New York Limo Crash Deal Rejected In Schoharie Birthday Deaths Nbc New York

Judge Peter Lynch, who was not presiding over the case when the deal was reached a year ago in Nauman Hussain’s case, called the deal “fundamentally flawed”. It would have spared Hussain jail time, angering the families of people killed when brake failure sent a limousine full of birthday revelers tumbling down a hill in 2018. The judge’s rejection appeared to rattle lawyers and relatives. “I can’t even put into words what I feel. Totally unexpected. Thank God,” said Jill Richardson-Perez, the mother of limo victim Matthew Koons. “I’m in a better place now.” Kevin Cushing, who lost his son Patrick in the crash, said the families “have a hope that some justice will be served in the future where no justice has been served in the past.” Hussain, who operated Prestige Limousine, had been charged with 20 counts of manslaughter and second-degree murder in what was the deadliest US transportation disaster in a decade. The deal called for Hussain to plead guilty only to the murder charges, resulting in five years in prison and 1,000 hours of community service. Lawyers for both sides said last year that the plea deal ensured the resolution of a case that would have had an uncertain outcome had it been presented to a jury. While the National Transportation Safety Board concluded the crash was likely caused by Prestige Limousine’s “gross disregard for safety” that led to brake failure, the board said ineffective state oversight contributed. The crash killed 17 family members and friends, including four sisters and three of their husbands, along with the driver and two bystanders outside a country store. It was the deadliest transportation disaster in the United States in a decade. Lee Kindlon, Hussain’s attorney, said his client tried to maintain the limo and relied on what he was told by state officials and a repair shop that inspected it. Axel Steenburg rented the 2001 Ford Excursion limo for his wife Amy’s 30th birthday on October 6, 2018. The party group, ranging in age from 24 to 34, included Axel’s brother, Amy’s three sisters and two of their spouses, and close friends. En route to a brewery, the limo’s brakes failed on a downhill stretch of road in Schoharie, west of Albany. The vehicle went through a stop sign at over 100 mph and crashed into a small ravine. Schoharie County District Attorney Susan Mallery’s office said Hussain allowed passengers to board the limo despite receiving “multiple violation notices” from the state and being told repairs were inadequate. State police said the vehicle should have been put out of service because of brake problems found in an inspection a month before the crash. On Wednesday, Lynch said Hussain’s actions show he knew the danger of putting the limousine on the road the day of the crash, and the guilty plea to only manslaughter doesn’t reflect that. Lynch specifically mentioned that a state Department of Transportation out-of-service sticker had been placed on the limo a month before the crash. State police recovered the sticker from Hussain’s car after his arrest. Prosecutors argued that Hussain removed the sticker from the limo’s windshield to rent it out for more jobs. Lynch gave Hussain’s attorneys the option of accepting a sentence of 1 1/3 to four years in prison or withdrawing his guilty plea. They chose the second. The next court date is set for September 14. Hussain, who was on temporary probation, will be released on bail and subject to GPS monitoring.

title: “New York Limo Crash Deal Rejected In Schoharie Birthday Deaths Nbc New York Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-08” author: “Jonathan Harris”

