Harvey, La. – A 12-year-old girl has become the sixth victim of a van crash Saturday near Baton Rouge that involved several members of a Harvey family.
See photos from the crash scene
Ariel Hines was pronounced dead at noon Monday from injuries suffered in the crash.
The others who died when the packed van blew out a tire on Interstate-10 include: 38-year-old Mona Hines, along with four children: 2-year-old Ricky Hines, Jr., 12-year-old Lachante Floyd, 14-year-old Edward Barnes and 14-year-old Ashley Hines.
Thirteen children, who police said were not wearing seat belts, were ejected from the car because of the crash.
One adult, Stacey Hines, remains in the hospital. Four children remain in critical condition, the other three have been upgraded to good condition Monday.
Climmie Hines, a family relative, said Mona, along with her sister Stacey and the 13 children, left for Baton Rouge around 9 a.m.
Saturday morning. He said they were all going up to help Mona and her family move from Baton Rouge to a new home in Waggaman.
"They were going up there to finish packing because she had rented a U-Haul truck," Climmie Hines said.
However, as they headed west on I-10 through Ascension Parish, a tire on the mini-van blew out. Investigators believe the driver may have overcorrected. The van rolled several times across the median and ended up in the eastbound lanes of the interstate.
"One minor mistake can be so - you end up with tragic results, such as this one did," said Ascension Parish Sheriff Jeff Wiley.
All 13 of the children inside the van were ejected from the vehicle. Investigators said only the two adults were wearing seatbelts at the time of the accident.
"You never forget and it hurts bad," Climmie Hines said. "It's bad enough for one to go. But you have five go at one time - that's really hurting. What can we say about it? We can't do nothing about it."They're just gone. Thank God for the ones who are living."
