SCHOHARIE — A two-car crash in reportedly involving a wedding limousine has killed several people in upstate New York. The Albany Times Union reports that the crash in Schoharie on Saturday involved a limousine carrying a wedding party. State police said only that the crash happened just before 2 p.m. at the intersection of State Route 30 and State Route 30A and caused "multiple fatalities." Some of the injured were flown by helicopter to Albany Medical Center Hospital. Details including the number of deaths were not immediately available. Police said there would be road closures in the area for several hours. Schoharie is west of Albany. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 31 Angry 1<doc-sep>At least 20 people are dead and several more injured after a wedding limousine crash near Schoharie, New York, State Police told The Albany Times Union Sunday. Eighteen of the victims in the were inside the limousine and two others were bystanders, the Associated Press reports. "Multiple fatalities" were reported by first responders after the limo sped down a hill and crashed into people outside the Apple Barrel Country Store and Cafe. The manager of the store, Jessica Kirby, told The New York Times multiple customers standing in the parking lot were killed when the wedding limo struck them coming down a Route 30 hill. #518news #schoharie Emergency vehicles surround the Apple Barrel Cafe at Route 30 and Route 30A in Schoharie after a van style limousine and an SUV collided injuring several and killing approximately 3 people. pic.twitter.com/6HGfHcBkx9 — Peter R. Barber (@prbarber1) October 6, 2018 "All fatal," she told The Times via telephone Sunday. "That limo was coming down that hill probably over 60 miles per hour. I don't want to describe the scene. It's not something I want to think about." Police said they will hold an evening press conference to reveal details of the crash and the names of victims will not be revealed until family members have been notified. #518news #schoharie Emergency vehicles surround the Apple Barrel Cafe at Route 30 and Route 30A in Schoharie after a van style limousine and an SUV collided injuring several and killing approximately 3 people. pic.twitter.com/6HGfHcBkx9 — Peter R. Barber (@prbarber1) October 6, 2018 Multiple ambulances, three fire companies and two helicopters were dispatched to the scene in Schoharie, a small town of about 3,300 people and 160 miles upstate from New York City. The wedding limousine was traveling along State Route 30 and State Route 30A, according to the NTSB.<doc-sep>top stories direct to your inbox SUBSCRIBE Invalid email Sign up to receive our rundown of the day'sdirect to your inbox When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. Emergency services rushed to the scene near the Apple Barrel Country Store in the city of Schoharie after the crash yesterday. New York State Police today confirmed 20 people had died in the horrific wreck at the intersection of Route 30 and Route 30A. All 18 people in the limousine were killed in the crash. The victims included a couple who had married in June. Officials said the crash is the deadliest transportation accident to be recorded in the US in a decade. The SUV-style stretch limo was shuttling 17 guests to a wedding reception when it smashed into a parked car outside the Apple Barrell. The shop and cafe is a popular stop for tourists who have travelled to the area to take in the autumn foliage. Store manager, Jessica Kirby, told The New York Times the limousine was travelling at “probably over 60 mph” as it sped into the car park. The vehicle hit an unoccupied car before striking two pedestrians. Both were killed. Ms Kirby added: "I don't want to describe the scene. "It's not something I want to think about." New York limousine crash: Police have confirmed 20 people died in the accident Distraught families of those killed have spoken of their shock after yesterday’s crash. One of the couples in the limo has been named by loved ones as Erin McGowan, 34, and her husband Shane, 30. Anthony Vertucci, Erin's father, described the “darkness and devastation” which had struck his family and shared photos of his daughter's wedding day. He wrote: “My heart has stopped. Unspeakable tragedy that I can't comprehend and will never come to terms with. “I just wanted all of you to see pictures of Erin and Shane, these two beautiful and amazing people, on the best and happiest days of their lives.” Witnesses said the limo smashed into vehicles and bystanders at the Apple Barrel Country Store Bridey Finnagen, who lives close to the scene of the crash, told CBS17 she had headed outside after hearing a loud bang. She said: “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 Scoharie in the bushes and really wrecked… hit a tree.” The crash just before 9am BST (2pm local time) triggered a huge response by emergency services as dispatchers received dozens of 911 calls from shocked witnesses. Six ambulances, three fire crews and two helicopters were scrambled to the scene. Accident investigators are on the scene to determine what caused the crash<doc-sep>The wedding page tells the story of a young man and woman who first became friends, then became a romantic pair, and then became a married couple. It is a common story, yet singular in its own way. Amy King and Axel Steenburg “sipped craft beers” and played pool on their first date in 2015, then boated with friends on their second — a day in which they spent “from sunrise to sunset” talking, according to the online wedding page theknot.com. About three years later, on June 30 of this year, they married in a Catholic church in the tiny village of Hagaman, about 18 miles northwest of Schenectady. Among the bridal party at Amy and Axel’s wedding were Amy’s sisters — Allison King, who was the maid of honor, and Mary Dyson and Abigail Jackson, who were bridesmaids. Nearly 100 days after the wedding, the four sisters were among the 20 people killed in the afternoon limousine crash in a rural area of Schoharie. They were together to celebrate Amy’s birthday. Axel Steenburg and his brother Rich Steenburg, the best man in the wedding, also died in the crash. Also killed in the crash was another couple married in June — Erin and Shane McGowan. All of the 17 passengers in the crash died, as did the driver and two pedestrians. To family and friends, the loss is both devastating and unimaginable. The days ahead will tell more of the story, answering questions about whether the intersection where the crash occurred was particularly unsafe and the limousine driver and company particularly unreliable. Those questions and answers