Thousands Gather At Vigil To Mourn Limousine Crash Victims: The Pain Is 'Unbearable And Unending

2024 Author: Steven Freeman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 08:15

More than 2,000 people gathered on Monday night at a park in Amsterdam, New York, to honor the 20 victims of a deadly limousine crash as authorities turn their attention to the driver and the company that rented the vehicle, reports say.

Family, friends and local residents prayed, shed tears and held candles at the riverside park as they remembered the victims of what is considered the country's deadliest transportation accident in nearly a decade, Good Morning America reported.

New York State Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara said the pain of the “horrific” incident has been “unbearable and unending.”

“Tonight we saw the strength of our Amsterdam community once again - thousands came together to honor, remember their lives and support their families,” Santabarbara wrote in a tweet on Monday.

There were 18 people riding in a 2011 Ford Excursion limousine around 1:55 pm local time on Saturday in Schoharie when the vehicle failed to stop at an intersection, causing it to collide with a parked 2015 Toyota Highlander and ultimately fall into a ravine, according to the Daily Gazette.

Everyone in the limousine died and two nearby pedestrians were struck and killed, authorities have said. Gov. Andrew Cuomo told reporters on Monday that the limousine involved recently failed an inspection - and the driver was not properly licensed to operate the vehicle.

The group was reportedly on their way to a birthday party for Amy Steenburg - who also died in the crash, a relative told NBC News. Many of the passengers were related, friends, or in romantic relationships.

In the wake of the incident, Justin Cushing, spoke of the pain of losing several people who were close to him, including his brother, Patrick Cushing, his cousin Erin McGowan, his best friend Adam Jackson, and Jackson's wife, Abby Jackson.

Patrick was such a passionate and good-hearted person. He had such empathy and kindness,”Justin previously told PEOPLE of his brother. "He loved, hugged and cried with his friends and family like their problems were his," I explains. "[He] celebrated with those same family and friends like our successes were his personal goals."

Adam and Abby Jackson with children Archer (bottom left) and Ellie

Patrick died in the limo alongside his girlfriend, Amanda Halse. They had been dating for two years and Justin told PEOPLE that Patrick loved Halse very much. Now, as authorities are looking for answers in the incident, Halse's mother, Martina Wieblitz Halse, has said she's desperate to know about her daughter's final moments.

"I don't even know what injuries she had," Martina told PEOPLE of her 26-year-old daughter. "They told me that they took her out of the limousine and put her in an ambulance to go to the hospital and she still had a heartbeat."

“It's terrible. I lost my baby,”the grieving mother added. I last saw her the week before on a Saturday. There's nothing, nothing worse than this.”