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

[CoverMeCagney]

It's difficult to wrap my head around how 20 people died in this crash, 18 of them in one vehicle. My heart aches for the community, family and friends of those who died.

I can't believe it either EuTu, 18 out of 18 dead has to be statistically unlikely (unless there was fire which doesn't seem to be the case). Just awful.

 

[Inthedetails]

Just read the news - glad to see some WSers are on the case already.

Warning: graphic speculation

It's hard to understand how every one of the people in the limo died at the scene. Even without seatbelts, you'd expect someone to survive, even if severely injured. My only guess at this point is the limo went airborne and everyone hit their heads on the car roof.

My heart aches for this loss. Unbelievable. I was aware limo passengers don't usually wear seat belt, but was under the impression that since the vehicles are so big, they wouldn't be much damaged in a crash.

jmo

 

[oceanblueeyes]

My best guess would be that none were wearing seatbelts probably because there were none required, and the head injuries alone would have been horrific, not to mention internal ones and broken limbs resulting in catastrophic blood loss. Just awful to have to even speculate about this tragedy. Hurts my heart and my stomach. God bless their loved ones.

Sadly you are probably right.

Every person who had no seatbelt in the limo would become flying projectiles crashing into each other in a confined space.

The injuries would be massive.

It makes me hurt too just thinking about what happened and what their families are going through.

 

[Charlot123]

On the one hand, unsafe limo with 18 people in in, on the other, a potentially dangerous intersection + a store with a small parking lot that tends to be overflown during the festival.

I can't comment on a limo, I never used them and don't like the concept of these "hot dogs on wheels", but at least a traffic light at that intersection seems to be warranted.

Decades ago, in IA, I lived in an apartment complex that was close to an intersection with merely a stop sign. One of the roads was I-80, enough said. I got into an accident driving through it (I did stop at the sign) so I know how easy things can happen. (They already had several accidents there and one fatality and still no traffic light althogh the inhabitants of the nearby area petitioned many times. I hope there is a traffic light there now).

 

[drama_farmer]

Sadly you are probably right.

Every person who had no seatbelt in the limo would become flying projectiles crashing into each other in a confined space.

The injuries would be massive.

It makes me hurt too just thinking about what happened and what their families are going through.

It really is horrific. I'm thinking about the effects of rapid deceleration, and how every collision is really 3 collisions:

• vehicle with object
• passengers with interior of vehicle/other passengers
• internal organs with other body structures

 

[EuTuCroquet?]

20 die when limo on way to birthday party ran stop sign

In a statement Sunday, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said he had directed state agencies to provide "every resource necessary" for the investigation.

"My heart breaks for the 20 people who lost their lives in this horrific accident on Saturday in Schoharie," Cuomo said. "I commend the first responders who arrived on the scene and worked through the night to help. State police are working with federal and local authorities to investigate the crash, and I have directed State agencies to provide every resource necessary to aid in this investigation and determine what led to this tragedy."

Local people have begun a makeshift memorial at the scene of the crash.

“It’s such a tragedy,”said Mickey Hilger, 63, of Schoharie after she placed a candle amid a half-dozen bouquets of flowers. The memorial is 30 feet from the 50-foot long stretch of mud apparently created by the limo after impact.

“This intersection is so bad,” Helger said. “I was almost killed here,” she said recalling a near miss as she headed to nearby Interstate 88 to go work at SUNY Cobleskill.

“It’s just hard when you hear they were such young kids,”she said. “It’s just hard.”​

 

[gregjrichards]

I am so sorry to read about this terrible and horrendous tragedy. It has been heartbreaking reading about the two little girls who have been orphaned and the two newlywed couples who have died.

Limos are pretty dangerous if you are in an accident due to the design and lack of airbags for the passengers and the occupants (excluding the driver) often don’t wear seatbelts. I don’t know if that was the case in this tragedy. The accident site on the news looks catastrophic so they may not have helped anyone survive.

May the all the victims in the vehicle and the pedestrians killed Rest In Peace.

