First Lawsuit Filed In Deadly Schoharie Stretch SUV Crash

The first lawsuit in the deadly Schoharie stretch limo crash has been filed by the parents of one of the victims, according to news reports. Amanda Rivenburg was 29 when she died while on a birthday party jaunt with friends.

The horrific crash killed 20, including the driver, four sisters and newlywed couples in the stretch SUV and two pedestrians in the small town near Albany, New York. The modified SUV sped across an intersection and struck a parked Toyota Highlander. The Highlander then struck and killed two people standing nearby.

"Twenty fatalities, it's just horrific," National Transportation Safety Board chairman Robert Sumwalt told the media. "I've been on the board for 12 years and this is one of the biggest losses of life ... This is the most deadly transportation accident in this country since February of 2009."

New York State Police charged Nauman Hussain, the operator of Prestige Limo, the company involved in the upstate crash, with criminally negligent homicide. He is the son of the owner, Shahed Hussain, who police said is in Pakistan.

Both Hussains are named in the lawsuit, accused of reckless indifference, according to the Poughkeepsie Journal.

The limousine in which 18 died should not have been on the road, officials said in October. Nor should the driver have been at the wheel.

AP PHOTO/ Hans Pennink

SEE ALSO:

• 'Horrific' Schoharie Crash Kills 18 Inside Limo, 2 Pedestrians
• Schoharie Crash: Limo, Driver Should Not Have Been on The Road
• Schoharie Crash: Limo Firm Manager Responsible For Hiring

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