Judge Peter Lynch, who was not presiding over the case when the deal was reached a year ago in Nauman Hussain’s case, called the deal “fundamentally flawed”. It would have spared Hussain jail time, angering the families of people killed when brake failure sent a limousine full of birthday revelers tumbling down a hill in 2018. The judge’s rejection appeared to rattle lawyers and relatives. “I can’t even put into words what I feel. Totally unexpected. Thank God,” said Jill Richardson-Perez, the mother of limo victim Matthew Koons. “I’m in a better place now.” Kevin Cushing, who lost his son Patrick in the crash, said the families “have a hope that some justice will be served in the future where no justice has been served in the past.” Hussain, who operated Prestige Limousine, had been charged with 20 counts of manslaughter and second-degree murder in what was the deadliest US transportation disaster in a decade. The deal called for Hussain to plead guilty only to the murder charges, resulting in five years in prison and 1,000 hours of community service. Lawyers for both sides said last year that the plea deal ensured the resolution of a case that would have had an uncertain outcome had it been presented to a jury. While the National Transportation Safety Board concluded the crash was likely caused by Prestige Limousine’s “gross disregard for safety” that led to brake failure, the board said ineffective state oversight contributed. The crash killed 17 family members and friends, including four sisters and three of their husbands, along with the driver and two bystanders outside a country store. It was the deadliest transportation disaster in the United States in a decade. Lee Kindlon, Hussain’s attorney, said his client tried to maintain the limo and relied on what he was told by state officials and a repair shop that inspected it. Axel Steenburg rented the 2001 Ford Excursion limo for his wife Amy’s 30th birthday on October 6, 2018. The party group, ranging in age from 24 to 34, included Axel’s brother, Amy’s three sisters and two of their spouses, and close friends. En route to a brewery, the limo’s brakes failed on a downhill stretch of road in Schoharie, west of Albany. The vehicle went through a stop sign at over 100 mph and crashed into a small ravine. Schoharie County District Attorney Susan Mallery’s office said Hussain allowed passengers to board the limo despite receiving “multiple violation notices” from the state and being told repairs were inadequate. State police said the vehicle should have been put out of service because of brake problems found in an inspection a month before the crash. On Wednesday, Lynch said Hussain’s actions show he knew the danger of putting the limousine on the road the day of the crash, and the guilty plea to only manslaughter doesn’t reflect that. Lynch specifically mentioned that a state Department of Transportation out-of-service sticker had been placed on the limo a month before the crash. State police recovered the sticker from Hussain’s car after his arrest. Prosecutors argued that Hussain removed the sticker from the limo’s windshield to rent it out for more jobs. Lynch gave Hussain’s attorneys the option of accepting a sentence of 1 1/3 to four years in prison or withdrawing his guilty plea. They chose the second. The next court date is set for September 14. Hussain, who was on temporary probation, will be released on bail and subject to GPS monitoring.

title: “New York Limo Crash Deal Rejected In Schoharie Birthday Deaths Nbc New York Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-10” author: “Alisa Depaul”

Judge Peter Lynch, who was not presiding over the case when the deal was reached a year ago in Nauman Hussain’s case, called the deal “fundamentally flawed”. It would have spared Hussain jail time, angering the families of people killed when brake failure sent a limousine full of birthday revelers tumbling down a hill in 2018. The judge’s rejection appeared to rattle lawyers and relatives. “I can’t even put into words what I feel. Totally unexpected. Thank God,” said Jill Richardson-Perez, the mother of limo victim Matthew Koons. “I’m in a better place now.” Kevin Cushing, who lost his son Patrick in the crash, said the families “have a hope that some justice will be served in the future where no justice has been served in the past.” Hussain, who operated Prestige Limousine, had been charged with 20 counts of manslaughter and second-degree murder in what was the deadliest US transportation disaster in a decade. The deal called for Hussain to plead guilty only to the murder charges, resulting in five years in prison and 1,000 hours of community service. Lawyers for both sides said last year that the plea deal ensured the resolution of a case that would have had an uncertain outcome had it been presented to a jury. While the National Transportation Safety Board concluded the crash was likely caused by Prestige Limousine’s “gross disregard for safety” that led to brake failure, the board said ineffective state oversight contributed. The crash killed 17 family members and friends, including four sisters and three of their husbands, along with the driver and two bystanders outside a country store. It was the deadliest transportation disaster in the United States in a decade. Lee Kindlon, Hussain’s attorney, said his client tried to maintain the limo and relied on what he was told by state officials and a repair shop that inspected it. Axel Steenburg rented the 2001 Ford Excursion limo for his wife Amy’s 30th birthday on October 6, 2018. The party group, ranging in age from 24 to 34, included Axel’s brother, Amy’s three sisters and two of their spouses, and close friends. En route to a brewery, the limo’s brakes failed on a downhill stretch of road in Schoharie, west of Albany. The vehicle went through a stop sign at over 100 mph and crashed into a small ravine. Schoharie County District Attorney Susan Mallery’s office said Hussain allowed passengers to board the limo despite receiving “multiple violation notices” from the state and being told repairs were inadequate. State police said the vehicle should have been put out of service because of brake problems found in an inspection a month before the crash. On Wednesday, Lynch said Hussain’s actions show he knew the danger of putting the limousine on the road the day of the crash, and the guilty plea to only manslaughter doesn’t reflect that. Lynch specifically mentioned that a state Department of Transportation out-of-service sticker had been placed on the limo a month before the crash. State police recovered the sticker from Hussain’s car after his arrest. Prosecutors argued that Hussain removed the sticker from the limo’s windshield to rent it out for more jobs. Lynch gave Hussain’s attorneys the option of accepting a sentence of 1 1/3 to four years in prison or withdrawing his guilty plea. They chose the second. The next court date is set for September 14. Hussain, who was on temporary probation, will be released on bail and subject to GPS monitoring.

