A former limousine operator in the north of the state avoided jail in connection with the catastrophic 2018 crash that left 20 birthday partygoers dead, after authorities found the disaster was a direct result of the negligence of the vehicle and terrible brakes.
Nauman Hussain, 31, a former Limousine Prestige operator, pleaded guilty Thursday to 20 counts of felony manslaughter for the Schoharie, New York tragedy. He was sentenced to five years probation and 1,000 hours of community service.
At the sentencing, which was held in an institute gymnasium to accommodate spectators under COVID-19 measures, the victims’ family and friends punished the former limousine driver.
“My son, my baby, died in a limousine while trying to be safe,” said Beth Muldoon, the mother of 34-year-old Adam Jackson, who died alongside his wife, Abigail King Jackson.
The couple, who left two small children behind, had jumped into the limousine with the large group to avoid drinking and driving.
“Every day I try to wrap my head in this impossible situation,” said Sheila McGarvey, the son of 30-year-old Shane McGowan, and his wife, Erin, who died.
Hussain had been charged with 20 counts of felony manslaughter and second-degree homicide, but made a deal to avoid a lengthy and emotional trial. Inspectors had served Hussain with “multiple notifications of violations” before the disaster, prosecutors said.
The limousine, rented by Amsterdam resident Axel Steenburg to celebrate his wife Amy’s 30th birthday with family and friends in Cooperstown, went down a hill at 100 mph after the driver lost control. . Passengers were not wearing seat belts, which were under the benches of the limousine and were invisible to them.
Seventeen partygoers died, along with the driver and two passers-by. It was the deadliest transportation accident in the United States in a decade and inspired a 2020 limousine safety bill in Albany.
With publishing cables