The limousine was transporting 17 friends – four sisters, two brothers and several young couples – on their way to a birthday party. They were supposed to be picked up by a party bus to go to a brewery in Cooperstown but they were informed that the bus broke down on its way to pick them up. Instead they were picked up by a stretch limousine that never should have been on the road. It has been reported that some of the people on board texted relatives that they were worried about the vehicle conditions.
Two days after a devastating limousine crash in upstate New York that killed 20 people, officials revealed new details about their inquiry that suggested the trip never should have been allowed to happen.
It was discovered that the driver had an improper license, the limousine company had a trail of failed inspections and ties to a scheme to illegally obtain driver’s licenses and that the limousine had been deemed unsafe.
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo told reporters that the limousine involved in the accident had failed an inspection last month and “was not supposed to be on the road.”
The limousine company issued a statement on Monday expressing condolences to the relatives of those killed. “We are performing a detailed internal investigation to determine the cause of the accident,’’ the statement said, adding that the company had voluntarily taken its vehicles off the road. “We have already met with state and federal investigators, and plan to do so again.’’
The driver of the vehicle, who also died in the crash, has not been identified by authorities, but social media posts from family members said he was Scott Lisinicchia, who was 53. Mr. Cuomo said that the driver “did not have the appropriate driver’s license to be operating that vehicle.” State Police officials suggested that the company had been on their radar before the crash. “That company and that vehicle have been under scrutiny” in the past, said Maj. Robert Patnaude of the New York State Police. He also suggested that Mr. Hussain could face criminal charges. “That will be part of our investigation,” Major Patnaude said.
“I lost my two best friends in this,” wrote Justin Cushing, whose brother Patrick, friend Adam Jackson and his cousin, Erin McGowan, all died in the limousine. “I’m shaking.”
As the investigation into the crash continues, families of the victims continue to grapple with the fallout from the crash.
“They were all friends,” said Valerie Abeling, Ms. McGowan’s aunt. “Most of them were lifelong friends. Relatives, cousins, family.”
Hopefully the investigation will bring swift justice to those responsible for this horrific accident but the families and loved ones of those who died will never be the same.
NYT Article: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/08/nyregion/prestige-limousine-crash-schoharie.html