Van Crash Near Lancaster Leaves 1 Critically Injured

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.

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

The impact of the collision turned the van over, leaving it with its roof partially caved in, 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. Firefighters had to use the Jaws of Life to free her from the wreckage.

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 vehicle apparently suffered only minor injuries.

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.

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

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

Van Crash Two people were seriously injured when a van carrying developmentally disabled workers was involved in a crash near Lancaster.