Women Killed: Limo Crash Leaves Four Women Dead, Drunk Driver Facing Serious Charges
Four women were killed in a limo crash in Long Island over the weekend.
According to the New York Times, eight women in their mid-twenties hit the town, went to a wine tasting on a vineyard, and then got into a rented limo to head to their next location. Sadly, the group of friends didn’t make it very far.
“A red pickup truck, hurtling along Route 48, collided with the broadside of the car, nearly ripping it in half. Four of the women died — three almost instantly from the impact, another a short time later at a hospital — and two more were critically injured.”
The women killed in the limo crash were all bridesmaids in an upcoming wedding. The bride-to-be was also in the car, and was injured. As previously reported by the Inquisitr, the deceased (pictured above) have been identified as Brittany M. Schulman, 23, Lauren Baruch, 24, Stephanie Belli, 23, and Amy R. Grabina, 23.
Joelle M. Dimonte, 25, Melissa Angela Crai, 23, Alicia Arundel, 24, and Olga Lipets, 24, along with, the limo driver Carlos Pino, 58, were all injured in the crash. Early reports indicated that the women were celebrating the bride’s bachelorette party, but it was later reported that they were actually out celebrating someone’s birthday.
4 women returning from bachelorette party killed in limo crash http://t.co/GHv4kPaiwG pic.twitter.com/TQgD5HcB79
— CBC News (@CBCNews) July 19, 2015
Steven Romeo, 55, of Southold, New York, has been charged with driving while intoxicated. Romeo allegedly fled the scene of the accident on foot, but was later found by police. He was taken to a hospital to be treated for injuries he sustained in the crash.
Elizabeth Miller, an assistant district attorney in Suffolk County, says that Romeo’s misdemeanor charge could be upgraded.
“Right now, we’re continuing the investigation and looking into upgrading the charges significantly,” said Ms. Miller. Romeo’s blood-alcohol level was not made public. After being arraigned in the hospital, Romeo pleaded “not guilty.” He is being held on $500,000 cash or $1 million bond.
The women killed in the limo crash were “doing the right thing,” said Arundel’s stepdad via the New York Daily News. The women didn’t want to have to worry about driving after going out drinking, so they rented a limo. A man far less considerate caused this crash, and cost four women their lives.
“When are people going to stop drinking and driving? When are people going to get it?” asked a neighbor of the Arundel family, Katherine Askinazi.
Mr. Romeo is currently being sued for another accident that cost someone their life.
“On Jan. 23, 2014, [Romeo] was operating a skid-steer loader when its bucket fell off, striking an employee of his company and killing him. A lawsuit stemming from the death of the worker, Andrew Leone, is ongoing.”
[Photo via CBS New York / Twitter]