title: “New York Limo Crash Deal Rejected In Schoharie Birthday Deaths Nbc New York Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-10” author: “Larry Christ”

Judge Peter Lynch, who was not presiding over the case when the deal was reached a year ago in Nauman Hussain’s case, called the deal “fundamentally flawed”. It would have spared Hussain jail time, angering the families of people killed when brake failure sent a limousine full of birthday revelers tumbling down a hill in 2018. The judge’s rejection appeared to rattle lawyers and relatives. “I can’t even put into words what I feel. Totally unexpected. Thank God,” said Jill Richardson-Perez, the mother of limo victim Matthew Koons. “I’m in a better place now.” Kevin Cushing, who lost his son Patrick in the crash, said the families “have a hope that some justice will be served in the future where no justice has been served in the past.” Hussain, who operated Prestige Limousine, had been charged with 20 counts of manslaughter and second-degree murder in what was the deadliest US transportation disaster in a decade. The deal called for Hussain to plead guilty only to the murder charges, resulting in five years in prison and 1,000 hours of community service. Lawyers for both sides said last year that the plea deal ensured the resolution of a case that would have had an uncertain outcome had it been presented to a jury. While the National Transportation Safety Board concluded the crash was likely caused by Prestige Limousine’s “gross disregard for safety” that led to brake failure, the board said ineffective state oversight contributed. The crash killed 17 family members and friends, including four sisters and three of their husbands, along with the driver and two bystanders outside a country store. It was the deadliest transportation disaster in the United States in a decade. Lee Kindlon, Hussain’s attorney, said his client tried to maintain the limo and relied on what he was told by state officials and a repair shop that inspected it. Axel Steenburg rented the 2001 Ford Excursion limo for his wife Amy’s 30th birthday on October 6, 2018. The party group, ranging in age from 24 to 34, included Axel’s brother, Amy’s three sisters and two of their spouses, and close friends. En route to a brewery, the limo’s brakes failed on a downhill stretch of road in Schoharie, west of Albany. The vehicle went through a stop sign at over 100 mph and crashed into a small ravine. Schoharie County District Attorney Susan Mallery’s office said Hussain allowed passengers to board the limo despite receiving “multiple violation notices” from the state and being told repairs were inadequate. State police said the vehicle should have been put out of service because of brake problems found in an inspection a month before the crash. On Wednesday, Lynch said Hussain’s actions show he knew the danger of putting the limousine on the road the day of the crash, and the guilty plea to only manslaughter doesn’t reflect that. Lynch specifically mentioned that a state Department of Transportation out-of-service sticker had been placed on the limo a month before the crash. State police recovered the sticker from Hussain’s car after his arrest. Prosecutors argued that Hussain removed the sticker from the limo’s windshield to rent it out for more jobs. Lynch gave Hussain’s attorneys the option of accepting a sentence of 1 1/3 to four years in prison or withdrawing his guilty plea. They chose the second. The next court date is set for September 14. Hussain, who was on temporary probation, will be released on bail and subject to GPS monitoring.