After 2 Horrific NY Limo Crashes, Hochul Moves Safety Reform Forward

NORTH FORK, NY — After two horrific limo crashes in Cutchogue and Schoharie left families reeling with loss, Governor Kathy Hochul announced action Thursday to keep passengers safe moving forward.

Four girls died in the Cutchogue crash and four others were gravely injured; 18 died inside the limo and two pedestrians were killed in the Schoharie crash.

Hochul discussed a legislative proposal that will significantly improve safety within the limousine industry and increase transparency for passengers, she said.

The reforms were recommended by the Stretch Limousine Passenger Safety Task Force, and require statutory changes.

"The safety of all New Yorkers is my top priority, and I have listened to and heard the families who lost loved ones and know that more can and must be done," Hochul said. "I am grateful to the families and advocates for all their hard work as part of the Stretch Limousine Passenger Safety Task Force. No other family should have to suffer as they have. Building on the actions that my administration has taken to protect New Yorkers, this legislation will provide even more oversight and transparency to the limousine industry and keep New Yorkers safe."

The Passenger Safety Task Force was originally established in 2020 along with more than 20 statutory reforms as a response to the tragic limousine crashes in Cutchogue and Schoharie, Hochul said.

In the fall of 2022, the Task Force released its report, including recommendations that require both administrative and legislative changes.

The Department of Transportation and Department of Motor Vehicles have made significant progress administratively, Hochul said, including overhauling the vehicle registration and change of ownership process, increasing the number of reviews of limousines, increasing the level of coordination between states, and increasing enforcement actions against those who fraudulently register and operate limousines.

According to Hochul, the Stretch Limousine Passenger Safety Act will address the legislative recommendations of the task force, including:

• Requiring a minimum $10,000 fine for operating a suspended stretch limousine, and authorizing the Department of Transportation to collaborate with law enforcement to seize license plates of offenders driving passenger vehicles subject to their jurisdiction.
• Requiring that stretch limousines be equipped with enhanced safety features including window break tools, fire extinguishers, improved emergency egress, and roll-over protection.
• Prohibiting the operation of a stretch limousine that is more than 10 years old or has milage exceeding 350,000 miles, whichever occurs first.
• Improving data availability on limousine operators.
• Mandating that all stretch limousine passengers be given a pre-trip safety briefing.

New York State Department of Motor Vehicles Commissioner and co-chair of the Stretch Limousine Passenger Safety Task Force Mark J.F. Schroeder reflected: "We have an unwavering commitment to prevent another tragedy like those that led to the formation of the task force, and I commend Governor Hochul for taking action to advance the task force’s recommendations that will build on the work we have done to further protect New Yorkers. Thanks to the Governor’s leadership and the ongoing collaboration of the DMV and DOT, we have been able to get dangerous vehicles off the road and this bill will enable us to do more to ensure the safety of everyone who uses or encounters a stretched limo on our roads."

Mom Nancy DiMonte, who served on the task force and whose daughter Joelle was badly injured in the crash, while the changes are positive, more work needs to be done.

"While the task force has done its due diligence, the members of the task force, the New York State legislature, and many citizens firmly believe that this task force and the extension of it, is essential for the safety of New Yorkers when hiring a vehicle for transport," she said. "The roads in the state and on Long Island are substandard and the for-hire industry needs strict guidelines and adherence of those put forth. The task force was implemented to improve conditions in these vehicles, thereby preventing further injuries and fatalities. Safer vehicles further help ensure the navigation of the roads."

The families of the girls who died and the survivors who were injured in the 2o15 Cutchogue limo crash have received a $6.1 million settlement, — but according to those left behind, no financial compensation can ever ease the ache of grief that still hangs heavy over all their lives.

"Money can never make up for this tragic loss," DiMonte told Patch. "It has been a long road and we have not recovered emotionally. Some still suffer physically, some with PTSD, and we still need to know why this happened. Roads are unsafe and not on the radar, as they should be."

Despite the financial settlement, DiMonte said: "I am still upset that we never learned about why this happened. Recovery from this senseless tragedy is not going to come easy. It's been uphill for too long."

The limousine, driven by Carlos Pino and owned by Ultimate Class Limousine, Inc., was transporting the eight young women touring local wineries on July 18, 2015, then-DA Tom Spota said; at approximately 5:11 p.m, the limo, while making a U-turn at the intersection of Route 48 and Depot Lane in Cutchogue, was broadsided by a pickup truck driven by Steven Romeo.

Romeo pleaded guilty to driving while ability impaired by alcohol, a traffic infraction, in 2017. The limo driver, Carlos Pino, 58, of Bethpage, was charged with criminally negligent homicide, failure to yield the right of way and other charges in an indictment but Justice Fernando Camacho dismissed the indictment.

The eight girls had just left Vineyard 48 when the horrific crash took place. 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.

Families have asked why Hochul has not yet signed the Grieving Families Act bill — which would bring equity to those who have lost loved ones in wrongful death cases — the families whose girls survived the crash actually received more in the settlement than the families of the girls who died.

Paul Shulman, who lost his daughter Brittney in the crash, also spoke with Patch. "It's been eight-and-a-half years, and we have no accountability, we have no answers."

Of the settlement, he said: "No amount of money could ever satisfy us, or bring any of them back."

He added that road safety in Suffolk County remains of critical concern.

And he, too, said he wished "the person that sits in the highest position" in New York State would sign the Grieving Families Act so that those who've lost loved ones to wrongful death could see equity

For all who survived the unthinkable, safety is an issue they are striving tirelessly to spotlight.

DiMonte has spoken with Patch in past months about concerns voiced by the parents. With marijuana dispensaries looming in the future on Long Island, DiMonte said there are not enough regulations in place to prevent tragedy.

And, with the fall harvest season, there are many heading east with limousines playing a central part in the festivities.

"It's been eight years now, and on behalf of the eight families, we want to remind people that safety is the utmost concern," DiMonte said. "We're just very focused on making sure this does not happen to anyone else. We weren't the first— and we're not going to be the last."

Although safety reforms were embraced last year, something for which the families are grateful, there is more needed, DiMonte said.

There is still no green turning arrow at County Road 48 and Depot Lane, where the crash took place, she reminded.

Suffolk County, which has jurisdiction over the roadway, has not implemented that change. "The families agree there should be a green turning arrow," DiMonte said. "It's a very busy road."

Traffic on the North Fork has increased dramatically since the pandemic, DiMonte noted — sparking even greater concerns in times of heavy traffic.

"Nothing's changed," she said. "We want people to have a good time, but they have to be very careful, aware of their surroundings."

DiMonte also urged Hochul to sign the Grieving Families Act.

"We’re very disappointed," that Hochul hasn't yet signed the bill into law, DiMonte said, adding that New York is only one of three states in the nation not to have legislation signed into law.

The memories echo.

"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 limo driver Carlos Pino before the Cutchogue crash.

The words were revealed as part of a 156-page New York Supreme Court Suffolk County Special Grand Jury Report in 2016, with recommendations discussed at a press conference convened by then-Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota.