SCHOHARIE, N.Y. — The 17 friends had all piled into a white stretch limousine for what was supposed to have been a birthday celebration at an upstate New York brewery. But they never reached their destination. The massive vehicle, speeding downhill on Saturday, approached the intersection of two highways that residents had long warned was notoriously dangerous. And in just a few seconds of terror, their worst fears were realized: The limousine lost control, careening through the intersection and striking an empty car. The crash killed all 18 occupants of the limousine, including the driver, as well as two pedestrians, in an accident that left deep tire tracks in the ground and the small town about 40 miles west of Albany reeling.<doc-sep>(CNN) — A limousine carrying several couples to a birthday party failed to stop at an intersection in upstate New York and struck a parked vehicle, killing 20 people in the deadliest transportation accident in the United States in nearly a decade, according to authorities and a family member. The 2001 Ford Excursion limo was traveling southwest on State Route 30 when it didn’t stop at the intersection with State Route 30 A and collided with an SUV in a parking lot shortly before 2 p.m. Saturday in Schoharie, New York State Police First Deputy Superintendent Chris Fiore said. All 18 people in the limo, including the driver, were killed, Fiore said Sunday. Two pedestrians near the unoccupied, parked 2015 Toyota Highlander also were killed, he said. Valerie Abeling told CNN her niece, Erin Vertucci and Erin’s husband Shane McGowan, who were married in June, were among the victims in the limo. “My family is just going through a lot,” Abeling said. “It’s a horrible tragedy and there’s no words to describe how we feel.” Authorities are still notifying the families of victims and declined to release the victims’ names, according to Fiore. ’These were young couples’ Abeling said the group was heading to Brewery Ommegang in Cooperstown – located about 43 miles away – to celebrate the 30th birthday of Vertucci’s and McGowan’s friend, who got married last month. That friend and her three sisters and their spouses were all killed, Abeling said. “These were young couples, just got married and had their whole lives ahead of them,” Abeling said. Vertucci and McGowan “were very much in love,” Abeling said. Louis Torres Photography Erin Vertucci and Shane McGowan were married in June. “My niece was four years older than him, and she said she found the love of her life,” she said. “He was very sweet and very kind and very funny.” Fiore said: “Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families following this horrific tragedy.” He said authorities were able to figure out the direction the limo was traveling and what occurred, based on evidence found at the scene. He said there were witnesses. Fiore said authorities couldn’t answer several questions at this point, such as whether the limo’s occupants were wearing seat belts, whether the vehicle’s brakes were working or whether the driver was speeding. The speed limit at the intersection is 50 mph, Fiore said. Hans Pennink/AP The scene of a fatal crash in Schoharie. ’I heard a loud bang’ A National Transportation Safety Board team arrived Sunday to investigate. The team expects to remain on the scene for about five days, NTSB chairman Robert Sumwalt said. Hans Pennink/AP Members of the National Transportation Safety Board work at the scene of Saturday's fatal crash. “Twenty fatalities, it’s just horrific,” Sumwalt said. “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. Colgan Air up at Buffalo killed 40 people, 50 people, but this is the most deadly transportation accident in this country since February of 2009.” The crash happened outside an Apple Barrel Country Store & Cafe. Resident Bridey Finnagen said the crash was loud enough to hear from down the road. “I heard a loud bang. I came out my front door to see what was going on,” Finnagen told CNN affiliate WTEN. “I saw a lot of people here at the Apple Barrel out in the parking lot. Then I heard screaming. Then I saw this large van, a very unusual looking vehicle, out here in Schoharie in the bushes and really wrecked, hit a tree.” WTEN State and local authorities respond to the scene about 40 miles west of Albany. Gov. Andrew Cuomo praised the first responders who “worked through the night to help.” “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.” CNN’s Madeleine Thompson, Keith Allen, Tony Marco, Tonju Francois and Mimi Hsin Hsuan Sun contributed to this report.<doc-sep>A limousine that crashed and killed 20 people in upstate New York on Saturday was reportedly in “terrible condition,” and was a replacement vehicle after the group’s rented bus broke down before reaching its destination. All 18 inside the vehicle were killed, along with two bystanders after the 2001 Ford Excursion limousine – believed to be headed to a birthday party -- ran through an intersection and struck a parked 2015 Toyota Highlander outside the Apple Barrel Country Store. The aunt of Erin Vertucci and her new husband Shane McGowan, who were both killed in the crash, told the Washington Post her daughter -- who was not in the vehicle but was invited -- received a text message from the newlywed couple just twenty minutes before the deadly accident. “The vehicle appeared in terrible condition,” Valerie Abeling, the aunt told the Post, citing a text message. Abeling also said her daughter remembered the group originally rented “some kind of bus,” but was provided a limousine when the vehicle broke down before arriving at a brewery in Cooperstown, N.Y. according to the Post. “These were friends just starting their lives, getting married and this is how it ended,” Abeling told the paper. “It’s a tragic loss of beautiful souls.” Among those killed were four sisters, whose aunt did not want to name publicly but described as “wonderful girls.” "They did the responsible thing getting a limo so they wouldn't have to drive anywhere," their aunt, Barbara Douglas, told The Associated Press on Sunday. “They were wonderful girls. They'd do anything for you and they were very close to each other and they loved their family.” Rich Steenburg, 34, his 29-year-old brother Axel