Disaster Limo crash kills 20 people

https://www.foxnews.com/us/new-york-limousine-crash-victims-included-newlyweds-brothers

A limousine crash in upstate New York on Saturday killed 20 people, officials have said. Now, portraits of the victims, including two pairs of newlyweds, have started to emerge.

Officials said all 18 people in the limousine died, as well as two pedestrians. The limo was said to be heading to a friend's birthday party.

Rich Steenburg, 34, his 29-year-old sibling Axel Steenburg and Axel’s wife Amy all were in the limousine and died, the brothers’ stepfather, Lester Andrews, told the New York Times.

“[Axel and Amy] rented the limo with some families,” Andrews told the newspaper. “There’s just a lot of confusion, so many people died.”

The couple had tied the knot this past summer, according to Andrews.

A GoFundMe page is seeking help with funeral costs for the siblings.

Both Steenburg brothers worked for GlobalFoundries, the Albany Times-Union reported. It added that Amanda Rivenburg, a friend of Amy's, also died.

LIMOUSINE CRASHES IN NEW YORK, KILLING 20, AFTER FAILING TO STOP AT INTERSECTION, OFFICIALS SAY

The victims also included parents Abby and Adam Jackson.

“Archer, 4 years old, Elle, 16 months, tragically lost their parents, Adam and Abby, on October 6th in a horrific car accident,” a GoFundMe page says.

Newlyweds Erin Vertucci and Shane McGowan also were killed.

Valerie Abeling, Vertucci's aunt, spoke through tears while giving the news. She said her own daughter had been invited along but couldn't go.

Speaking of the couple, Abeling said Vertucci “was a beautiful, sweet soul; he was too,” Abeling said.

The couple was married at a “beautiful wedding" in June at a venue in upstate New York, Abeling said.

She added, “They had everything going for them.”

Vertucci was 34 and McGowan was 30. They met through Abeling’s daughter.

Vertucci, who grew up in Amsterdam, New York, was an administrative assistant at St. Mary’s Healthcare in Amsterdam.

Saturday's crash in Schoharie was the deadliest transportation incident in the U.S. since a 2009 plane crash in Buffalo, New York, killed 50 people, officials said.

Fucking awful. A car crash so bad the only thing worse was a fucking plane crash almost 10 years ago.

 

[Uncle Warren]

Schoharie

upstate New York

God fucking dammit.

 

[lil bitch]

damn dude what the fuck. 20 people? what the fuck went wrong here? RIP, man. fucking RIP

 

[KraftEagle]

Damn. In the images where they are taking the limo away, it doesn't seem to be too badly damaged, but I imagine that they weren't wearing seat-belts which contributed to the high death count here. RIP.

 

[registereduser]

Found an article from WaPo *spit* that gives more info about the road itself:

Schoharie Town Supervisor Alan Tavenner described how two state highways meet at the bottom of a steep hill at a T-shaped intersection. The limo blew past the stop sign at speeds upward of 60 mph, according to witness accounts, Tavenner said.

Tavenner said the New York Department of Transportation outlawed heavy trucks on the hill in recent years because of instances when runaway trucks lost their ability to brake down the steep grade. He said the limo was carrying out-of-towners during a busy tourist weekend, Stone Fort Days.

“If somebody’s new to the area or not familiar with the area, I can see how it’d be easy to miss that you’re coming down to the T-intersection and going to have to stop at the bottom of it,” he said.

So it could be that the driver didn't even realize that there was going to be an intersection that he'd have to stop at, or at least not until after building too much momentum from going down the hill. I wonder what the road signage is like, if there are other signs leading up to the intersection and even the hill itself warning of the stop ahead. Could at least use some sort of flashing light.

And the limo wasn't their intended vehicle, but was a provided replacement:

Abeling said her daughter, who was invited but did not join the party, recounted that the group had rented “some kind of bus” to go the Cooperstown but the vehicle broke down before reaching its destination. The travel provider then sent a stretch limousine to take the group the rest of the way.

“The vehicle appeared in terrible condition,” Abeling said, recalling a text message her daughter received from Erin McGowan.

Erin McGowan is one of the deceased, so the terrible condition is from before the wreck, but I'm not sure which vehicle.

 

[Dick Pooman]

AP is reporting that the limo failed inspection last month and was not supposed to be on the road.

So their original party bus broke down, and they dispatched a shitbox limo to pick them up. Sounds like a great company.

 

[neverendingmidi]

AP is reporting that the limo failed inspection last month and was not supposed to be on the road.

