Mediation in van-roller accident still underway

Mediation between state administrators and relatives of the victims of the van-rollover accident that killed nine people last fall are still underway, officials said Tuesday.

“We’re just waiting for the mediation to reach its conclusion,” Steve Hewlett, acting director of the Utah Department of Risk Management, said.

Hewlett said he had some idea what that conclusion might actually be, but since his department is a party to the mediation, he could not comment further.

“I can’t say much at this point,” he said.

John DeVilbiss, Utah State University’s executive director of public relations and marketing, said the university has not been involved in the mediation process to date.

“There’s nothing we know at this point,” DeVilbiss said.

The accident occurred Sept. 26, when a 15-passenger university van blew a tire and rolled off I-84 near Tremonton. The accident killed eight USU Agriculture students and their instructor.

Under current law, the Governmental Immunity Act caps damages at $1.1 million regardless of the number of victims involved in an accident for which the state is responsible.

Last week, triggered by the van-rollover accident, the Utah Senate passed SB113 with a 28-0 vote. The bill would provide up to $1 million for each person involved in an accident for which the state is responsible, with a $10 million limit on any one accident.

The bill would still need approval from the House.

-acf@cc.usu.edu