The deadline for the final report from the panel investigating the 2018 limousine crash in Schoharie that killed 20 people has been extended until October 1.
The task force was to have released its report last November, but Governor Kathy Hochul signed a bill extending the deadline, saying “we owe it to the families of those who were lost in the Schoharie tragedy to make real change that will prevent anything like it ever happening again. The best way to honor the memory of the victims is to act with urgency in getting answers as to what caused the crash in 2018. I am signing this legislation to ensure the critical mission of the Task Force is no longer delayed and the appointees have a deadline they can work toward in earnest.”
Related: Task force says 2018 Schoharie limo crash preventable, if operator had followed law
The 11-member task force was formed in 2020, but has done little work since. The task force has met twice this year and will hold its next meeting Friday.
In 2018, a stretch limo crashed after running through the intersection of Routes 30 and 30A in Schoharie, killing two pedestrians and everyone in the limo. One of those killed in the crash was 46-year-old Brian Hough of Moravia, an Associate Professor at SUNY Oswego, and his father-in-law, 70 year old James Schnurr of Ulster County. They were standing in the parking lot of the Apple Barrel County Store when the limo ran through the intersection, struck them and wound up in a ditch.
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The owner of the limo, Nauman Hussein, was arrested and charged with negligent homicide. He accepted a plea deal in 2021 that allowed him to avoid jail time.
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