Woman Critically Hurt as Van for Disabled Overturns

A van carrying developmentally disabled workers from Edwards Air Force Base to a vocational center in Lancaster collided with a Mustang convertible at an isolated intersection in the Antelope Valley on Thursday, critically injuring one woman, authorities said.

The van was in a convoy with three other vans traveling south on 110th Street East at Avenue J, about 10 miles east of Lancaster, when it apparently pulled in front of the convertible shortly after 3 p.m., the California Highway Patrol said. The intersection is in a flat area of the high desert surrounded by fields of tumbleweeds and Joshua trees. Visibility is unobstructed for at least 200 feet.

“The Mustang was just coming down the road, and the van came right out in front of it,” CHP Sgt. Walt Rogers said.

The impact of the collision overturned the van, partially caving in its roof, Rogers said.

Arlene McCannon, 52, of Lancaster, a passenger in the car, was in critical condition at Antelope Valley Hospital Medical Center with head injuries, a hospital spokesman said.

Her husband, Dale Robert McCannon, 46, was driving the car and was thrown from the vehicle. He was treated and released after complaining of rib pain.

The van’s driver, Daphne Lear, 44, of Lancaster, was in serious condition at the medical center, with chest injuries, hospital officials said.

The eight passengers in the van apparently suffered only minor injuries. Three of them--Kathy Kjellsen, 35; Robyn Atherton, 30, and Steve Holmes, 22--were treated at Lancaster Community Hospital and released. All three are Lancaster residents, hospital spokeswoman Carol Fryer said.

The van belongs to Desert Haven, a vocational and placement center run by the Assn. for Retarded Citizens-Antelope Valley in Lancaster. The facility trains adults for job placement and has several trainees working as groundskeepers and in building maintenance at Edwards.

Roy Williams, the center’s director, went to the accident scene and later talked to clients at the hospital. He said they had different reactions to the crash.

“Some were laughing, and some were saying, ‘Gosh, it was scary,’ ” he said. “But they seemed to handle it better than I would. Thank God none of them was injured seriously.”

Passengers in the van suffered bumps and bruises for the most part, Williams said. They were all wearing seat belts, he said.

Bob Findley, a supervisor in the CHP unit that inspects the association’s van operation, said the facility was rated unsatisfactory in its most recent review, in August, 1990. Findley said record-keeping deficiencies were found. Specifically, there was no evidence that state Department of Motor Vehicles printouts of drivers’ records were being pulled and monitored.

Findley said it is unclear if the problem has been corrected because the facility has not been inspected again. CHP inspectors checked four of the facility’s eight vans and found no equipment or maintenance problems, he said.

Times staff writers Sebastian Rotella and Rich Connell contributed to this story.