Who:

James Nign, 39, his wife, Meghann Nign, 27, and an unrelated child, Addisyn Benzel, 11, were killed on 1/19/14 at 10:54 AM on State Route 518 by mile marker 4 in Waysne township, Columbiana County, OH. They were driving westbound in a 2006 Chevrolet Equinox when struck by a 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee Rachel K. Lindesmith, 31, drove. Lindesmith had been traveling eastbound and drifted left of the center line into the path of the Equinox. Lindesmith and Austin, her 9 month old son, were injured. Nine were in the Equinox beside the three fatalities, including McKenna M. Nign, 11, McKayla E. Howard, 11, Savannah D. Nign, 6, Chase D. Nign, 4, Brody B. Nign, 1, and Payslee R. Nign, 9 months. Both parents were volunteer firefighters at the Calcutta Volunteer F.D. All of the children who did not die were injured.

How:

Per police reports, the Nigns were westbound, Lindesmith was eastbound, and drifted across the center line, causing a head-on collision. Lindesmith was belted while her son was secured in a rear-facing child seat. Both were injured, but the injuries were not life-threatening.

Within the Equinox, neither parent was belted. Both were killed. Addysin, 11, was unbelted and in the cargo area, from where she was ejected and killed. There were no seat belts available in the cargo area. McKenna, 11, was unrestrained in the cargo area. McKayla, 11, was unrestrained in the cargo area. Savannah, 6, was unrestrained and seated in her mother’s lap in the front seat. Chase, 4, was in a child safety seat, as was Brody, 1, and Payslee, 9 months.

Why:

This is one of the most frustrating cases I’ve read. I tend to feel that way whenever I read stories involving unbelted children…or adults. Or overloaded vehicles. There were 9 occupants in a vehicle designed for 5. This was incomprehensible. It’s not clear why Lindesmith crossed the center line; she was clearly at fault for the collision. However, the deaths that occurred were preventable–let’s see why.

Looking at the physics of the crash, every single person in both vehicles should have lived, had every occupant been properly restrained. The 2006 Equinox weighs ~3790 lbs and has a “good” frontal score. It was impacted by a 2011 Grand Cherokee, which weighs ~4687 lbs, or 124% of the Equinox’s weight.  As a result, the Equinox occupants automatically faced 24% more force in the collision than they would have experienced colliding with another Equinox, placing them at a significant disadvantage in the collision. The Grand Cherokee occupants, meanwhile, experienced 19% lower forces.

Given the likely speeds of the collision (~65 mph), the Grand Cherokee likely imparted at least 898KJ of energy into the Equinox. The Equinox frontal impact test simulates 275KJ of energy (an Equinox impacting another at 40 mph). In other words, the Equinox occupants faced 327% of the force they’d have experienced in the type of crash it was rated for. These were tremendous forces, but based on the intact A-frame and passenger survival space evident in the photos, had the parents and child been properly restrained, they would have survived them. The fact that several of the children in the vehicle did survive is additional evidence that the collision was survivable.

Interestingly, the Jeep’s frontal test simulated 340KJ of energy (a Jeep impacting another at 40 mph), indicating that its occupants would have faced 214% of the forces it was rated to safely withstand, given that the Equinox imparted 726KJ of energy into the Jeep. While these were still tremendous forces, their odds of survival were still highly significant.

This was ultimately a wholly preventable tragedy. The collision would not have occurred had the Jeep stayed in its lane, but the deaths would not have occurred had the victims been properly restrained.

The three unrestrained 11 year olds should have been in booster seats (e.g., the Clek Oobr), while the unrestrained 6 year old should have been in a combination seat (e.g., the Frontier 90). The adults, of course, should have been wearing their seat belts.

Lindesmith was indicted in May and charged with vehicular homicide and vehicular assault. She pled not guilty.

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