One killed as van carrying trucking students rolls over off 10 Freeway

A passenger van carrying truck driving students veered off the 10 Freeway near Fontana and into a drainage ditch early Thursday, killing one and injuring several others, authorities said.

The students, who ranged in age from 21 to 55, were en route from their hotel to a driving institute in Fontana, said Terry Jaco, an official with C.R. England truck driving school.

Several of the passengers were not wearing seat belts, California Highway Patrol officials said.

The crash occurred just after 5:30 a.m. when the maroon Ford Econoline van, traveling west on the 10, came upon slowed traffic just near Cedar Avenue ramp, said CHP Officer Leon Lopez.

The driver braked and swerved to the right, Lopez said, but lost control, skidding through the slow lane, off the highway and into a tree several feet off the shoulder.

The impact with the tree caused the van to roll over into a concrete-lined drainage ditch about 15 feet below, where it came to rest upright. No other vehicles were involved in the accident, officials said.

The passenger who was killed, described as a man in his 40s, was partially ejected from the van out a side window. He was declared dead at the scene. Nine passengers with serious to moderate injuries were taken to local hospitals for treatment.

One suffered a broken leg, another suffered a head injury and a third was treated for multiple-system trauma, said San Bernardino County Fire Battalion Chief John Chamberlin. All three were thought to be in their 30s, and none of their injuries were considered life-threatening.

The other six occupants of the van sustained minor injuries and bruising and were transported to area hospitals as a precaution.

It’s not clear what caused the driver to lose control, said Lopez, who added the CHP was investigating.

christine.maiduc@latimes.com

Twitter: @cmaiduc