Prosecutors Block NTSB from Inspecting Limo in Deadly New York Crash

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — More than three months after 20 people died in a stretch limousine crash in rural upstate New York, federal safety investigators have yet to get their hands on the most crucial piece of evidence: the wrecked vehicle itself. The National Transportation Safety Board says it has been blocked from getting within 15 feet (4.5 meters) of the limo involved in the nation's deadliest transportation accident in nearly a decade because local prosecutors say they have priority as part of their criminal case against the limo company's operator. Most major NTSB probes would have produced a preliminary report by this point, potentially resulting in key safety recommendations. But for now, the battered white limo involved in the Oct. 6 crash in Schoharie County sits beneath a state police tent near Albany while the NTSB seeks a judge's intervention to gain access. In increasingly exasperated exchanges, NTSB lawyer Kathleen Silbaugh complained that the local prosecutor has refused to even discuss the federal board's jurisdiction in this matter and even hung up on a recent phone call when the issue came up. Silbaugh also expressed concern that the prolonged delay may have already caused "safety-critical" evidence to be lost. The NTSB said in a statement that if a deal can be worked out, it will immediately send two investigators for a limited time to do "targeted work permissible" under the partial government shutdown. "It's unfortunate," sai...
Source: JEMS: Journal of Emergency Medical Services News - Category: Emergency Medicine Tags: Major Incidents News Mass Casualty Incidents Source Type: news