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4 Bridesmaids Killed After Drunk Pick-Up Truck Driver Hits Party Limousine

By Lindsay McCane
Published on: 05:11 PST, Jul 19, 2015

Four bridesmaids have died after a pick-up truck crashed into their party limousine during the bride-to-be’s bachelorette party on Saturday night.

According to KRON 4, the deadly crash occurred after they left a winery called Vineyard 48 on eastern Long Island. The limo was making a U-turn at a blinking traffic signal to head west, when the pick-up side swiped them, almost cutting the limo in half. The accident occurred along Route 48 around 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 18, in Cutchogue on Long Island’s North Fork.

Southold Police Chief Martin Flatley said the driver of the truck had pressed his brakes, but was not able to stop in time. He described the accident one of the worst he has ever seen.

“He [the pickup driver] hit the brakes right before and he broadsided the limo right on the passenger side,” Flatley said. “This is one of the worst accidents I’ve ever seen.”

Four bridesmaids were killed, and a fifth woman, the bride-to-be, was seriously injured. Three of the bridesmaids, whose names have not yet been released, died on impact, while the fourth was pronounced dead shortly after at the Taconic Bay Hospital. Another woman in the limo has also been listed as being in serious condition at the Peconic Bay Medical Center, according to CBS New York. The limo driver was also injured, but is expected to survive.

The driver of the pick-up truck, Steve Romeo, 54, was drunk at the time, and fled the scene of the accident. However, he was later found and arrested. He was then taken to Eastern Long Island Hospital in Greenport to be treated for lacerations on his face, where he was under police guard at all times. He is expected to be charged with driving while intoxicated.

A driver passing by, Ted Webb, 76, of Orient, witnessed the accident. He immediately jumped out of the car to check on the victims and dialed 911, according to Newsday.

“They looked like they were in a state of shock. They weren’t screaming or shouting,” he said. “They’re sitting in the back and they saw what happened directly in front of them.”

Wedd said he didn’t see anyone in the middle seat of the limo, “But I realize now, [that was] because the front end of the pickup truck was embedded into the limo.”

“They had to die instantly. There was no noise. No screaming, no shouting,” Webb added.

So far, there is no word as to whether or not Romeo will face charges for the women’s deaths.

[Photo via Shutterstock]

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