
	Thursday, April 12

	Six Utah State volleyball players injured in crash Associated Press
	Six members of the Utah State University men's volleyball club were injured, one critically, when their van crashed in Wyoming during a snowstorm Wednesday. The accident, which involved a 15-passenger van driven by a student, has the university reconsidering its transportation practices. The single-vehicle crash occurred at about 3 a.m. on Interstate 80 about 25 miles west of Laramie. The students were taken to Ivinson Memorial Hospital in Laramie. Senior Greg Jorgenson, 23, of West Jordan, was in critical condition in intensive care with head injuries Wednesday evening, said Lori Ashbech, a nursing supervisor at the hospital. Jorgenson was not only one of the team's best players, but also its coach, said university spokesman Tim Vitale. "It was a really emotional day around the university," Vitale said. "It was obvious this guy was really highly thought of. These things hurt deeply." The other five passengers in the crash were treated and released, Gorham said. According to school officials, they were: Brian Carter, Adam Longmore, Mike Tye, Jake Diem and Justin Keith, the van's driver. Although the road was icy, "speed was more of a factor than weather," said Wyoming Highway Patrol Trooper Adam Zukowski. The vehicle slid into a ditch and rolled at least once, he said. The two students in the front seats were wearing seat belts and were slightly injured, Zukowski said, while the other four, including Jorgenson, were lying in back and were not wearing seat belts. The volleyball players were on their way to Kansas City, Mo., to compete in the Intramural-Recreational Sports Association National Championships when they were caught in a storm that swept through the Plains, Colorado and Wyoming. Parts of Wyoming got up to a foot of snow, and blowing snow closed a stretch of I-80 into the Nebraska Panhandle. The patrol got reports of 55 accidents in southeast Wyoming during the storm. Other members of the club team were scheduled to fly to Kansas City on Wednesday for the tournament, but school officials have canceled the trip. In the wake of the accident and federal warnings issued Tuesday about 15-passenger vans, Utah State plans to look at its transportation policy, Vitale said. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said that several vans – including the Ford Econoline the Utah State players were in – have high rollover rates when fully loaded and should only be driven by professionals. With only six students aboard, the van was not fully loaded, Vitale said. But, he added, "If they're dangerous, we'll assess what changes might need to be made." Vitale said the university's intramural recreation program conducts driving certification courses for students who will be driving to events, but he did not know whether Keith had completed one. Vitale said the students were staying with Laramie residents until the storm blows over and spent much of their time at the hospital awaiting word on Jorgenson's condition. The university will pay airfare to get the accident victims home as soon as possible, but inclement weather and road closures prohibited their return Wednesday. Send this story to a friend \| Most sent stories		ALSO SEE At what cost safety? NTSB issues consumer advisory on 15-seat vans Just plane scary Title IX debate goes airborne