Limo Safety Task Force releases report
ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The New York State Stretch Limousine Safety Task Force released its report on the 2018 Schoharie limo crash Friday evening. The goal of the report is to prevent similar events from taking place.
The report took about seven months to complete. The task force included members of the Department of Transportation, Department of Motor Vehicles, New York State Police, transportation companies, and the father of one of the Schoharie crash victims.
The more than 150-page document reviews every component of road safety from driver training to passenger awareness. The report summating in 16 different recommendations to the governor's office.
Recommendations include:
- Lifespan limit for limousines
- Limousine rating program
- Limousine season policing
- Pre-trip briefings for passengers
- Passenger liability
Read the report in-full below:
The report was issued one day before its October 1 deadline. Some state lawmakers, however, wanted the deadline to be extended until the State Inspector General releases its findings from an investigation into the state’s role in the crash.
Twenty people were killed when a stretch limousine crashed in Schoharie on October 6, 2018. A trial date has been set for May 1, 2023 for Nauman Hussain, the operator of the limo company involved in the crash. His defense team chose to go to trial after Judge Peter Lynch rejected a plea deal made by a previous judge in September 2021. Hussain would have served five years probation.
Hussain is accused of 20 counts of Criminally Negligent Homicide for not properly maintaining the Ford Excursion limousine. The limo, according to court documents, suffered from “catastrophic brake failure” the day of the crash.
The legacy of the crash reverberated throughout the region and the country. It prompted lawmakers to draft new legislation to reform safety measures in public transportation, private vehicles, and commercial service industry vehicles. These reforms—on the statewide and national level—have included new guidance for inspections and added requirements for wearing seatbelts.