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Birthday party guests in a limo on their way to a upstate New York brewery were killed in the deadliest US transportation accident in almost a decade. All 17 passenger were killed, along with the limo diver and 2 pedestrians. It is still unknown what caused the modified limo to run through a stop sign and crash into a parked SUV.

During a press conference on Monday, New York governor, Andrew Cuomo said, “ee don’t know the cause of the accident, if it was a vehicle malfunction, if it was a driver malfunction (or) a driver error.” So far we do know that the limo was a 2001 Ford Expedition that had been converted into a limo. Adding that the car failed its inspection last month and was not supposed to be on the road. On top of that, the driver did not have a CDL (commercial driver license), the proper license to operate the limo.

According to the US Department of Transportation, the limo company, Prestige Limousine Chauffeur Service, has had 4 vehicles taken out of service within the past two years. They currently have 3 vehicles and 2 drivers. Cuomo said officials are working on “a cease-and-desist order to stop Prestige Limousine from operating until the investigation is concluded.”

The victims included newlyweds, Erin Vertucci and Shane McGowan, who were married 4 months ago, and 4 sisters, Mary Dyson, Abby Jackson, Allison King and Amy Steenburg. Steenburg’s husband Axel Steenburg also was killed.

Written by Clarke Jones

Source: CNN