Erin and Shane McGowan celebrated their wedding in June 2018. They were both killed in a birthday party limousine crash that killed 20 in Schoharie on Oct. 6, 2018. Erin and Shane McGowan celebrated their wedding in June 2018. They were both killed in a birthday party limousine crash that killed 20 in Schoharie on Oct. 6, 2018. Photo: Courtesy Of Anthony Vertucci Photo: Courtesy Of Anthony Vertucci Image 1 of / 80 Caption Close Schoharie crash is country's deadliest transportation disaster in 9 years 1 / 80 Back to Gallery 
 
 SCHOHARIE, N.Y. — They were young adults — sisters, brothers, old friends and newlyweds — who were celebrating one of their birthday's in a rented SUV limousine on a drive through rural Schoharie County. 
 
 They are now victims of the nation's deadliest transportation disaster in nine years. 
 
 State Police discuss the Schoharie limo crash that killed 20. Posted by Albany Times Union on Sunday, October 7, 2018 
 
 Twenty people died Saturday afternoon in the horrific wreck at the intersection of state routes 30 and 30A in the town of Schoharie. The stretch limo, packed with 18 people, drove through a stop sign at the notorious intersection and fatally struck two people in the parking lot of a popular country store, before slamming into an earthen embankment and killing all of the oversized vehicle's occupants. 
 
 "This is the most deadly transportation accident in this country since February of 2009," Robert Sumwalt, chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, told reporters at a police briefing on Sunday. He was referring to the Feb. 12, 2009, crash of Colgan Air Flight 3407 in Buffalo, which claimed the lives of 50 people. 
 
 "Twenty fatalities is just horrific," Sumwalt said of Saturday's deadly crash. "I've been on the board for 12 years, and this is one of the biggest losses of life that we've seen in a long, long time." 
 
 State Police would not release the names of the victims, saying they were still notifying family members Sunday afternoon. But a devastating picture began to emerge Sunday evening, as family members posted on social media and fundraising websites about the loss of four sisters from one family, as well as the deaths of their husbands and at least one of the husband's relatives. 
 
 Anthony Vertucci of Saratoga Springs confirmed to the Times Union that Amy Steenburg, her husband, Axel, his brother, Rich, and Amy's three sisters died in the accident. The group was celebrating a birthday. Vertucci said his niece, Erin McGowan, and her husband, Shane McGowan, were also in the limo and died in the crash. Relatives of the four sisters gathered at a house in Amsterdam Sunday night; two men outside the house declined to comment on the tragedy. 
 
 State Police set up a special hotline for the families of people who may have lost a relative in the crash. Family members are encouraged to call the State Police at 1-877-672-4911. 
 
 It marked the deadliest transportation incident in the Capital Region since the Oct. 2, 2005, sinking of the Ethan Allen tour boat on Lake George that killed 20 people. 
 
 Investigators from the NTSB are examining the road conditions at the time of the crash and whether any mechanical problems in the 2001 Ford Excursion limo may have been a factor. State Police First Deputy Superintendent Christopher Fiore provided little information Sunday on how the crash might have happened. Fiore would not identify the company that operated the limo. 
 
 Sumwalt estimated investigators will be at the scene for five days collecting evidence. He said investigators will not determine a cause of the crash until after they have completed their report. 
 
 "The fact that the NTSB is here indicates we're very concerned about this," Sumwalt said. 
 
 Officials said state law requires front-seat passengers in limos to wear seat belts, but not back-seat passengers. Police would not say if anyone in the limo was wearing a seat belt. 
 
 Schoharie County sheriff's deputies and troopers responded to the accident scene at 1:55 p.m. Saturday outside the Apple Barrel Country Store and Cafe. 
 
 The limo was traveling southwest and descending a steep hill on Route 30 when, according to State Police, it failed to stop at the intersection of Route 30A, where there is a stop sign. The limo traveled across the intersection into the Apple Barrel's parking lot and hit an unoccupied 2015 Toyota Highlander. Two pedestrians, who were standing nearby, were struck and killed. 
 
 Investigators cordoned off the area and had kept the cars of bystanders secured overnight Saturday while they investigated the crash scene and sought to reconstruct what happened. 
 
 Linda Riley, of Schenectady, returned to the store Sunday afternoon around 1 p.m. to retrieve her car. 
 
