just being children....and shut the @!$%# up.

bluepanther 20....Yes and because the adults in the car did not care to secure these children they died. Because the parents of these children didn't assure their kids were traveling in car seats and seat belts these kids died. You honestly think that racism is the worst thing here....how about neglect, apathy and murder?

It isn't a race thing rather a culture thing....the fact that these people could care less about measure to care for their children because well it might take a bit of extra effort or care.

Why are the media or police afraid to say what ethnic group this is. Of course they know, but they say there was some "type" of language barrier. You don't need to be able to read the manual to know that everyone needs to be in a seatbelt in a vehicle. Anyone that has a driver's license would know that. Oh wait, probably no license. Why did they not give the details of the driver. They usually tell everything in the story.

It reminds me of those 23or 32 people killed in a single truck crash and they reported that they MIGHT have been illegal and then not another word. I guess they are afraid for us to know all the stuff they do, but we do know.

It is really sad that all those children died. It NEVER should have happened and those children paid for the stupidity of adults.

It was no accident that they CHOSE to pile a bunch of kids illegally into a vehicle that was not equipped to carry them. There is NO excuse for not putting children into carseats when young enough and seatbelts when old enough. The tragedy here is that the dumbazz adults who made this decision weren't the ones who paid the consequences.

Probably the most intelligent post yet! Thanks' Colleen :)

like most people who bought an SVU, they think there "truck" can carery a lot and can stop on a dime

1) Most? gotta source on that or is it your OPINION?

2) Many SUVs ARE trucks, like the Tahoe, Yukon, Navigator, etc.

3) They CAN carry a lot of people, 7 is a lot

4) Many SUVs and Crossovers have similar braking ability as a typical 4 door sedan, some better

That's a lot of opinions, factually wrong, to cram into so few words. At least you are concise.

Yeah...this is about the limits of an SUV, moron. Packing an overload of un-restrained (belts, etc.) children into any vehicle is dangerous, because the weight raises the center of gravity and makes the vehicle handle differently.

This is about the idiots with the language barrier who are demonstrably too stupid to operate this vehicle. This is about stupid, not SUV. Two belted adults, and 3 belted passengers is the design limit of this vehicle. There also is a 7 passenger unit. 12 does not equal 7, in any language. Counting the seats should be a universal, language not-needed activity. This is murder, in my opinion. How about banning Mexicans?

@Johnniee...

As a past firefighter and EMT, this is not what WE would call an accident.. It's something that we call inevitable. People who don't crash when overloading a car and don't wear seatbelts are just lucky bastards.

Accidents are unavoidable, this was no accident.

Colleen and BackEast are right.

This was not an "accident". This was the inevitable, though tragic, result of conscious decisions made by those involved. Every decision we make carries with it consequences.

"You're welcome." - Charles Darwin

They don't understand the capabilites of the SUV. How about the number of seatbelts equals the number of passengers to be in the vehicle-any vehicle.

There is no law or police force that can protect us from ourselves....

well could have been teenage drivers and they always think they are invencible...

NMEast

The driver, and possibly the other adult, will most likely be charged with 5 counts of manslaughter and a whole host of other lesser charges. The only question is, was this in a more conservative leaning east Texas county? If so, the driver will be facing several years in prison. If it is one of the few liberal leaning counties, and yes, Texas does have some counties that lean liberal, then the driver may actually get several years probation.

I don't know if it would fall under child abuse, maybe neglegence, reckless endangerment, involentary manslaughter, and I am sure the list will go on if the parents survive. Aren't they in critical? I used to live in Texas, and from what I remember they don't mess around there.

beadingbeauty

You are right. We don't play around here. Especially when it comes to children. If the parents/guardians do live, they face a slew of charges. My hope is that they are given the most severe punishment the law allows.

bill

i agree

Bill,

How about deportation if they're illegals?

This happened in VanZandt county in Texas. If there is a list of counties in Texas you do NOT want to have an accident or get a ticket...this county is in the top 10 list. And Texas has 254 counties. The DA and ADA are VERY adamant in VanZandt county about child safety in vehicles so the "parents" are in for a treat when released from the hospital.

THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH IMMIGRATION! ANGELA! AND ALL OF YOU WHO CAN'T FIND ANYTHING ELSE TO BLAME EVERYTHING ON BUT "IMMIGRATION".

GET EDUCATED! STAY FOCUS! Legal or not legal in this country misuse of a vehicle does not fall under "immigration law".

If the driver was "undocumented" it won't matter what county the "accident" occurred in, the Feds will step in and overrule the States authority.

Rita, I beg to differ. IF they're illegal, they don't belong here. Had they stayed in their own country, they may not have been able to find an SUV large enough to allow their poor judgement to slaughter 5 kids.