 

[Jerrod]

Approaching the intersection, this is the view the limo driver would have ahead of him:

 

[CocoChanel]

Screen shot from
State Police: 20 dead in crash involving limousine

Still can’t tell if the entire limo is intact.
It was a really long vehicle. It very well could have broken apart.
More horrible imagery to imagine.

 

[Hippiemomof5]

I believe the seatbelt law is universal, not just limousines, at least in my state, I know it’s the same. Children under 18 must be buckled or in proper car seats, adults in the front seat must be buckled but adults in the rear of the vehicle do not need to be buckled, by law.

 

[oceanblueeyes]

If that is the path, how did it hit an empty car in the parking lot?

It is puzzling.

I couldn't ever be an Accident Reconstructuinist because when I see one I think for sure they were traveling a certain direction when it happened and later found out I was totally wrong.

Imo

 

[CocoChanel]

It really is horrific. I'm thinking about the effects of rapid deceleration, and how every collision is really 3 collisions:

• vehicle with object
• passengers with interior of vehicle/other passengers
• internal organs with other body structures

This is quite sobering.
Thank you drama_farmer for that chilling but important info. Given these facts it is a miracle anyone survives any serious impact accidents.

 

[Deleted member 278]

View attachment 150025 I'm just now jumping in so I don't know if anyone posted a picture of the type of limo this was, so here's one.

PHOTO DELETED.

 

[EuTuCroquet?]

View attachment 150025 I'm just now jumping in so I don't know if anyone posted a picture of the type of limo this was, so here's one.

It hasn't been confirmed whether or not the limo was as "stretched" as the one pictured, but it was definitely a huge and heavy; big enough for almost 20 people.

 

[Deleted member 278]

It hasn't been confirmed whether or not the limo was as "stretched" as the one pictured, but it was definitely a huge and heavy; big enough for almost 20 people.

Thank you. I will delete.

 

[EuTuCroquet?]

Thank you. I will delete.

Oh no, you didn't have to do that. I posted a photo pulled from Wikipedia earlier, too.

I think the pix are good for reference.

 

[Mica]

>>snip

Alan Tavenner, the town supervisor of Schoharie, said the area where the accident occurred was "dangerous" despite attempts a few years ago to fix it. The road is a steep downhill to a T-intersection. Tavenner said several years ago there were several instances "where tractor trailers didn't stop and went across the state highway and ended up in the parking lot of that store."

He added that officials then added additional postings and stopped the tractor trailers from being allowed on that area.

"That’s a positive step, but it didn’t help yesterday," he added.

"I can see how it would be be easy to not realize you're coming to a stop there if you don't know the area," he said, adding, "If somebody comes down and doesn't hit their break or is going too fast, they're at a loss, the alignment of it is kind of tough."

20 people killed in limousine crash in New York state, police say

 

[Gardenista]

This was just posted a couple of minutes ago on their FB page. Not sure if there's anything new

Schoharie limo crash deadliest in US in nine years

 

[Mica]

>>snip

The limo struck an unoccupied Toyota Highlander in a parking lot of a local country store, which then hit and killed the two bystanders.

>snip

Local news outlets initially reported the limousine was carrying a wedding party, but Dunlop-Johnson said the limo was transporting the group between wineries in the area, which is a popular fall tourist destination.

20 killed in horrific limousine crash in upstate New York

 

[Deleted member 278]

I am so sorry to read about this terrible and horrendous tragedy. It has been heartbreaking reading about the two little girls who have been orphaned and the two newlywed couples who have died.

Limos are pretty dangerous if you are in an accident due to the design and lack of airbags for the passengers and the occupants (excluding the driver) often don’t wear seatbelts. I don’t know if that was the case in this tragedy. The accident site on the news looks catastrophic so they may not have helped anyone survive.

May the all the victims in the vehicle and the pedestrians killed Rest In Peace.

Your second paragraph reminds me of the missiles we put our children in to be transported to school.