NY - Twenty Fatality Traffic Crash, Schoharie County, 6 Oct 2018

[Inthedetails]

https://www-m.cnn.com/2018/10/10/us/new-york-limo-crash-wife-driver/?r=https://www-m.cnn.com/2018/10/10/politics/kavanaugh-complaints-judicial-misconduct-john-roberts-transfer/index.html?r=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2F

Of course, the grieving widow of the driver, with her attorneys, blaming the company. Not the fact that her husband was driving without the correct license.

I see no reason to disparage the widow. She is suffering too. She is not responsible for the tragedy and is a victim of all this as well.

jmo

 

[imstilla.grandma]

The son of the owner of the limousine company involved in the deadly crash in upstate New York that left 20 dead has been arrested, according to state police and his lawyer.
Lisinicchia's driving history and the safety record of the vehicle are under scrutiny as federal and state officials investigate the crash.
Son of limo company owner charged with negligent homicide in horrific crash

 

[Safeguard]

I see no reason to disparage the widow. She is suffering too. She is not responsible for the tragedy and is a victim of all this as well.

jmo

I agree about his widow. It is human nature to want to defend your lost loved one. She would have to be cold and inhuman not to reflexively want to protect him.

 

[Thora_Jay]

Limo appeared to be in poor condition, victim said in text message

According to The New York Times, Erin Vertucci McGowan sent a text message to Melissa Healey, who was McGowan's maid of honor, that said their party bus had broken down on the way to pick them up.

Instead, the friends rented a stretch limo, which was in poor condition, for the trip to the brewery, the message said, according to the paper.

"The motor is making everyone deaf," McGowan wrote, according to the Times.

Healey asked where the group had gotten the vehicle. But McGowan said she didn't know.

"When we get to brewery we will all b deaf," McGowan wrote, the Times reported.

https://www-m.cnn.com/2018/10/08/us/new-york-limo-crash/index.html?r=https://www.cnn.com/

 

[Mica]

I can't believe that they gave this guy bail. When the police went to his home, he already had bags packed, in his car, ready to go.

His attorney claimed he was receiving death threats so he was going to a different location.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

"The motor is making everyone deaf," McGowan wrote, according to the Times.

"When we get to brewery we will all b deaf," McGowan wrote, the Times reported...

20/20 hindsight: Given the extreme noise from the motor, the group should have refused to ride in the vehicle. Everyone should learn a lesson from this tragedy: If you have doubts about the integrity of a vehicle, have the driver pull off the road so you can disembark. I'll think twice about engaging limo service even if the company has a good reputation.

 

[Mica]

A driver is responsible for their passengers. The driver worked for the company for many years. He had to be aware of the unsafe vehicles as several were forced to be taken off the road and didn’t pass inspection. And yet he continued to drive for them and put his and his passengers’ safety in jeopardy. He was stopped by LE in August. LE instructed both the company and the driver that the car and driver should not return to the road until the violations were cleared up. Again, he ignored LE’s instructions and continued to drive and kill 20 people. Proper driver’s license or not, he should not have been on the road. IMO

 

[alibrarian]

Funeral services to begin today.

Tragedy in Schoharie | NEWS10 ABC

I wish I had words of wisdom to help make sense of this. I am filled with heartache for all.

 

[Herat]

Ever since learning that one person, and one person only, survived the impact and was Air Lifted, (but did not, ultimately survive, sadly), I couldn't help but wonder who that was, (among other questions that kept circling around in my mind like, where was this person sitting? Seatbelt? weight? last person thrown forward perhaps? Why this one, when most others had to be identified using dental records and such!). I was not really surprised to learn who it was though...Something about her pictures stood out to me, as one, who could have possibly been the one, ( another was one of the young men, 31 yr old Matt Coons. ). 26 year old Amanda Halse.

"Karina Halse said Amanda was airlifted to Albany Medical Center before she died."

"That her sister fought until the end was not a surprise to Karina Halse, who described Amanda as “strong-headed.”

“She was really stubborn,” Halse said. “Unfortunately, she didn’t make it, but as soon as I heard she was the one transported I was like, ‘That’s my sister."

Such a shame, so close to a miracle for that family, you could almost taste it, only to have it snatched away...

On the other hand, perhaps she would have had to live with horrible injuries, and the burden of being robbed of her world once full of friends and laughter, and having the burden of reliving that ride in her mind forever.
Families of 20 people killed in limousine crash left reeling - WXXV 25

As there were no survors, unless someone took photos of the group during their trip, it will be near-impossible to figure out where each of the victims were seated, other than the driver, of course

 

[Herat]

I see no reason to disparage the widow. She is suffering too. She is not responsible for the tragedy and is a victim of all this as well.

jmo

Thank you for posting this.

Until the NTSB report has been issued about the causes, I don’t think it is appropriate to disparage those who have died or their family members

 

[Tora Gahan]

I saw "upstate NY" and immediately wondered if this was close to the Taconic Parkway incident in 2009. Maybe others did, too. Looked it up, but no, 133 miles north of there, this one was. This one is west of Albany, the Parkway one was in Mt. Pleasant, much closer New York City.

