New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has dropped his proposal to ban stretch limousines statewide, according to the Times Union. The Democrat proposed the ban earlier this year in the wake of the deadly October crash in Schoharie that killed 20 people.
Limo companies had argued against the ban.
Earlier this month, the National Transportation Safety Board released a preliminary report on the Oct. 6 crash.
A 2001 stretch SUV limousine carrying 18 people blew through the stop sign at the T-intersection of state Routes 30 and 30A “at a high rate of speed,” according to a witness. The limo, operated by Prestige Limousine, hit a parked SUV in the parking lot of the Apple Barrel Country store. The NTSB report says the limo's impact on the SUV caused the SUV to strike and kill two pedestrians. The limo then continued through the parking lot and came to rest in a ravine. All 18 people inside the limo were killed, including the driver.
New York State Police have charged Nauman Hussain, operator of Prestige Limousine, with criminally negligent homicide. He has pleaded not guilty and is free on bail.
State Police and the NTSB continue to investigate the crash.
