20 killed in few seconds of terror as stretch limo ploughs into empty car

Federal investigators arrived on Sunday in the town, which is about 60 kilometres west of Albany, and were scouring the scene for clues about the cause of the crash.

New York State Police said autopsies, including toxicology tests, were under way on all the passengers and the driver of the limousine.

The loss of life stunned even seasoned investigators, who called it the nation's deadliest transportation accident since a 2009 plane crash near Buffalo, New York, killed 50 people.

"Twenty fatalities is just horrific," said Robert Sumwalt, chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, which is launching a comprehensive investigation.

"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 said the 2001 Ford Excursion limousine barrelled down one roadway and passed through the T-intersection, crashing into another vehicle, an unoccupied 2015 Toyota Highlander, before landing in a shallow ravine beyond the road. The two pedestrians were struck near the Apple Barrel and killed.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo released a statement on Sunday saying, "My heart breaks for the 20 people who lost their lives in this horrific accident on Saturday in Schoharie. I commend the first responders who arrived on the scene and worked through the night to help."

What we know about the victims

• All those killed were adults, state police said.

• Most of the victims were interconnected, a close group of friends and relatives on their way to a birthday celebration at a brewery in Cooperstown, New York.

• The limousine was rented by Axel and Amy Steenburg, newlyweds from Amsterdam, New York, who had married over the summer, said Lester Andrews, Axel’s stepfather. The group had gathered to celebrate Amy’s 30th birthday.

• Three of her sisters, Mary Dyson, Allison King and Abby Jackson, also died, relatives said. "They were wonderful girls," said their aunt, Barbara Douglas, speaking to reporters on Sunday. "They'd do anything for you and they were very close to each other and they loved their family."

• Axel’s brother, Rich Steenburg, was also killed and is survived by his 10-year-old daughter and 14-year-old stepson. The Steenburg brothers both worked for GlobalFoundries, which produces semiconductors.

• Two other victims, Erin and Shane McGowan, were also recently married. Rocco Semprivivo said Erin, his stepdaughter, had dated Shane for a few years before marrying at St Mary’s Church in Amsterdam in June.

She had worked at St Mary’s Hospital in Amsterdam and was studying for her master’s degree in special education. Semprivivo said that one of the other passengers who was killed, Patrick Cushing, was Erin's McGowan’s’s cousin.

“She was just such a pretty girl,” Semprivivo said of his stepdaughter before hanging up.

• The victims were a tight-knit group of friends, most in their 30s, who had recently married or had young children, said Erin Flaherty, a mutual friend who lives in Manhattan.

“They were together multiple times a week always hanging out,” she said, noting that they threw many backyard parties.

• Erin Vertucci died in the crash, her aunt Valerie Abeling said.

• A GoFundMe page was created to cover the future college expenses for the children of victims Adam and Abby Jackson. The couple are survived by a four-year-old son and a 16-month-old daughter.

The New York Times, AP