CUTCHOGUE, N.Y. -- Police say an intoxicated driver was arrested after his pickup up truck slammed into a limo, causing a crash that killed four women and seriously injured two others on the eastern end of Long Island Saturday evening.
The crash happened around 6 p.m. in Cutchogue on the North Fork of Long Island, reports CBS New York.
The limo driver, and seven women who were part of a bachelorette party, were in the limo which had just left a local Winery.
Officials said the limo was heading eastbound on Route 48 when it attempted to make a U-turn westbound. The truck then apparently t-boned the limo.
Three woman died on impact and another woman died a short time later at Taconic Bay Hospital. All were bridesmaids, CBS New York reports.
The police chief said it was one of the worst accidents he has ever seen. The crash was so violent, it nearly cut the limo in half.
Two of the other women, including the bride, are in critical condition. The limo driver is expected to survive, officials said.
The driver of the truck was transported to the hospital for lacerations on his face. Police tell Hall the driver was arrested for driving while intoxicated. His identity has not been released.
The identities of the victims have not been released, but the four women who died were from the New York City area.
Neighbor Diana was on the scene shortly after the crash.
"It's so sad because I heard that the girls in the limousine may have been around for the bachelorette party so you know something like that happening .. It's insane," Diana said.
Post by karinothing on Jul 19, 2015 10:28:17 GMT -5
Ugh, that is horrible. I am glad the driver was caught. How very very sad.
I bet the limo driver is much better off since he likely had a seatbelt. Is it even possible to have seatbelts in limos? As in are they actually there? It just makes me nervous!
I cannot recall ever seeing seatbelts in a limo but no doubt they would help in an accident. It sounds like the limo driver is at fault for making a U-turn? Unclear but still sounds like the other driver was hauling to cause that kind of damage.
Ugh, that is horrible. I am glad the driver was caught. How very very sad.
I bet the limo driver is much better off since he likely had a seatbelt. Is it even possible to have seatbelts in limos? As in are they actually there? It just makes me nervous!
The last limo I was in (August '14 for a bachelorette party) totally had seatbelts & the driver told us to fasten them.
This is sadly similar to the crash on Long Island some years ago where a drunk driver plowed into a limo leaving a wedding and killed the limo driver and a little girl. There are some extremely disturbing details of this story that still haunt me, so be warned before you read:
I cannot recall ever seeing seatbelts in a limo but no doubt they would help in an accident. It sounds like the limo driver is at fault for making a U-turn? Unclear but still sounds like the other driver was hauling to cause that kind of damage.
There are seatbelts in a limo - unfortuately, it was the seatbelt that actually caused the death of the little girl in the link I posted.
This is sadly similar to the crash on Long Island some years ago where a drunk driver plowed into a limo leaving a wedding and killed the limo driver and a little girl. There are details of this story that still haunt me, so be warned before you read:
This is sadly similar to the crash on Long Island some years ago where a drunk driver plowed into a limo leaving a wedding and killed the limo driver and a little girl. There are some extremely disturbing details of this story that still haunt me, so be warned before you read:
I remember seeing this story on Oprah... Definitely one that has stuck with me for years
ETA- my takeaway all these years is me freaking out about my kids proper seat belt use and position at all times because of visual I got from this story
Horrifying. The dad in that older article says the good times are over. I know you never get over that kind of loss, but I sincerely hope that family has found some measure of peace in the last ten years.
This is sadly similar to the crash on Long Island some years ago where a drunk driver plowed into a limo leaving a wedding and killed the limo driver and a little girl. There are some extremely disturbing details of this story that still haunt me, so be warned before you read:
What got me, in addition the obvious tragedy, was that it took the jury 5 days to deliberate. Why? The statement in there that people don't think of drunk driving as murder really get to me. It may not be premeditated, but no one can claim they don't know that drinking and driving will kill. You can pretend it's not going to be you, but that's no excuse.
This is sadly similar to the crash on Long Island some years ago where a drunk driver plowed into a limo leaving a wedding and killed the limo driver and a little girl. There are some extremely disturbing details of this story that still haunt me, so be warned before you read:
Post by penguingrrl on Jul 19, 2015 16:14:25 GMT -5
How sad and scary. And downright odd that it was another wedding-related limo crash on LI. The odds of that seem minuscule.
How tragic also that clearly the women in the bridal party had the sense to hire a limo so they wouldn't drive after presumably drinking at the winery and were killed by a drunk driver anyway.
I have family from Cutchogue and how high the speed was likely scares me (most are 30 or less). A lot of wineries, tight roads, blind entrances. Awful. So awful.
What got me, in addition the obvious tragedy, was that it took the jury 5 days to deliberate. Why? The statement in there that people don't think of drunk driving as murder really get to me. It may not be premeditated, but no one can claim they don't know that drinking and driving will kill. You can pretend it's not going to be you, but that's no excuse.
I think driving after drinking is premeditated...drunk or not. You know it can impair your abilities and so many do it anyway. That story is awful. So awful.
What got me, in addition the obvious tragedy, was that it took the jury 5 days to deliberate. Why? The statement in there that people don't think of drunk driving as murder really get to me. It may not be premeditated, but no one can claim they don't know that drinking and driving will kill. You can pretend it's not going to be you, but that's no excuse.
I think driving after drinking is premeditated...drunk or not. You know it can impair your abilities and so many do it anyway. That story is awful. So awful.
It's tough though, because drinking impairs your ability to judge whether or not you're making a bad decision. You choose to drink, of course, but the choice to drive comes when you're in a state when you may not even be capable of making decisions. It's not a justification but it is an explanation.
I think one of the biggest problems is with the way we see driving overall. We view it as a casual, NBD thing to do when in fact it is a very dangerous thing to do even when you're fully sober and alert- you're operating a two-ton piece of metal moving at 70 miles per hour in close proximity to other machines as well as pedestrians and cyclists and more. We need to start treating it as a serious and dangerous task that requires full attention, which means it's not OK to do it when you've been drinking, when you're very sleepy, when you're texting, distracted, etc. Not only should people feel like "oh yeah I shouldn't do that" - it should scare the shit out of them to think of doing it. It should be terrifying because it *is*.
And of course, it would be hugely helpful if there were more alternatives available for people who are out drinking then suddenly realize they're not OK to drive but have no other way to get home.
Oh my goodness. That is so awful. I remember reading about the previous accident on Long Island (the article someone else posted). I can't imagine losing so many close friends on what was to be a celebratory occasion. So awful.
This is sadly similar to the crash on Long Island some years ago where a drunk driver plowed into a limo leaving a wedding and killed the limo driver and a little girl. There are some extremely disturbing details of this story that still haunt me, so be warned before you read:
Post by CallingAllAngels on Jul 19, 2015 22:06:18 GMT -5
I also saw the Oprah episode years ago with the mother from the linked story. I will never forget it, and I am a little bit crazy about making sure my kids are properly buckled in seatbelts/car seats because of it.