 Riley said she and her sisters had just pulled into the store's parking lot when the crash happened. Her car and other vehicles were covered with tree branches that splintered from the impact and debris from the collisions littered the ground. 
 
 They didn't realize a crash had occurred at first, she said. 
 
 "We thought it was an explosion," she said. "Someone said, 'There's a body laying right next to your car.' That was it. We just got out of the car and ran into the restaurant as quickly as possible." 
 
 Riley described a chaotic scene in a parking lot filled with customers. 
 
 "Everyone was screaming, 'Call 911, does anyone know CPR?' And then the cops arrived," she said. "I didn't want to come back to get my car. But I had to. You're in shock, just shock. You think about it all night." 
 
 The victims were all taken to Albany Medical Center Hospital, where autopsies will be done. 
 
 Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo issued a statement Sunday afternoon commending the emergency responders who worked through the night at the scene and had tried furiously to save lives. 
 
 "State Police are working with federal and local authorities to investigate the crash, and I have directed state agencies to provide every resource necessary to aid in this investigation and determine what led to this tragedy," Cuomo said. "I join all New Yorkers in mourning these deaths and share in the unspeakable sorrow experienced by their families and loved ones during this extremely difficult time." 
 
 The Apple Barrel store sits at the bottom of a steep hill, where the speed limit is 50 mph. For those unfamiliar with the area, there is no indication a stop sign lies ahead on Route 30 until drivers are about 200 feet from the intersection. 
 
 Jessica Kirby, whose family owns the Apple Barrel store, said the intersection in front of the property is notoriously hazardous. 
 
 "This is a reoccurring issue in this intersection," she said. 
 
 Kirby said tractor-trailers have repeatedly come down the hill too fast and veered into the store's parking lot when customers are present. The state made improvements a few years ago, including eliminating truck traffic, but the intersection is still dangerous, she said. 
 
 "And if you were going too fast and you're not familiar with the area, you won't know it's a stop at the end of a steep hill," she said. 
 
 Kirby declined to discuss details of the carnage that she and others witnessed on Saturday. 
 
 "It's something no one should ever have to experience," she said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims' families." 
 
 Schoharie town Supervisor Alan Tavenner confirmed the state Department of Transportation made improvements to the dangerous intersection about seven years ago, although concerns about the safety of the junction linger. 
 
 "There have been tractor-trailers that have come barreling down that hill and it was a miracle they didn't kill somebody," Tavenner said. 
 
 Staff writer Mallory Moench contributed to this story. ||||| "She was a beautiful, sweet soul; he was, too," Abeling said. 
 
 The couple was married at a "beautiful wedding" in June at a venue in upstate New York, Abeling said. "They had everything going for them." 
 
 Vertucci was 34, McGowan 30. They met through Abeling's daughter. Vertucci, who grew up in Amsterdam, New York, was an administrative assistant at St. Mary's Healthcare in Amsterdam. 
 
 The NTSB has responded to the incident. NTSB Chairman Robert Sumwalt says his investigators will be at the scene gathering evidence for the next several days. 
 
 "This is one of the biggest losses of life that we've seen in a long, long time," he said--the deadliest since February 2009 when Colgan Air Flight 3407 crashed in Buffalo, New York, killing 50 people. 
 
 This is not the first time an accident happened at this location. Large trucks were recently banned from coming down the hill into the intersection to help prevent crashes. 
 
 Names of Known Victims: 
 
 Abigail and Adam Jackson: Abigail was a teacher at Amsterdam who taught Special Education. Adam was the Deputy Commissioner of the Montgomery County Board of Elections. They leave behind two young daughters. 
 
 Mary and Rob Dyson were both engineers who worked in Watertown. They leave behind a 2-and-a-half-year-old son. 
 
 Amy and Axel Steenburg. It was Amy's birthday the group was celebrating. They lived in Saratoga Springs and were just married in June. Axel worked at GlobalFoundries. 
 
 Allison King. 
 
 *The four sisters killed were Abigail (King) Jackson; Mary (King) Dyson; Amy (King) Steenburg; Allison King. 
 
 Rich Steenburg - Axel's brother who worked at GlobalFoundries. 
 
 Shane (30) and Erin McGowan (34) were also recently married. 
 