Rita, I don't agree that this has nothing to do with immigration. It's not that we don't have enough American morons...because we do. It is probable that these "language barrier" people have already committed a crime just to be here, and then they continue to ignore the law once they are here.

People all in favor of illegal immigration, such as yourself, imagine the border jumpers to be poor people in need of American benefits. Well, unless this newer GMC is stolen, (a possibility) somebody with enough money to get a 35,000 vehicle is driving it. Statistically, illegals commit crimes at a significantly higher rate than legal immigrants, or the general public.

Legal or illegal: Obey our laws! Learn to work seat belts, child seats...learn to count to 5. LEARN ENGLISH. Or get out. If I was going to sneak into Mexico, before I got there I would make every effort to learn Spanish better than I currently know it. I can assure you that if I was in an accident in Mexico this afternoon I could identify myself and give enough details of the accident to a policeman to make myself understood. I have no language aptitude at all...but it was easy to learn the spanish I already know, and I am pretty sure that 30 days with a spanish speaking tutor and I would have enough to get by in Mexico.

I wonder if this is how Germany sounded around the time of Hitler's rise ?

What language barrier could possibly hinder the telling of how the accident occured. Hospitals have to have interpreters for patients and since I doubt these people were from another planet there is no reason why they haven't told us the details, except they don't want to.

They may think twice, but they will do it again, at first opportunity. Some type of behavior is so deeply buried, it does not change. They release their trash everywhere. If you drive close to Laredo, you start seeing trash by the road, next to a sign that says " littering $200 fine". They know enough English to get that but they do not care. They pass by a garbage bin and pitch their stuff 2 feet from it, not even making the effort to hit the can. It is disrespect, lack of self discipline and a habit of living around trash as well as daring people who try to keep things neat. Poor upbringing....someone else will do it for me. If they were rich, they would have maids and butlers, but they would still be slabs and law breakers. That said, there are of course, always exceptions.

Butterfly,

• Where do you get this knowledge from? What do "you" drive? I bicycle? Have you gone "green"?!
• Ban SUV's?! LMAO man. I don't care what you drive, climb or do in your life, "EVERYTHING" is dangerous if not handled properly. I cannot figure out the logic behind your comment.
• R.I.P. Little ones.

Have a nice day...

Lets ban stupidity!

I just recently bought a small SUV and it gets twice the gas mileage of the car I was replacing. It actually gets better gas mileage than most cars on the road. So maybe you should do a little research before spouting off about evil SUVs. Some of us do know how to handle our vehicles properly and don't turn into psychopaths behind the wheel.

The 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee will get 24 city 36 Highway and tow 7700 pounds, the Hybrid Tahoe (a real truck) gets 22 city and highway, Crossovers get about what a large sedan gets, some better.

You dont know what you are talking about.

Oh please ..ban the SUV's?. Try driving on the farm roads of Pennsylvania when there is 4 feet of snow on the ground that the plow trucks don't get to for days on end because they are not state roads. My family is safer because I drive an SUV.

Kim you can always stay at home.

You're about as smart as the driver in this crash. The truth is to many people were in this vehicle at one time. Tragic but true.

"The DOT really needs to ban..." and I stopped there. So the solution to saving people who don't follow the rules would be to ban a certain type of vehicle? The solution to people packing children into a vehicle without seatbelts or boosters is to prohibit the rest of us from driving SUV's? THAT is what you pulled from this incedent & the article?

Several children are dead and it could have been prevented if... there were no SUV's?

Butterfly Mage, whoever you are, you are a shallow myopic smug fool living under the presumption that you are insightful and your opinion is valuable. You are not, it is not, and you and your opinion are summarily dismissed.

People are killed EVERY DAY by drunk drivers. Where is your stand on banning alcohol???

I think we should ban bridges since people use them for suicide!!!

I cannot believe I just saw such a comment: "DOT really needs to ban SUVs". Nothing should be banned except stupidity and ignorance. It was not the vehicle that caused this horrific crash. It was the conduct of the so-called adults. They made the stupid decision to overload the vehicle with children who thought they were in the care of responsible adults. The driver foolishly operated the vehicle beyond his or her ability to drive safely. SUVs are no more dangerous than any other vehicle on the road if they are driven as intended. SUVs are not cars. They cannot stop, lane change or take curves like a car with a lower center of gravity. When driven as designed, they are safe, comfortable and very predictable. When safe limits are exceeded, the bad results are also predictable.

