[ad_1]
Authorities say that the driver did not have the proper license and that the vehicle had failed during a recent inspection. But lawyer Lee Kindlon said the Prestige owner thought the driver had a proper license.
The company checked with the Department of Motor Vehicles "several times and was told that it was doing it," said Kindlon.
The authorities identified the driver as 53 year old Scott T. Lisinicchia from Lake George, New York State.
Prestige is studying the history of Lisinicchia as part of an internal investigation, Kindlon said. The company collects maintenance records, driver logs and property records and intends to forward them to the authorities, he added.
Texts cast before the crash
Thousands of people gathered Monday night for a candlelight vigil in Amsterdam, a city of 17,000 that was home to many people killed. Under a 12-foot bronze statue depicting a mother and child near a pedestrian bridge, they prayed for strength and watched a moment of silence before a singer led the group in "Amazing Grace." ".
Lawmakers attending the vigil promised to help find answers to questions about Saturday's crash. "I've always known that it was a loving community," said US Representative Paul Tonko. "By meeting with you tonight, I see it manifest in a very powerful expression."
"We do not know the cause of the accident, whether it was a malfunction of the vehicle, a driver malfunction or a driver error. "said Cuomo.
At least one victim seemed worried about the state of the limousine, according to text messages shared with the New York Times.
The bride Erin Vertucci McGowan sent a text message to her friend and the bridesmaid telling her that their party bus had broken down en route to celebrate a friend's birthday. They rented a limousine to pick them up, the newspaper reported. She did not know where they had bought the vehicle, she sent a text message.
"The engine makes everyone deaf," McGowan said in a text, according to the Times.
In another, she wrote, "When we are at the brewery, we will all be deaf."
Identified victims
Before the disaster, the 17 birthday party guests in the limousine – including honeymooners, young couples and four sisters – were headed to a brewery in upstate New York. The authorities published their names on Tuesday:
Axel J. Steenburg, 29 years old, Amsterdam, NY
Richard M. Steenburg, 34, Johnstown, NY
Amy L. Steenburg, 29 years old, Amsterdam, NY
Allison King, 31, Ballston Spa, NY
Mary E. Dyson, 33, Watertown, NY
Robert J. Dyson, 34, Watertown, NY
Abigail M. Jackson, 34, Amsterdam, NY
Matthew W. Coons, 27, Johnstown, NY
Savannah D. Bursese, 24, Johnstown, NY
Patrick K. Cushing, 31, Troy, NY
Amanda D. Halse, 26, Fort Ann, NY
Erin R. McGowan, 34, Amsterdam, NY
Shane T. McGowan, 30, Amsterdam, NY
Amanda Rivenburg, 29, Colony, NY
Adam G. Jackson, 34, Amsterdam, NY
Pedestrians were identified as Rachael K. Cavosie, 30, of Waterford, and Michael C. Ukaj, 34, of Johnstown.
Failed to inspect
The guests at the birthday party were in a 2001 Ford tour turned limo. Post-market modifications can affect the structural integrity and safety of a vehicle, said Peter Goelz, former executive director of the National Transportation Safety Board.
As more and more details about the seemingly broken rules are revealed, investigators also question whether the unusual structure of the limousine could have contributed to this mass tragedy.
The company bought the tour already modified "just a few years ago," said his lawyer.
The US Department of Transportation's records show that the Limo Service Limousine Limousine Chauffeur company in Gansevoort, New York, has two drivers and three vehicles. Its vehicles have been inspected five times in the last two years and four vehicles have been decommissioned.
Off-road business vehicles
The limo company said in a statement Monday that she was conducting "a detailed internal investigation to determine the cause of the accident and the steps we can take to prevent future accidents."
The company has met with federal investigators and states and plans to do it again, the statement said. He removed his fleet from the road, he said
Cuomo said officials are working on a cease and desist order to keep Limousine Prestige cars from running until the end of the investigation.
The company's owner, Shahed Hussain, is currently in Pakistan, said Major-General Robert Patnaude. State police seized three of the company's vehicles in addition to the modified limousine involved in the accident, Patnaude said.
The Prestige lawyer said that Hussain travels frequently to Pakistan, but that he currently has health problems. Kindlon said that Hussain "wanted everyone to know that if, in fact, he needed us here, he was ready and able to come back when they needed it."
Source link