That's what I was thinking, too when they referred to the 2009 tragedy. That was also considered the worst in its location in history

 

[cass523]

Report: Limo in fatal Schoharie crash used two different license plates for inspection

The limousine that crashed Saturday in Schoharie had been cited in March by New York State Department of Transportation for brake failures, including “Brakes Out of Service” and “Brake Connections with Constrictions Under Vehicle.”

When the limo was re-inspected six months later, the Department of Transportation noted the limousine’s “failure to correct defects noted on previous inspection report.”

Records show the vehicles inspected on September 4 and March 21 had different license plates but the VIN numbers match and a source familiar with the inspections told ABC News the violations are indeed for the same vehicle. According to ABC News, authorities are probing why the same limousine was submitted for inspection with two different license plates.

Report: Limo in fatal Schoharie crash used two different license plates for inspection

 

[EuTuCroquet?]

I completely agree!

The father is back in Pakistan. Didn’t he commit a murder there years ago? He can go back to Pakistan as a murderer without a threat of arrest?

I bet the son has another passport. If not, there’s always a chance his father will get him one illegally. JMO

He wasn’t convicted of murder. Just clarifying.

 

[EuTuCroquet?]

His initial charge is just one charge vs. 20.

And this lawyer is the son of the person that prosecuted the father.

Sorry, I’m catching up. Is there a source for who the lawyer is, and that he’s the son of the man who prosecuted the father? In which case did the lawyer’s father prosecute?

 

[Mica]

He wasn’t convicted of murder. Just clarifying.

Did he commit murder or not? If so, and not convicted because he went on the run to the US, wouldn’t he still be wanted for murder? Maybe the laws are different there?

 

[Mica]

According to Shahed Hussain....”false accusation and politically motivated”.... I don’t buy it.

According to his trial testimony, Hussain first entered the U.S. in Texas with his wife and two sons in the 1990s after he was accused of murder in Pakistan. Hussain said the accusation was false and politically motivated.


Limo company owner was a controversial FBI informant

 

[MimosaMornings]

JMO....the son that was charged could take his brothers identity and pull a switcheroo.

Cops: Brothers impersonated each other in Cohoes

70 violations?

 

[borndem]

This has probably already been posted but the yelp reviews for one of the other names the company went by also expressed safety concerns and concerns about the driver. Idk if it’s the same driver or not.

I tend to keep an open mind when I read reviews of products/companies/services etc since unhappy people are more prone to leave reviews than satisfied customers (imo) and some people love to complain for the sake of complaining. But if a company has a bad rating on yelp, google, etc, with detailed reviews explaining the bad rating, I do take that into consideration. The bad yelp reviews for this company are pretty detailed and while it’s possible they could be a little bit exaggerated (see above about unhappy customers leaving bad reviews), one of the reviews says the driver was impaired. In most cases I’d assume it was just an unfounded accusation, but considering others have said the same about the driver it doesn’t seem far fetched to me. Assuming it’s the same driver, which it may not be.

Eta the link. Whoops Hasy Limousine - Gansevoort, NY

I did the same thing with Raleigh NC area limo services -- several companies -- all reviews were glowing -- great driver/vehicle/on-time, and all recommended the particular service that they had hired. One vehicle would accommodate 14, but it was more like a bus; another would accommodate 24 and it was a bus -- beautifully appointed, elegant seats, etc., roomy, but a bus.

The delivery of services -- from selling t-shirts to yachts does vary from place to place.
--------------
It could be that whoever engaged that service had a recommendation that was honest and fine at that particular time -- things, owners, cash flows, etc., do change with businesses. SMH. We should hear more about this as time goes on. It is so very maddening and criminal.

 

[borndem]

Released on bail????? what the --------???? he can just take a plane to Beirut and never come back--- that does not make sense to me.

Surely LE took his passport along with the bail money. At least getting the P-port would be going through the motions.
I didn't know he was released on bail...

20 dead bodies vs. bail WTH???

 

[Isabelle]

Report: Limo in fatal Schoharie crash used two different license plates for inspection

The limousine that crashed Saturday in Schoharie had been cited in March by New York State Department of Transportation for brake failures, including “Brakes Out of Service” and “Brake Connections with Constrictions Under Vehicle.”

When the limo was re-inspected six months later, the Department of Transportation noted the limousine’s “failure to correct defects noted on previous inspection report.”

Records show the vehicles inspected on September 4 and March 21 had different license plates but the VIN numbers match and a source familiar with the inspections told ABC News the violations are indeed for the same vehicle. According to ABC News, authorities are probing why the same limousine was submitted for inspection with two different license plates.

Report: Limo in fatal Schoharie crash used two different license plates for inspection

Limo company must have thought inspection id was plate and not VIN no. Not very bright. A plate changes with a simple sale of a vehicle, a VIN number never, ever changes!!! They should be in jail without bail!!!