Aliso Viejo Children Injured In Dana Point Van Crash

ALISO VIEJO, CA — Five Aliso Viejo school children were hurt Wednesday afternoon when the van they were riding in struck a tree, according to reports. Nine children were riding in the van at the time, and the driver was not injured, according to Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Tony Bommarito.

While there were no life threatening injuries, according to Dana Point Police Chief Margie Sheehan, five of the children were listed as "trauma" patients and were taken to Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo, Bommarito said.

The other children sustained minor injuries and their parents took custody of them, signing an "against medical advice" form that suggested they should be taken to a hospital for a checkup, Bommarito said. The driver did the same, he added.

The children taken to Mission Hospital are between 9 and 12 years old, Bommarito said.

The crash happened just before 3:20 p.m. at Dana Point Harbor Drive and Cove Road in Dana Point, Bommarito said.

It was unclear what caused the crash. Photos from the scene showed the white van tangled with the tree, with a stack of surfboards that might have been atop the vehicle on the ground. The van also appeared to have been pulling a small trailer, which wound up overturned near the vehicle.

Sheehan told the Register that the van was on its way to Baby Beach for an after-school outing that was unaffiliated with the Aliso Viejo school the students attended. OCSD's major accident reconstruction team was investigating the cause. Reports from the scene state that the van's brakes may have gone out on the way down a steep hill, though that is not yet confirmed as of this report.

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OCSD photo