Steenburg and Axel’s wife Amy all were in the limousine and died, the brothers’ stepfather, Lester Andrews, told the New York Times. “[Axel and Amy] rented the limo with some families,” Andrews told the newspaper. “There’s just a lot of confusion, so many people died.” The couple had tied the knot this past summer, according to Andrews. Amy was one of the four sisters killed in the accident, the Times Union reported. Abby and Adam Jackson, parents of two young children, also died in the crash. “Archer, 4 years old, Elle, 16 months, tragically lost their parents, Adam and Abby, on October 6th in a horrific car accident,” a GoFundMe page says. As of Sunday afternoon, authorities had not released the names of the victims pending next of kin notification, according to the Times Union. The limousine was traveling southwest on state Route 30 in Schoharie, about 170 miles north of New York City and 43 miles west of Albany, when it went through the intersection with Route 30A and struck the parked Toyota Highlander. The site of the crash is notorious for accidents and has a been a point of concern among local residents for years. "More accidents than I can count," Jessica Kirby, managing director of the Apple Barrel Country Store and Cafe told the AP in an email. "We have been asking for something to be done for years." The intersection underwent construction in 2008 following a deadly accident, Kirby told the AP. Kirby said after the intersection was redone, several tractors have blown past the same stop sign that authorities say the limousine did on Saturday – and noted that heavy trucks have since been banned from traveling on the road. Schoharie Town Supervisor Alan Tavenner told the Times Union of Albany that transportation officials attempted to make the intersection safer about seven years ago. The improvements, however, didn’t seem to work. "There have been tractor trailers that have come barreling down that hill and it was a miracle they didn't kill somebody," Tavenner said. "I honestly think it was a more dangerous intersection than it was before," he told The New York Times. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo called the “horrific” accident heartbreaking, and said he has “directed State agencies to provide every resource necessary to aid in the investigation.” National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Robert Sumwalt said Saturday’s crash was the deadliest transportation-related accident in the U.S. since February 2009, when 50 people were killed after a Continental Airlines regional flight crashed into a house near Buffalo, N.Y. He said an NTSB go-team arrived in the area Sunday morning to investigate the cause. Kirby told the New York Times the “limo was coming down that hill probably over 60 miles per hour.” While there was no information Sunday on the limousine or its integrity, safety issues on such vehicles have arisen before -- most notably after a wreck on Long Island in July 2015 in which four women on a winery tour were killed. They were in a Lincoln Town Car that had been cut apart and rebuilt in a stretch configuration to accommodate more passengers. The limousine was trying to make a U-turn and was struck by a pickup. A grand jury found that vehicles converted into stretch limousines often lack certain safety features, and called on Cuomo to assemble a task force on limousine safety. Limousines built in factories are already required to meet stringent safety regulations, but when cars are converted into limos, safety features are sometimes removed, leading to gaps in safety protocols, the grand jury wrote. Fox News’ Katherine Lam, Samuel Chamberlain, Zoe Szathmary and The Associated Press contributed to this report<doc-sep>
NEW YORK — Police said Sunday 20 people were killed Saturday in upstate New York when a limousine failed to stop at an intersection and slammed into an SUV in the town of Schoharie, about 25 miles west of Albany, the state Capitol. At a press conference Sunday afternoon, authorities said all 20 victims were adults. Eighteen of those killed were in the limousine, and two victims were bystanders. "Everyone inside the limousine was killed," said Christopher Fiore, first deputy superintendent of the New York State Police. State police said the crash occurred just before 2 p.m. Saturday when the limousine, a 2001 Ford Excursion, crossed the intersection of State Route 30 and State Route 30A, traveling at about 50 mph. The limo struck an unoccupied Toyota Highlander in a parking lot of a local country store, which then hit and killed the two bystanders. Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) were on hand to assist in the investigation. Chairman Robert Sumwalt said the crash was "the most deadly transportation accident in this country since February 2009," when a plane crashed into a house outside Buffalo, New York, killing 49 people. Sumwalt said he expected the NTSB's investigation to take about five days. Amy Dunlop-Johnson said three members of her family — her cousins Richie and Axel Steenburg, and cousin-in-law Amy Steenburg — were in the limousine and died in the crash. Local news outlets initially reported the limousine was carrying a wedding party, but Dunlop-Johnson said the limo was transporting the group between wineries in the area, which is a popular fall tourist destination. In this Saturday, Oct. 6, 2018 photo, a limousine, left, has landed in the woods following a fatal crash in Schoharie, New York. Tom Heffernan Sr. / AP The limo crashed into bystanders at the Apple Barrel Country Store and Cafe. In a Facebook post Saturday, the store wrote "there was a horrific accident in front of our business today." In another post Sunday, the store said it was open for business "and could use your hugs." New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a statement he had directed state agencies "to provide every resource necessary to aid in this investigation and determine what led to this tragedy." "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," Cuomo said. At least six ambulances and two helicopters responded to the crash, CBS affiliate WRGB-TV reported. The names of the victims were being withheld pending notification of next of kin and the completion of autopsies.