SANTA ANA : Church Van’s Driver in Fatal Crash Sued

Relatives of church members killed in a Sept. 20 traffic collision filed suit Wednesday against the church, the pastor who was driving the van and the owners of two other vehicles involved.

Eight people died and 11 more were injured in the crash, the county’s worst.

Earlier this week, the Orange County district attorney’s office decided not to prosecute the Rev. Octavio Valentin for operating the modified van, which had rear seats that were not bolted to the floor and no seat belts.

Authorities said the van was hit by a pickup truck at the intersection of Flower Street and Civic Center Drive. The impact caused the rear seats to fly out of the van, causing several deaths and some of the most severe injuries.

The suit charges that Valentin, the church--Iglesia de Dios No Sectria--and the owners of the pickup and a BMW also involved in the accident shared responsibility for the deaths and injuries.

Valentin could not be reached for comment. His attorney, R. Richard Farnell, said Thursday that he had not seen the complaint but denied that the minister was responsible for the accident.

Farnell said that Valentin had paid for auto insurance but that he has since learned that the insurance was not obtained.

Valentin, he said, “is still devastated by what happened. He feels terrible that it happened at all. These are people he loved. They are like family to him. . . . He feels very sad that it ever happened.”