Driver’s Sleep Blamed in Fatal Van Accident

The driver of a van that tumbled down a steep median, killing eight people and injuring five, apparently fell asleep at the wheel, the Nevada Highway Patrol said Thursday.

Workers at the Clark County coroner’s office spent Thursday notifying relatives of the dead--three men and five women, ages 41 to 67.

The victims included a Chatsworth resident, identified as Leya Romanovsky, 53.

Other victims of Wednesday’s crash were identified as Vitaly Rabinovich, 60, and Mariya Vilnar, 52, both of Brookline, Mass.; Alla Rabovsky, 41, of Latham, N.Y.; Marat Kutikov, 67, of Albany, N.Y.; and Sonya Elkin, 62, of Kingston, Pa., according to the Clark County coroner’s office.

Two other victims were not identified.

The green Dodge van the group was riding in was rented Tuesday at a Thrifty Car Rental in Glendale, by driver Yury Shkolnikov, 63. He was scheduled to return the brand new 15-passenger van Thursday, said Chris Payne, spokesman for the Tulsa, Okla.,-based company.

The other survivors were identified as Mikhail Elkin, 60; Ana Kutikov, 63; Svetlana Shkolnikov, 58; and Marat R. Romanovsky, 60.

A bottle of vodka, two-thirds full, was found among scattered belongings at the accident scene in Jean, about 30 miles south of Las Vegas.

But NHP Trooper Michael Cooke said alcohol did not contribute to the crash on busy Interstate 15. Weather and speed also were not factors.

“Basically, the driver just fell asleep,” Cooke said.

Cooke said the group was traveling to Las Vegas, but the relationship among them was unclear. Some appear to be husband and wife.

The survivors all were in fair condition at University Medical Center, hospital spokeswoman Trish Lampro said.

“It’s just a very sad time for these folks,” she said.

Seven of those killed were ejected from the van after the driver veered off the left side of the interstate, then overcorrected, the NHP said. The northbound van then hit a guardrail and careened into a steep gravel median, flipping several times.

Bodies and personal belongings--a purse, some shoes, a suitcase--were strewn across the median between two roadside casinos.