'Catastrophic' Brake Failure Caused Stretch Limo Crash: Expert

"Catastrophic brake failure" caused the stretch SUV crash that killed 20 people in October, according to court documents released by lawyers for Prestige Limo's operator. The crash was the worst in the United States since 2009.

Nauman Hussain faces manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide charges for each of the 20 victims. His lawyers included conclusions from a forensics expert hired by the New York State Police in documents filed in Schoharie County Court, the Albany Times Union reported.

Schoharie County District Attorney Susan Mallery and the state police had been mum on the probable cause. The National Transportation Safety Board has not released findings, partly due to a dispute with the DA about access to the limo.

The 34-foot "super stretch" Excursion full of party-goers plowed down two pedestrians in a parking lot Oct. 6. A witness in a vehicle that was stopped on NY-30 at the intersection stated that the limousine traveled through the intersection at a high rate of speed. Autopsies described "multiple severe traumatic blunt force injuries" as the cause of death for all 20.

Aside from the driver and the two pedestrians, all were friends or relatives of Amy Steenburg, on a trip for her 30th birthday. Members of the group had tweeted about the poor condition of the limo minutes before the crash.

SEE ALSO:

• Schoharie Crash: Cause of Death The Same For All 20
• Schoharie Crash: Limo, Driver Should Not Have Been on The Road
• Limo Company Manager Free On $450K Bond Plus GPS Monitor