 Amanda Rivenberg: Donna Floyd Rivenberg confirmed her daughter's death on Facebook. 
 
 Matthew Coons of Fultonville 
 
 Amanda Halse (26) of Troy 
 
 Patrick Cushing, a New York State Senate employee from Amsterdam 
 
 WEB EXTRA: Schoharie Crash News Conference 
 
 MORE INFORMATION: Schoharie crash GoFundMe pages ||||| SCHOHARIE, N.Y. — Erin and Shane McGowan were just starting their life together after five months of marriage when they climbed into a limousine to celebrate their friend Amy's 30th birthday. The ride ended in the nation's deadliest transportation disaster since 2009, killing the McGowans and 18 others when the limousine crashed into the parking lot of the Apple Barrel Country Store in Schoharie on Saturday afternoon. 
 
 "They just decided to rent a limousine and have fun and not worry about everything," Erin's uncle Anthony Vertucci told the Times Union on Sunday. 
 
 "My whole entire family is in complete and utter shock. It's hard and so tragic," said Vertucci, who lives in Saratoga Springs. "We're just talking layers of tragedy. There are so many families affected by this." 
 
 Vertucci said the 17 passengers in the limousine included Amy Steenburg, who was celebrating her 30th birthday, Amy's husband Axel, Axel's brother Rich, Amy's three sisters and one of her brothers-in-law. The group of young adults grew up together and all lived in Amsterdam. Two of the couples were newlyweds. 
 
 Vertucci said Erin McGowan was one of three daughters and worked in record-keeping at a hospital in Amsterdam. Erin and Shane, who had been a couple for at least three years and got married in June, were just starting their lives together. 
 
 "You're always hoping you find the love of your life, it's what you hope and wish and dream for, and they found each other. They were just so beautiful and vibrant and kind. They made such a dynamic duo," Vertucci said. "They were finally able to get married and just honestly starting to live their life. They had big plans. They were saving for a house and hoping to do everything that everybody hopes to do." 
 
 Two other victims, Amy and Axel Steenburg, also were just married in June. Axel and his brother Rich Steenburg, also killed in the limousine, both worked at GlobalFoundries and have a GoFundMe page. 
 
 Three of Amy's sisters and one of her brothers-in-law died as well. Amy' sister Abby Jackson and her husband Adam left behind two daughters, Archer, 4 years old, and Elle, 16 months old. A GoFundMe page titled "College and Expenses for Archer and Elle" shows pictures of the couple holding the two blonde, beaming girls. The page had raised more than $13,350 by Sunday evening. 
 
 Abby was a teacher in the Amsterdam School District. The district set up a space for grief counseling at Lynch Literacy Academy, 55 Brandt Pl., for families of victims to come for support from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday. 
 
 The family of Amy Steenburg and Abby Jackson declined to talk on Sunday. 
 
 State Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara said there will be a vigil for the victims in Amsterdam Monday night at the southern end of the bridge in the city's downtown. The gathering starts at 6:30 p.m.
– More details have emerged in the horrific upstate New York stretch limousine crash that killed 20 people in the nation's deadliest transportation accident since 2009. Friends and relatives say the 17 passengers killed Saturday include Amy Steenburg, who was celebrating her 30th birthday, her husband, Axel, her three sisters, her husband's brother, and at least one of her brothers-in-law, Times Union reports. At least two sets of newlyweds were among the tight-knit group. They were on their way from Amsterdam, NY, where they all lived, to celebrate Amy's birthday at a brewery in Cooperstown when the limo crashed in Schoharie, killing all the passengers as well as the driver and two pedestrians. Witnesses say the limo sped down a steep hill before losing control at the bottom, where two state highways intersect in a spot notorious for accidents, the New York Times reports. The limo crashed into an empty vehicle in the parking lot of the Apple Barrel Country Store. National Transportation Safety Board chairman Robert Sumwalt says the "horrific" number of fatalities makes it the worst US transportation accident since a plane crash near Buffalo killed 50 people in 2009. Valeria Abeling tells the Washington Post that her niece, 34-year-old Erin McGowan, died in the accident, along with Shane, the husband she married in June. She says the group had rented a bus, but it broke down and the company sent the limo instead. Abeling says her daughter received a text from McGowan 20 minutes before the crash saying the vehicle arrived in "terrible condition."