North Fork Limo Crash: New ‘Witness’ Refutes Ambulance Records

CUTCHOGUE, NY — Saturday marks five years since a deadly limo crash on the North Fork took the lives of four young women, a loss that echoes still for family, friends, and a community forever scarred by the tragedy.

On Thursday, parents of Brittney Shulman, Stephanie Belli, 23, Amy Grabina, 23, and Lauren Baruch, 24 — who were killed when their limo was T-boned by a red pickup truck driven by Steven Romeo of Southold at the intersection of County Road 48 and Depot Lane in Cutchogue on July 18, 2015 — gathered at the entrance to Smithtown High School, where the girls were graduates.

The street was named LABS Lane in 2018 to honor Lauren, Amy, Brittney and Stephanie.

At the news event, the parents tied ribbons for their girls and held their photographs close. Bob Sullivan, the Cutchogue-based attorney for the four young women, unveiled ambulance records that he said indicated there was a new witness at the scene of the crash — Michelle Canberg of Mattituck.

An ambulance report written by Janet Aeur of the Southold Fire Department and obtained by Patch said Canberg indicated she was in the front passenger seat of the pickup that "impacted the limo." Canberg was not hurt and refused medical treatment, the report said. She was not taken to a hospital.

While Aeur told Patch she couldn't comment, Canberg denied she was in the pickup. She spoke with Patch about what she said really happened that day.

Speaking Thursday, Sullivan, the attorney, questioned why Canberg's name did not appear on the Southold police report after the crash.

"For some reason, this was covered up," he said. "Since when do police hide the existence of a witness? If you believe she was in that pickup truck, and I do believe she was, wouldn't she have had a clear view of what happened? It would have been nice to have her testify as to what happened — but she didn't."

"The town categorically denies that there was any cover up," Southold Town Attorney Bill Duffy said.

Duffy also said, when asked why Canberg's name was not on the police report but appeared on an ambulance report, he could not speak to the contents of a report created by a different agency.

"Based on the investigation of the assigned detective, the town does not believe that there was any passenger in Mr. Romeo’s vehicle," he said.

The limo had just left Vineyard 48 at the time of the crash; residents crying out for change said the limos leaving the winery at the time were too large for the U-turns they made Depot Lane in order to head west on Route 48.

Sullivan also brought a copy of an email written by Bill Shipman to officials in 2012, who came before the Southold town board numerous times before the crash, warning of the dangers of the road configuration at Vineyard 48, now closed.

"He predicted this accident," Sullivan said. "They knew it was a dangerous situation, it was just a question of time. They never did a thing."

Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell responded to a request for comment:

"All complaints I receive regarding County Road 48 are forwarded to Suffolk County, which owns the road. The town has no legal authority implement any measures there. In addition, we have sent requests to the county since 1998 to address safety at that intersection," he said.

In response to Sullivan, Russell said: "Here's my answer to that: Shame on Suffolk County for not fixing it and shame on Scott Russell. After three years, if the county doesn't fix it, why don't you pick up the phone and make a call? If he had done that maybe the girls would still be alive."

Due to pending litigation, Duffy said he could not comment except to agree that the town has asked the county since 1998, to study that intersection "based on complaints and concerns of town residents."

Southold Town Police Chief Martin Flatley said the matter is in litigation and he could not respond.

After the Cutchogue crash, the parents of the young women have been unified in their cry for a green turning arrow at the Depot Lane traffic signal, despite the fact that Suffolk County has not yet installed one — and have told Patch that there are no plans to do so.

Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone did not initially respond to a request for comment about the crash.

Sullivan, who said there is still a lawsuit pending against both the town and county, once again mentioned Canberg.

"No one is saying she had anything to do with what caused the accident," he said. "It's just unsettling when police keep something a secret for three years."

For years, the parents of the girls who died in the crash advocated for limo reform legislation, which still needs to be passed by the Senate, Sullivan said.

Sullivan also questioned why the Suffolk County's and Southold Town's insurance companies "have not offered a penny. They didn't do their jobs before the accident and they should step up and accept responsibility."

Thursday's press conference, Sullivan said, was a "wake-up call."

"Do the right thing," he said.

New "Witness" Speaks Out

In a phone interview with Patch on Thursday night, Canberg shared her side of what took place the day of the crash. She said she came upon the crash as she was driving to work at her second job with her daughter. Both worked at the now-closed Deep Water Grille in Greenport.

"I was just somebody that stopped, nothing more," she said. "I don't know Steve Romeo."

The flood of news after the media event Thursday, she maintained, misrepresented what she said and what happened.

