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U.S. NEWS Monday 8 october 2018

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

By MICHAEL HILL and BOB The store manager, Jes-
SALSBERG sica Kirby, told The New
Associated Press York Times that the limo
SCHOHARIE, N.Y. (AP) — A was coming down a hill at
limousine on its way to a "probably over 60 mph."
birthday party blew a stop Authorities said autopsies
sign at the end of a high- were being performed
way, killing all 18 people in and didn't release names
the limo and two pedes- of victims or speculate on
trians in the deadliest U.S. what caused the limo to
transportation accident in run the stop sign. The Na-
almost a decade, officials tional Transportation Safety
and a relative of one of the Board is investigating.
victims said Sunday. Speaking through tears,
The collision turned a re- Valerie Abeling, said her
laxed Saturday afternoon 34-year-old niece Erin Ver-
into chaos at an upstate tucci was among the vic-
New York spot popular with tims, along with her newly-
tourists taking in the fall foli- wed husband, 30-year-old
age. An aunt of one of the Shane McGowan. They
victims in the vehicle said were on their way to a
the group had been travel- friend's birthday party, she
ing to a birthday celebra- said; her own daughter
tion. had been invited along but
The 2001 Ford Excursion lim- couldn't go.
ousine was traveling south- "She was a beautiful, sweet
west on Route 30 in Schoha- soul; he was too," Abeling
rie, about 170 miles (270 ki- said.
lometers) north of New York The couple was married
City around 2 p.m. when it at a "beautiful wedding" in
failed to stop at a T-junction June at a venue in upstate Debris scatters an area Sunday, Oct. 7, 2018, at the site of yesterday's fatal crash Schoharie, N.Y.
Associated Press
with state Route 30A, State New York, Abeling said.
Police First Deputy Superin- "They had everything going Buffalo, New York, killing 50 accommodate more pas- moved, leading to gaps in
tendent Christopher Fiore for them." people, Sumwalt said. sengers. The limousine was safety protocols, the grand
said at a news conference Vertucci, who grew up in And it appears to be the trying to make a U-turn and jury wrote.
in Latham, New York. Amsterdam, New York, was deadliest land-vehicle ac- was struck by a pickup. On Sunday, Cuomo re-
It went across the road and an administrative assistant cident since a bus ferry- A grand jury found that leased a statement say-
hit an unoccupied SUV at St. Mary's Healthcare in ing nursing home patients vehicles converted into ing, "My heart breaks for
parked at the Apple Bar- Amsterdam, Abeling said. away from Hurricane Rita stretch limousines often the 20 people who lost
rel Country Store, killing the At the news conference, caught fire in Texas 2005, don't have safety measures their lives in this horrific ac-
driver and 17 passengers, Fiore didn't comment on killing 23. including side-impact air cident on Saturday in Scho-
as well as two people out- speed, or whether the oc- There was no information bags, reinforced rollover harie. I commend the first
side the vehicle. cupants of the vehicle had Sunday on the limousine, protection bars and acces- responders who arrived
The crash "sounded like an been wearing seat belts. its origin or its integrity. But sible emergency exits. That on the scene and worked
explosion," said Linda Riley, "This is one of the biggest safety issues on such ve- grand jury called on New through the night to help.
of nearby Schenectady, losses of life that we've seen hicles have arisen before, York Gov. Andrew Cuomo State police are working
who was on a shopping in a long, long time," NTSB most notably after a wreck to assemble a task force on with federal and local au-
trip with her sisters and had Chairman Robert Sumwalt on Long Island in July 2015 limousine safety. thorities to investigate the
been in their parked car at said at the news confer- in which four women on a Limousines built in facto- crash, and I have directed
the time at the store. ence. winery tour were killed. ries are already required to state agencies to provide
When she got out of her It's the deadliest transpor- They were in a Lincoln meet stringent safety regu- every resource necessary
vehicle, she saw a body on tation accident since Feb- Town Car that had been lations, but when cars are to aid in this investigation
the ground, she said. Peo- ruary 2009, when Colgan cut apart and rebuilt in a converted into limos, safety and determine what led to
ple started screaming. Air Flight 3407 crashed in stretch configuration to features are sometimes re- this tragedy."q