A deadly limousine accident in New York left 20 people dead earlier this month, 17 of whom were passengers on their way to celebrate a birthday. Initial reports from the crash site state that the limo raced through an intersection, failed to stop for a stop sign, crashed into a pickup truck and ended up in a ravine. All 17 of the passengers in the limo, the limo driver, and two pedestrians were killed in the terrible collision.
A text message sent just moments before the crash by one of the victims states that the car itself was in “terrible” condition. The vehicle was apparently a replacement after the original rental experienced a malfunction on the way to the pickup destination.
In New York, livery car services are bound by safety regualtions and are required to regularly inspect their vehicles. Indeed, a grand jury investigation after another fatal livery car accident in New York found that during the process of creating “stretch” limousines, companies often remove necessary safety features. In this particular case, investigators will be looking for any mechanical problems which led to this tragedy which the limousine company knew or should have been aware of.
Additionally, the drivers of cars for hire must undergo additional testing above and beyond what’s required for a regular passenger car license. They need to understand how much different operating a custom-built “stretched” vehicle is than simply driving a normal size car. Investigators will certainly be looking into whether driver inexperience or human error played any part or contributed to this accident.
At least one statement gathered at the scene of this deadly limo accident in New York claims that the car itself was traveling down a hill toward the fateful intersection at least 60 miles per hour.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a livery car accident, you need an experienced New York City limousine accident attorney on your side. Call the professionals at the Law Offices of Nussin S. Fogel at 800-734-9338 or 212-385-1122 today.