"It makes people not want to stop and do the right thing," she said.

Canberg, whose primary job is in the medical field, said she has a medical background and thought she would be able to help.

Shaken, Canberg said she did not want to discuss the details of what she saw in the front of the limo.

"My concern was the girls in the back. I saw the extent of their injuries," she said. "Anyone in the medical field knows you don't move those girls. I talked to them. They were scared, calling for their moms."

Canberg called 911 and another man pulled up and helped keep traffic moving. Concerned about her daughter, Canberg said her car was driven across the street; she didn't want her daughter to see what was unfolding. The husband of someone she knew from school offered to get her daughter to work in Canberg's car, she said. "That's how my car left," she said.

Canberg, she said, stayed at the scene to give a statement. Speaking of the media frenzy following Thursday's news conference, she said: "To say the least, this is killing me."

Canberg remembers a scorching July day. When Aeur took her vitals, Canberg remembers her asking if she was in the pickup.

"I told her, 'I'm not even supposed to be here,'" she said, adding that other media had taken her statement "out of context." What she meant, she clarified, was that she wasn't even supposed to be seen by an emergency medical technician — she wasn't hurt.

"I wasn't the one in the accident," she said. "I don't even know Steve Romeo. I've never met him."

Bewildered by the backlash on social media, Canberg said she has the love of her husband, parents, children and longtime friends to support her. But still, comments were filled with vitriol.

"It's so wrong," she said. "It's disgusting. This whole thing is just insanity. This whole thing has been misconstrued, people saying this is a 'cover up.'"

Canberg never "befriended" the surviving young woman, as some wrote. She helped organize a meeting with the EMTs for the girls after the crash so they could express their thanks and their parents have met at her house. She was invited to the wedding of one of the young women. She keeps a framed photos of the young women taken at the winery before the crash, a photo given to her by their families, on her nightstand.

"This is what's killing me," she said. "I hold them in the highest regard."

She added: "Who would 'befriend' the girls if the whole time, they'd been in that truck? It's just nuts."

Canberg also said it's possible Aeur "misheard" her.

After giving her statement, Canberg said she went to work, and eventually went home. "It was horrible," she said.

For two years, Canberg said, she was unable to sleep, the images of that day ingrained in her mind. She could no longer drive on Rt. 48 to work because she couldn't bear to pass the crash site. When her son was in a wedding party, "I wouldn't let him get in the limo," she said.

Canberg said she didn't respond to a subpoena to give her statement because she didn't realize she had to go back. She had already given her statement and didn't realize she needed to do so again. Now, she is forced to relive a day that caused lasting grief.

"People are accusing me of having different stories," she said. "I have one story. If some of if it is falling out of my mind at this point it's because I want it to. I don't want to remember. I don't want to relive it. And at this point, I shouldn't have to."

Three of the women died at the crash site and another died at a hospital. Four other women in the limo were hospitalized: Alicia Arundel, 23, of Setauket; Melissa Crai, 23, of Scarsdale; Joelle Dimonte, 25, of Elwood; and Olga Lipets, 24, of Brooklyn.

The driver of the limo, Carlos Pino, 58, of Bethpage, was also hurt in the crash. The driver of the pickup truck, 55-year-old Steve Romeo, of Southold, pleaded guilty to driving while ability impaired by alcohol, a traffic infraction, in 2017. The limo driver, Carlos Pino, was charged with criminally negligent homicide, failure to yield the right of way and other charges in an indictment last year but Justice Fernando Camacho dismissed the indictment.

Advocating For Change

Last year, the family, friends and loved ones of the four young women killed in the 2015 limo crash met at LABS Lane, located at Smithtown High School West, to advocate and support the proposed bill for the safety of limousines.

"A day in which eight women decided to be safe and take what was supposed to be safe and reliable transportation, turned into the complete opposite. . . Eight women went to the wineries for a fun, exciting day, and only four came home . . . only to begin what will be the toughest journey of their lives," a petition written by the parents said.

Each of the four families who lost their daughters chose to honor them by giving yearly scholarships to worthy students.

"You see these eight beautiful babies? The way I'm leaving them with you, I want them back."

Those were the heartbreaking words Felicia Baruch uttered to the limo driver before the North Fork limo crash. The words were revealed as part of a 156-page New York Supreme Court Suffolk County Special Grand Jury Report released in Dec. 2016, with recommendations discussed at a press conference.

At the time, then-Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota prophetically said something needed to be done so that an similar tragedy would never happen again. "There's nothing but a fine line between a stretch limousine and a hearse," he said.