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

[Isabelle]

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???

His dad, I’m sure, is very capable of getting his son as many passports as he needs. I would be not be surprised to hear that he is out of the country very soon.

 

[bears10]

Troopers are investigating a death at the Crest Inn Suites & Cottages on Route 9.

On Wednesday, troopers were called to the address for a report of an unattended death. Following the preliminary investigation, the death has been ruled to be suspicious.

Snip

At this time, the death does not have any connection to the owners of the business, or the business itself, police said.

Shahed Hussain has owned the Crest Inn and Suites since 2006.


Troopers probe suspicious death in Wilton

 

[Boodles]

Troopers are investigating a death at the Crest Inn Suites & Cottages on Route 9.

On Wednesday, troopers were called to the address for a report of an unattended death. Following the preliminary investigation, the death has been ruled to be suspicious.

Snip

At this time, the death does not have any connection to the owners of the business, or the business itself, police said.

Shahed Hussain has owned the Crest Inn and Suites since 2006.


Troopers probe suspicious death in Wilton

Holy cow! Coincidence or something else?

 

[Inthedetails]

Holy cow! Coincidence or something else?

IIRC, the place was described as a druggie place. I'm wondering if someone od'd?

Speculation, guesswork, jmo

 

[Herat]

I recall the comment was that the Hussein brothers showed up at Crest Inn to pick up the checks & that’s all so it’s unlikely the death is at all related to them or this incident.

 

[Mica]

There are several online reviews on the Crest Inn mentioning it being a place for drug use. It’s also often described as being filthy, unkempt, unsafe, bug infested, etc. Complaints to the owner are disregarded. IMO, the owner is well aware of the issues surrounding the motel. He is more concerned with collecting money than providing a clean and safe environment for his guests. Similar tactics as with the limo company. IMO

 

[Mica]

Limo in deadly crash had been cited for out-of-service brakes


The limousine that crashed Saturday in upstate New York, killing 20 people, had been cited by the State Department of Transportation in March for brake failures, according to inspection results obtained by ABC News.

The citations included “brakes out of service” and "brake connections with constrictions under vehicle," the records show.

When the limousine was re-inspected six months later, on Sept. 4, the state DOT noted its "failure to correct defects on previous inspection report."

 

[Safeguard]

I sometimes think that in the future, people in their self-driving cars will look back with shocked disbelief that we were allowed to drive our own cars, and the carnage that we accepted as the inevitible result. One and a quarter million people die each year as a result of road crashes.
Road traffic deaths

Noticed this as looking back through the thread... I was on a different forum, just days before this tragic crash, where posters were saying how they would never use driverless cars. It was a thread topic, "Would You Ever Use a Driverless vehicle" I was sorta surprised that not one single person said they would!

I've seen SO many ridiculously dangerous drivers on the roads, intoxicated, texting, road rage, just-plain-don't-know-how-to-drive, running lights/signs ect... Just all kinds of crazy out there on our road ways. Taking some of these drivers out of the equation could only be an improvement imo!

I think people just fear loss of control. But truth be told, it's very flimsy control we have right now, almost an illusion, the though that if you are a careful driver you can avoid getting hurt or killed, reality is every time you drive in the right lane you are a mere 12 inches from a head on collision and there may be nothing you can do about it.

 

[alibrarian]

Safety concerns over limo raised three years ago

Safety concerns over limo raised three years ago

"He says he was able to identify the limo’s unique exterior during news reports." If true, it coincides with reports of painted over duct tape and rust patterns from other reports. Interestingly, Mr. Bentley states he contacted the DoT.

"He claims his company and Prestige did the bare minimum with regards to repairs. He claims the same limo even broke down while he was transporting local high schoolers to a prom.

“It started smoking and parents were scared they didn’t want their kids riding in it.”

 

[MsFacetious]

There are several online reviews on the Crest Inn mentioning it being a place for drug use. It’s also often described as being filthy, unkempt, unsafe, bug infested, etc. Complaints to the owner are disregarded. IMO, the owner is well aware of the issues surrounding the motel. He is more concerned with collecting money than providing a clean and safe environment for his guests. Similar tactics as with the limo company. IMO

Yes. I've had experience with similar owners through my legal defense work. Halfway houses and hotels where the state sends people. They are in deplorable condition. It's very sad that it isn't corrected. I understand these people don't take the best care of the locations, I really do. However at least keeping it bug free would be something they could do.

 

[borndem]

Holy cow! Coincidence or something else?

Indeed -- Holy Cow is right! Maybe they are just interested in making money and not having to do a lot for it to produce a profit. Or maybe they had an excess of money they needed to spend.Or maybe they had a connection with the state/county/local tax or inspection personnel.

Now, what about this place??

 

[alibrarian]

"The owner of the stretch SUV limo that crashed Saturday in Schoharie County killing 20 people lacked what is called “operating authority” from the state Department of Transportation, a certification granted only after a lengthy review of the company’s finances, safety record and criminal history.

