Photo: ABCNews.com
Last Saturday, what should have been a fun ride to a birthday party turned into the deadliest transportation-related incident in the U.S. in 9 years, when a stretch limo carrying 18 crashed in Schoharie, New York.
In addition to the 17 passengers and the limo driver, 2 pedestrians were also killed when the vehicle plowed through a highway intersection before finally crashing. The limo belonged to Prestige Limo in Gansevoort and a series of troubling facts came to light in the aftermath.
For instance, that particular vehicle had been deemed “unserviceable” back in September and should have been taken off the road. Then, the driver, 53-year-old Scott Lisinicchia, wasn’t properly licensed, so he shouldn’t have been at the wheel.
The operator of the limo rental company has been arrested and charged with criminally negligent homicide, People reports. He was picked up by the police during a routine traffic stop and chances are his father, who owns Prestige Limo, could also be held accountable. Currently, though, the father is in Pakistan dealing with health issues, so he’s out of reach.
“The sole responsibility for that motor vehicle being on the road rests with Nauman Hussain,” State Police Superintendent George Beach II told reporters after the arrest, according to the media outlet. Beach also claimed that Hussain was aware of all the issues related to the limo and the driver mentioned above.
In response, Hussain’s attorney is arguing that the National Safety Transportation Board is looking for a scapegoat, since they’ve known for years that the particular intersection where the crash occurred was problematic and something needed to be done about it. He cited the steep incline of the road before the T intersection where 2 highways meet, and claimed that Lisinicchia lost control of the car because he was on unfamiliar ground.
Hussain was not involved in the daily operations of the rental company, so the details noted above were never brought to his knowledge, the attorney explains. Still, the NSTB is trying to make a scapegoat out of him.
“Even the most simple investigation, done well, takes months,” the attorney adds. “And now because of the actions taken today, that time frame is compressed.”
For instance, that particular vehicle had been deemed “unserviceable” back in September and should have been taken off the road. Then, the driver, 53-year-old Scott Lisinicchia, wasn’t properly licensed, so he shouldn’t have been at the wheel.
The operator of the limo rental company has been arrested and charged with criminally negligent homicide, People reports. He was picked up by the police during a routine traffic stop and chances are his father, who owns Prestige Limo, could also be held accountable. Currently, though, the father is in Pakistan dealing with health issues, so he’s out of reach.
“The sole responsibility for that motor vehicle being on the road rests with Nauman Hussain,” State Police Superintendent George Beach II told reporters after the arrest, according to the media outlet. Beach also claimed that Hussain was aware of all the issues related to the limo and the driver mentioned above.
In response, Hussain’s attorney is arguing that the National Safety Transportation Board is looking for a scapegoat, since they’ve known for years that the particular intersection where the crash occurred was problematic and something needed to be done about it. He cited the steep incline of the road before the T intersection where 2 highways meet, and claimed that Lisinicchia lost control of the car because he was on unfamiliar ground.
Hussain was not involved in the daily operations of the rental company, so the details noted above were never brought to his knowledge, the attorney explains. Still, the NSTB is trying to make a scapegoat out of him.
“Even the most simple investigation, done well, takes months,” the attorney adds. “And now because of the actions taken today, that time frame is compressed.”
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