will be necessary to perhaps avoid more tragedies and more deaths. But, for those who knew Amy and Axel Steenburg and the family members and friends killed Saturday, they will provide little in the way of consolation. Amy Steenburg, the newlywed and the youngest of the four sisters in the limousine, was celebrating her 30th birthday Saturday. It was only natural that she and the 16 friends and family were together for the traveling soiree. Amy, her husband, her sisters, and the other friends who piled into the white 2001 Ford Excursion, which had been converted into a stretch limousine, were a decidedly close-knit group who often congregated for fun. "They were together multiple times a week, always hanging out,” Erin Flaherty, a friend of many of the victims, told The New York Times. Thus, it was characteristic that they would unite for the 30th birthday of Amy Steenburg — a milestone of sorts to add to, a year of milestones, including her wedding. The group had planned a noon visit to Brewery Ommegang in Cooperstown, the quaint and historic central New York village best known as the home of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. There, they had a tour of Ommegang scheduled, to be followed by a tasting session including the brewery's distinctive Belgian-style ales. The reservation was made recently, and for a smaller group than the number in the limo, according to brewery spokeswoman Allison Capozza. But, she said, it's not uncommon for a reservation number to be different than how many show up. The delay may well have been caused by a fateful change in the group's plans. Valerie Abeling, an aunt of Erin McGowan, told The Washington Post that the group originally was expecting a small bus for the excursion. That bus apparently broke down, and the group instead got the stretch limousine, which was equipped with bench seats in the rear. State police Major Robert Patnaude also said at a news conference Monday that the group had planned for the bus, but ended with the limousine. “The driver didn’t have a proper license,” Patnaude said Monday. The limousine provider, Prestige Limousine of Gansevoort, Saratoga County, and the limousine itself "have been under scrutiny in the past," Patnaude said Monday. On Tuesday, the company said it had remedied safety issues flagged by state inspectors. The state disputes the claim. More:Limo company, state point fingers over deadly crash When the limo arrived, it was not what the group had expected. McGowan texted Abeling’s daughter and said that the conditions in the vehicle were terrible, Valerie Abeling told The Washington Post. But the group was not thwarted by this. Instead, apparently running behind schedule, they settled into the limousine for the trip to Cooperstown. They never made it there. Now, what was to be a celebration has instead tragically morphed into plans for memorial services, remembrances, and gofundme fund drives to raise money for the children of some of those killed. On social media sites, at least one friend has offered to take in Amy and Axel Steenburg's beloved Bullmastiff, Lady. And, a year of joys has instead morphed into mourning. For those who attended the wedding and reception of Amy and Axel Steenburg, there will always be lasting memories. The Saturday in June when they wed was an unseasonably hot day in an unseasonably hot summer. After the wedding, the newlyweds, the wedding party, and the guests headed to a reception at The Saratoga Winery in Saratoga Springs. "It was one of those days that was about 100 degrees and 100 percent humidity," remembered Seth Berger, the winery's manager. That did not slow the celebration. Instead, the winery brought out sprinklers, and the guests did not hesitate to indulge in the cooling pleasure — wedding attire, be damned. Leading the way were the exuberant newlyweds. "We took pictures of Axel and Amy going through the sprinklers soaking wet," Berger said. Berger still has the photos on his telephone. He never imagined how much that would mean to him. GCRAIG@Gannett.com<doc-sep>
Twenty people were killed in a limousine crash in Schoharie County in upstate New York on Saturday, state police said. The accident took place at the intersection of Routes 30 and 30-A just before 2 p.m. and is being investigated, according to the state police. “The investigation at the scene revealed that a 2001 Ford Excursion limousine was traveling southwest on State Route 30 and failed to stop at the intersection with State Route 30-A,” Christopher Fiore, first deputy superintendent of the New York State Police said Sunday. “The limousine traveled across the intersection into a parking lot and stuck a 2015 Toyota Highlander that was unoccupied and parked.” Two pedestrians standing near by were also struck and killed, he said. All 20 victims were adults and the 18 people inside the limousine, including the driver, were killed, Fiore said. The driver and front seat passenger are required to wear a seatbelt by New York law, but the other passengers are not, he said. “This is the most deadly transportation accident in this country since 2009,” said Robert Sumwalt, chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board. The identities of the victims are not being release pending the notification of family members and autopsy results. A dedicated phone line has been set up to assist the families of victims, who can speak to a member of the state police at (877) 672-4911. “The investigation is very preliminary, it’s in its infancy stages,” Captain Richard O’Brien of the New York State Police told ABC News 10. The limo, which was carrying a wedding party, crashed into two people outside the Apple Barrel Country store located at the intersection, according to the Albany Times Union. Two helicopters, six ambulances and three fire companies responded to the crash, the Times Union reported. The Apple Barrel posted a message about the incident on Facebook Saturday. It is unclear what caused the crash, but the NTSB sent a team to investigate. The intersection is known for being a dangerous one, and Schoharie Town Supervisor Alan Tavenner said that improvements made to the intersection seven years ago don’t seem to have made it safer, according to the Times Union. A witness who lives down the street from the store told ABC News 10 that they saw people in the Apple Barrel parking lot and “then I heard screaming.” “Then I saw this large van, a very unusual looking vehicle out here in Scoharie in the bushes and really wrecked, hit a tree,” Bridey Finnagen the local news outlet. “The first responders broke some windows to try to get people out.” Contact us at letters@time.com.