The operating authority certification typically takes six to 16 weeks and includes a 30-day period in which the public can “object to the applicant’s fitness and ability.”

Owner of limo company involved in deadly Schoharie crash lacked DOT authority to transport riders

A look at the NYSDOT site lists what this review covers:

https://www.dot.ny.gov/divisions/operating/osss/bus/passenger

One of the requirements is liability insurance.

Kinda frustrating given the reports there have been complaints in the past, prior to this accident.

 

[drama_farmer]

Deadly combination of crash site and limo company which has had four vehicles taken out of service | Daily Mail Online
. . . snipped. . .
A woman identifying herself as the property manager told DailyMail.com: snipped. . .

‘We’re just here to collect the money and stop the guests killing each other.'

Sheesh, there's only two things in their job description, and IMO it looks like they can only get one of them right!

Troopers are investigating a death at the Crest Inn Suites & Cottages on Route 9.
On Wednesday, troopers were called to the address for a report of an unattended death. Following the preliminary investigation, the death has been ruled to be suspicious.
Snip
At this time, the death does not have any connection to the owners of the business, or the business itself, police said.
Shahed Hussain has owned the Crest Inn and Suites since 2006.
Troopers probe suspicious death in Wilton

 

[Mica]

"The owner of the stretch SUV limo that crashed Saturday in Schoharie County killing 20 people lacked what is called “operating authority” from the state Department of Transportation, a certification granted only after a lengthy review of the company’s finances, safety record and criminal history.

The operating authority certification typically takes six to 16 weeks and includes a 30-day period in which the public can “object to the applicant’s fitness and ability.”

Owner of limo company involved in deadly Schoharie crash lacked DOT authority to transport riders

A look at the NYSDOT site lists what this review covers:

https://www.dot.ny.gov/divisions/operating/osss/bus/passenger

One of the requirements is liability insurance.

Kinda frustrating given the reports there have been complaints in the past, prior to this accident.

One violation after another with this company and owner/ operators. Jail time should eventually be forthcoming.

 

[Safeguard]

Yes. I've had experience with similar owners through my legal defense work. Halfway houses and hotels where the state sends people. They are in deplorable condition. It's very sad that it isn't corrected. I understand these people don't take the best care of the locations, I really do. However at least keeping it bug free would be something they could do.

There's a motel 6 right up the street from me that was just closed down, (finally!), that was a state contracted shelter. It was deplorable rats, bugs, plumping issues, ect. I used to feel so bad cause a lot of young kids lived there. I always used to think how ironic it was, that the state would take children from their parents for such conditions, but they allowed themselves to put them into worse ones.

I have officially lost faith in our public safety institutions. This Limo/Motel owner and crew, were greedy and corrupt to the core, and a whole lot of people who should have been keeping an eye on this guy knew it.

I would love to have some accountability from the FBI and LE.

 

[human]

Is there no authority to seize the vehicles if they are not fixed?

 

[Mica]

Is there no authority to seize the vehicles if they are not fixed?

I think the state DOT should be culpable to some extent. Who follows up on the violators?

 

[alibrarian]

Is there no authority to seize the vehicles if they are not fixed?

I'm not 100% on seizing, however, there have been reports (referenced in this thread) that the driver was ticketed this past August while driving this vehicle, and the vehicle did not pass inspection. At some point I wonder why it wasn't seized (if ticketed while driving it) based on NYS Vehicle and Traffic Law Section 511 | Article 20 | Aggravated Unlicensed | NYS VAT (I'm not an attorney and I don't work in LE).

 

[bears10]

https://www-m.cnn.com/2018/10/11/us/prestige-limousine-chauffer-service-shahed-hussain/index.html?r=https://amp-cnn-com.cdn.ampproject.org/

Kindlon said Shahed Hussain often travels to Pakistan for business.

"He is ready and able to come back whenever they need him," Kindlon said. "His heart is broken, and his family's heart is broken. ... Anything that he can do to make this right, he'll do, and he's so very sorry for everything that's happened."

Wasn’t he supposedly there for a medical procedure? What business does he do in Pakistan, the country he fled from bc he was accused of murder?

If he’s really willing and able to come back and make things right, he would already be here. And if it’s heart is broken, it’s probably just because he isn’t going to rake in those sweet six figure dollars for being an informant and he isn’t going to be able to continue make a living ripping people off, in the US at least (hopefully) JMO

 

[MollyDDD]

Hmmmm -- I didn't know that about SS benefits. So the chilrens' benefits will be based on the parents' contributions of their earnings? Did not know that. That could be very tuff for the kids and the remaining survivors.
I received it when my dad died when I was 15 y/o. It continued until I was 21 as long as I was in an accredited college or university through my 21st birthday unless I married, which I did not. It helped put me through college -- It is a great benefit for children who lose a parent.

Let’s hope they had life insurance policies too.