The deadliest U.S. transportation disaster since 2009, killing 20 people and exposing severe gaps in limousine safety regulation.
Key Facts
- Total deaths
- 20
- Passengers killed
- 17
- Pedestrians killed
- 2
- Vehicle seat certification
- 10 seats certified, 18 installed
- Operator convicted on
- 20 counts each of negligent homicide and manslaughter
- Date of crash
- October 6, 2018
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The limousine had failed two state inspections due to mechanical deficiencies including deficient brakes, was ordered out of service, and had brake repairs allegedly made inadequately with falsified records. The vehicle held 18 seats despite certification for only 10, and the driver lacked the required license endorsement for carrying 15 or more passengers. Operator Nauman Hussain was aware of these violations yet continued renting the vehicle.
On October 6, 2018, a stretch limousine carrying 17 passengers and a driver crashed at the junction of New York State Routes 30 and 30A near Schoharie. The vehicle struck two pedestrians in a nearby parking lot. All 17 passengers, the driver, and both pedestrians were killed, totaling 20 deaths. The group had been traveling to celebrate a birthday at Brewery Ommegang near Cooperstown.
Operator Nauman Hussain was arrested, indicted, and ultimately convicted in May 2023 on 20 counts each of criminally negligent homicide and second-degree manslaughter. The NTSB issued an interim report in 2019 questioning the adequacy of limousine safety regulations and urging greater seat belt use. Victims' families filed civil lawsuits against multiple parties, including the operator, the state, a repair shop, and others.