So their original party bus broke down, and they dispatched a shitbox limo to pick them up. Sounds like a great company.

Now to see if the company declares bankruptcy with the owners fleeing to some non-extradition country before the lawsuits hit.

 

[SiccDicc]

Found an article from WaPo *spit* that gives more info about the road itself:

So it could be that the driver didn't even realize that there was going to be an intersection that he'd have to stop at, or at least not until after building too much momentum from going down the hill. I wonder what the road signage is like, if there are other signs leading up to the intersection and even the hill itself warning of the stop ahead. Could at least use some sort of flashing light.

And the limo wasn't their intended vehicle, but was a provided replacement:

Erin McGowan is one of the deceased, so the terrible condition is from before the wreck, but I'm not sure which vehicle.

So they didn't even get to die in a nice limo. That's salt in the wound. And I was curious about the signage, too, around here they usually put one before the incline as to warn you to slow down... if they don't even have that I'd like to see the city sued...

AP is reporting that the limo failed inspection last month and was not supposed to be on the road.

So their original party bus broke down, and they dispatched a shitbox limo to pick them up. Sounds like a great company.

... along with these assholes. You know what you do when you don't have a vehicle fit for the road? You give the customers a fucking refund. This is practically like that Ford Pinto lawsuit where the bean counters figured it would be cheaper per lawsuit than deal with a recall. I hope the owner of this business is raked over the coals and whoever decided that machine go out put in jail for negligence.

 

[Dick Pooman]

AP is reporting that the limo failed inspection last month and was not supposed to be on the road.

So their original party bus broke down, and they dispatched a shitbox limo to pick them up. Sounds like a great company.

To add to this, the driver was not licensed to operate the vehicle. What a shitshow.

 

[Tommy Wiseau Kin]

I remember many years ago (like I was probably a kid back then) I saw on the news that a drunk driver hit a limousine and killed the the driver of the limo and the flower girl. Years later I still remember that story and can’t even begin to imagine how awful people involved at the wedding must have felt.

Now this crash is essentially a massacre, killing 20 people. Holy fuck.

Sure is a tragedy, but why are the victims immediately getting gofundme pages? Is that just something Americans do these days?

To be fair these some of these people paid for a wedding which sure as hell isnt cheap so the families might be short on cash.

 

[ColtWalker1847]

So they didn't even get to die in a nice limo. That's salt in the wound. And I was curious about the signage, too, around here they usually put one before the incline as to warn you to slow down... if they don't even have that I'd like to see the city sued...

I imagine it is.

The problem is that the driver is in a "car" and was trying to drive it like one. 60+ mph into a t-intersection at the bottom of a grade. Jesus.

They sent the dumb guy and he fucked up.

To add to this, the driver was not licensed to operate the vehicle. What a shitshow.

Likely the guy didn't have his passenger endorsement.

 

[sasazuka]

So it could be that the driver didn't even realize that there was going to be an intersection that he'd have to stop at, or at least not until after building too much momentum from going down the hill. I wonder what the road signage is like, if there are other signs leading up to the intersection and even the hill itself warning of the stop ahead. Could at least use some sort of flashing light.

As of August 2016, the only time Google Street View drove by, there is a stop sign warning sign roughly 100 yards from the intersection, though the intersection could probably use at the very least one of those blinking overhead red lights if not full traffic lights.

It's a downward slope but it seems pretty low grade.

 

[registereduser]

Ver archivo adjunto 562587
As of August 2016, the only time Google Street View drove by, there is a stop sign warning sign roughly 100 yards from the intersection, though the intersection could probably use at the very least one of those blinking overhead red lights if not full traffic lights.

It's a downward slope but it seems pretty low grade.

Definitely not as steep as they were making it sound.

 

[sasazuka]

If you go up NY-30 northeast from the intersection with NY-30A where the accident happened, it gets a little steeper, but the steeper part is at least a mile away from the intersection and it's not even a straight line from the steeper part, there's a 30-degree-ish left turn before you get to the long straight before the T-junction.

 

[TowinKarz]

Do any of those articles mention the time the accident occurred at? Because unless it's dark out (aka, 7pm or later right now due to the seasons) it looks like there's no way you CAN'T see the road ends 1/8th of a mile ahead of you as you approach that junction, forgetting any supplemental signage or lights.

 

[Goofy Logic]

This has the same setup of the Humboldt crash, only with a limo with bad brakes.

 

[Echo_Ender]

So, it was an unqualified driver in a not-street-legal car, breaking the speed limit in an unfamiliar area. While filled with loud, drunk, distracting partygoers.

