Cuomo: Driver in deadly limo crash did not have proper license

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) said Monday that the driver of a limousine involved in the country’s deadliest transportation accident in nearly 10 years did not have the proper license to operate the vehicle.

Cuomo told reporters at the Columbus Day parade in New York City that the vehicle itself should not have been on the road because it failed inspection last month with the state Department of Transportation, The Albany Times-Union reported.

The limousine on Saturday failed to stop at an intersection in Schoharie, N.Y., about 40 miles west of Albany. It slammed into a parked vehicle and struck two pedestrians. Both pedestrians were killed, as were all 18 people inside the limousine.

{mosads}Cuomo’s comments came as The New York Times reported that the limo company that owned the vehicle, Prestige Limousine, had a history of failed inspections. The newspaper reviewed transportation records that showed the Gansevoort, N.Y.–based business owned three vehicles and had failed inspections, though the documents did not provide specifics.

The newspaper also obtained text messages from one of the victims that indicated passengers had concerns about the limo’s engine prior to the crash.

“The motor is making everyone deaf,” the woman wrote to a friend.

The Times-Union reported that four of the victims in the crash were sisters. Two brothers also died in the crash, as did two other relatives of the sisters. 

The group was reportedly headed to a brewery in Cooperstown, N.Y., according to a relative of one of the victims.

Police have yet to release details about the cause of the crash, and they have not publicly identified the victims. A National Transportation Safety Board spokesperson said Sunday that the crash was the deadliest transportation accident in the United States since February 2009.

Federal, state and local lawmakers have expressed condolences to the victims and vowed to assist in the aftermath of the accident.

Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), whose district includes parts of Schoharie County, wrote in a tweet on Monday that she intends to work with Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and other New York lawmakers to look into the safety of the limos like the one involved in the accident. 

I will be working with Senator Schumer and the New York delegation to have the National Transportation Safety Board explore the safety of these limos so that we can ensure an incident like this does not happen again.

— Rep. Elise Stefanik (@RepStefanik) October 8, 2018