15-Passenger Van Accident Kills Infant, Injures 13 Others

A 15-passenger van flipped several times on Interstate 35 East near Hilsboro, Texas, on Labor Day. Thirteen people riding inside the van were injured, while an infant – who authorities say was not in a child safety seat or restrained in any way – was killed during the van crash.
The van, which crashed at about two in the morning on Monday, was filled with belongings and carrying a trailer and several bikes. The crash left I-35 littered with possessions.
Texas Police say that the van was owned and operated by 66-year-old Abel Luna of Dallas, who authorities found owned a number of large vans, trucks, and trailers. Neighbors say that Luna, who was treated and released from the hospital in the wake of the van wreck, made money by ferrying people back and forth from the Mexico border. TX police are not yet sure whether Luna was licensed to transport passengers in such a fashion.
The child who died has been identified as Evelyn Kate Garcia. No one in the van was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the van crash, though everyone besides the infant is expected to survive the crash. It is unclear why the driver of the van lost control of the vehicle and trailer, both of which came to rest upside down on the highway.