From what I've read, the limo tried to brake, spun out of control, and flipped into a row of trees wildly enough that they apparently splattered two people who just happened to be nearby.

 

[RodgerDodger]

The strange part is the fact that EVERYONE died in the limo. You'd usually expect survivors out of this one.

If you have ever seen a Limo crash, no no you really don't. They are a chopped customized vehicle that should never be allowed on the road. They have no impact safety at highway speeds. In this case the driver was doing well over 60 on a 30 mph windy local country road. lost control on a sharp curve and went pinwheeling in a flat spin smashing through a ton of stuff and killing an elderly couple who were getting into their parked car. Stretch Limo's are just that, a normal passenger car chiopped in half with the frame welded much longer in a piecemeal fashion. They disintegrate under any sideways directed force. There have been a number of these type crashes over the years. They all end mostly the same and have only gotten worse as the Limo's get stupidly bigger. I've never understood why they don't just use a well appointed bus or shuttle bus chassis. Much much safer plus you don't have to climb in and out?

This one was less than a mile from my inlaws. Some of their neighbors were at the restaurant (Apple Grove?) when it happened and rushed out to help. Everyones pretty shook up.

I'm voting the driver was a dumbass.... you'd be surprised how many taxi/limo/box truck/"fleet" drivers are idiots because you don't need any special training beyond a valid "C" class license and maybe an endorsement or two if you're diving what qualified as a "bus", but even that is earned with book learning and passing an exam, not driving related.

Oh God you have no idea how true that was. Way back when I first started working EMS, long before the advent of Federal Commercial Licences, you need a New York Chaufers License to drive an ambulance. Which was absurd as the only difference between a regular licence and a Chaufers or "Class C" was $20 and a 5 question idiot proof written test. Taken once. I used to get a friends father calling me constantly begging me to come drive one of his Limo's on weekends. I was "Dude I'm not a Limo Driver, I've never drivena Limo." All he wanted was somebody with the license. It hasn't changed.

Could have been worse. They could have crashed in a busy intersection and made the kill count higher from other drivers and pedestrians. I mean it is New York after all. the fact there wasn't more kills outside the limo is amazing in and of itself given the size of the accident. Hell, the fact no one in the Toyota died (assuming it didn't contain the other two who died) amazes me.

Still, this is a huge tragedy, and my heart goes out to the rest of the families who lost their loved ones.

It's a really rural area of Upstate New York. Not the City or Suburbia. My inlaws are less than a mile or so away from this. They sit on 68 acres and they are a small plot. This did happen at a fairly active intersection. But the real risk on these roads is people grossly exceeding the speed limits because they are seemingly low traffic, until they suddenly aren't.

I'm impressed that not a single dashcam has come foward at all, I haven't seen a single car without a dashcam in years.

Dashcams oddly really have not become that common in the US. And from what I have heard there wasn't really any other traffic. The driver lost control and went into a spinning skid, plowing into the trees and a parked car. The witnesses were in a restaurant that it happened in front of.

 

[sasazuka]

This has the same setup of the Humboldt crash, only with a limo with bad brakes.

No, the Humboldt crash had a truck driver t-bone the bus. There was no other driver in this crash, the limo struck an empty SUV.

 

[NSA]

The limo service near me has several of these chopped SUVs, but they also have fancy buses "land-yachts" which are superior in every way.

Better than a vehicle that skids off into some bushes and kills everyone.

 

[TowinKarz]

Oh God you have no idea how true that was. Way back when I first started working EMS, long before the advent of Federal Commercial Licences, you need a New York Chaufers License to drive an ambulance. Which was absurd as the only difference between a regular licence and a Chaufers or "Class C" was $20 and a 5 question idiot proof written test. Taken once. I used to get a friends father calling me constantly begging me to come drive one of his Limo's on weekends. I was "Dude I'm not a Limo Driver, I've never drivena Limo." All he wanted was somebody with the license. It hasn't changed..

A lot of people are surprised that when it comes to vehicles, (in the US) if it isn't over 20,000 GVW (or 10,000 towed weight) and doesn't have air brakes, you can drive it with the license in your pocket and without any formal training. That's it, no experience, no road test, not even cracking a book in most cases. Which is why so many Uhauls and Penske trucks get written off every year....

Heck, my Dad and I bought an old retired M35 army truck back in 2003, dressed it up so we can take it to shows and parades and stuff.... it's got a curb weight empty of 12,800lbs and it's street legal on the same "C" license you have to drive your regular car to work.