You are one for three (or four)... yes, they guzzle gas, but new ones not so much more than many non-SUVs and certainly not trucks; drivers that are aggressive are that way no matter what they drive (but really watch out for vehicles with stickers showing someone pissin on someone else); and yes, they are dangerous compared to most vehicles - both to the occupants and to everyone else. They roll easily (even with stability control and other expensive fixes) and because they are heavy, they crush more easily. They are dangerous to everyone else because most of them brake and handle poorly. And the worse the conditions, the better off their owners think they are... watch them go in the snow (but not turn or stop)...

But trucks are okay ?

This horrible accident should be a lesson to us all. Never over load a car and always buckle up. I remember many years ago there was an accident near my home. An elderly man had a heart attack and crossed over the yellow line and smashed into a car. That family had just left a wedding and was on their way to a reception. A young mother got out of that car crying. She said that the car she was in belonged to a family member who did not have a car seat for her baby. She refused to get in that car until a car seat was placed inside. Everyone told her that this would take too much time to put in. She was so glad that she held her ground and the car seat was installed. Everyone in her car was buckled and unhurt. Sadly the elderly man passed away. Before you get into a car think of the things that could happen and do the right thing. CAR SEATS, BOOSTER SEATS AND SAFETY BELTS MUST ALWAYS BE USED, ALWAYS.

We don't know yet that they were illegals and/or drunk, but you're right on all other counts. The driver should be charged with driving with intent to kill.

Vern, there was nothing that said they were illegal, or drunk. They may be here on work visa, or have earned citizenship. They do not know why the vehicle lost control. The only CERTAIN thing is that this was a terrible accident that killed children, it was a senceless and irresponsible act by adults that were in charge of their safty.

Lol, if I were you two, I wouldn't bet anything I couldn't afford to lose on the sobriety or legal immigration status of the baby murderer.

Vern,

• If you're all that, then do me a favor and give me six numbers. I can use a few bucks.

Children died in what could quite possibly been an avoidable accident.

Avoidable if the parents had half a brain between them. Did you miss the ages of the kids or the number piled in without safety seats or seat belts? Nine of twelve were ejected. That tells me that at least 9 were not wearing seat belts or at best, 9 were too small for the seat belts to do their job even if they were wearing them.

if 9 of 12 were ejected, my math tells me only 3 were wearing seatbelts...and yet I can guarantee you this damn vehicle had at least 5-7 belts!

What is with the USA??? In Canada, not wearing seatbelts is a SERIOUS fine - and the cops actually check!

All it took were seat belts and safety seats for the children and none of this would have happened

I challenge you to figure out any way to get 10 kids and 2 adults into a 7 seat vehicle and have all passengers in seat belts or child seats.

I don't care what language you speak even in Spanish adults know what to do.

And these parents quite obviously said "screw it, I'm going to overload my vehicle and risk the lives of all on board and anyone else that may get caught in the middle".

Mike, you are SO right. I'll just bet that's what ends up happening.

If the drivers sue GM I will just laugh outloud. ALL CAR MANUALS LIST THE MAXIMUM ALLOWED # OF OCCUPANTS.

Not a chance that GM will lose a lawsuit over this abortion of common sense and personal responsibility. While some worthless lawyer may dream up such a scheme, it will go nowhere. How can the driver explain overloading the vehicle? How will the driver explain not using car seats, booster seats and lap/shoulder belts? What failure of responsibility by the adults can be blamed on GM? Good luck filing that suit while doing 20 years for negligent manslaughter...

Huh?

Anyone is free to abstain from the criminal justice system, by simply not committing crimes.

and do you instantly know when your tag expires?? or when a headlight doesn't work? etc. etc. etc.

The problem with the school zone ticket trap is the focus is shifted from watching out for kids to watching out for cops. It's not about being 'criminal' - it's about being distracted yet again.

And if you don't believe it has impact - then why does everybody slow down to 55 in a 70 mph area just cuz a trooper is parked on the side of the road???

Yes Mark I know when my Tag expires because the DMV mails me a RENEWAL notice to complete with usually 30 days to spare. I also know immediately when my lights go out because my SUV notifies me by the way my blinker works (t blinks more rapidly when there is a light problem).

The school zones ARE there to remind dumbass drivers that they are in a school zone and need to look out for children. As for why people slow down when they see a cop on the side of the road, I agree it is silly for those folks to bother slowing down since "if" the cop was doing radar he already got you before you can slow down. I for one dont go over 5 miles past the speed limit and I stay in the right lane. I am in no hurry to go and sit in traffic or stop lights for matter so no need to go 70 in a 55 zone.

Obviously geography is not your strong suit. It's long way from the Rio Grande to Dallas.

can we stop being Ignorant idiots for a minute. You people making these horrible comments are scary. You obviously don't have children that you love, or parents that you respect, or friends that you care about. KARMA morons, ive put a spell on all of you!!