Newlyweds among 20 dead in stretch limo smash

A BRIDE and groom were among 20 people to die when a wedding limousine careered out of control and smashed into a crowd.

Erin Vertucci and Shane McGowan, both in their 30s, were inside the stretch vehicle that sped down a hill before crashing outside a shop. Two pedestrians died along with 18 in the car.

Witnesses to Saturday’s tragedy in Scho- harie, 170 miles north of New York, said bodies could be seen on the ground outside the Apple Barrel Country Store.

Anthony Vertucci, Erin’s father, shared photos of his daughter’s wedding day in a heartbreaking tribute.

He wrote: ‘My heart has stopped. Unspeakable tragedy that I can’t comprehend and will never come to terms with.

‘I just wanted all of you to see pictures of Erin and Shane, these two beautiful and amazing people, on the best and happiest days of their lives.’

State police say the 2001 Ford Excursion limousine ploughed into an unoccupied sport-utility vehicle in a car park across from a T junction. The limo was doing ‘probably over 60 mph’, according to Jessica Kirby, who runs the country store.

Town hall chief Alan Tavenner said: ‘There have been tractor trailers that have come barrelling down that hill and it was a miracle they didn’t kill somebody.’

He said improvements to the junction seven years ago made little difference.