FATAL LIMO CRASH SPOTLIGHTS SAFETY
Horrific N.Y. crash raises concerns over Connecticut’s regulations
DANBURY — Like many limousine operators in the area, Ray Cesarski said the safety of the customers is his top priority.
“We are always keeping up to date on the maintenance for our vehicles and the latest in safety features,” said Cesarski, the owner of Ultimate Limousine Services in Danbury. “If a driver isn’t comfortable driving a car we don’t let them go out. The tragedy in New York should have never happened.”
Potential customers calling Ultimate Limo — and other limousine services — have been asking questions about safety measures in response to the deadly crash in upstate New York last week that killed 20 people. That accident involved a remanufactured stretch Ford Excursion.
The crash has sounded warning bells in the heads of brides and grooms, planners for parties and receptions, parents preparing for proms and lawmakers like State. Sen. Toni Boucher, RWilton, who sits on the General Assembly’s Transportation committee.
“That crash has left questions about the vehicle and the driver,” said Boucher. “We need to determine if our laws are well-written as to the qualifications of drivers and the inspection of these vehicles.”
Cesarski said a lot of customers have been “asking questions about our maintenance schedule, the kind of records we keep and how experienced our drivers are,” said Shannon Howley, Ultimate’s office manager. “We have a great record, so we aren’t overly concerned, but it’s good that customers are starting to ask these kind of questions.”
Cesarski, who began his career driving ambulances before starting the limo service 17 years ago, said the type of vehicle involved in the New York crash isn’t allowed in the state.
“If a driver isn’t comfortable driving a car we don’t let them go out. The tragedy in New York should have never happened.” Ray Cesarski, owner of Ultimate Limousine
Operators in Connecticut are only allowed to use stretch limousines that are certified by the factory.
“In New York anyone could stretch a Hummer or just about any other vehicle and make it into a limo,” Cesarski said. “But not in Connecticut. It has to to be certified by the manufacturer. Connecticut has some of the strictest limousine regulations in the state.”
State regs
In Connecticut, limousine services using vehicles carrying less than eight passengers are only required to be inspected once by the Department of Transportation and that’s when they are applying for a license.
“If they don’t pass inspection, they are not licensed,” said Kevin Nursick, a DOT spokesman. “They have to pass before they can do business.”
He said the majority of vehicles inspected are “sedans and SUVs, not stretch limousines.”
Sedans operating under services like Uber and Lyft are not inspected at all, he said. And that’s an issue Boucher said the legislature’s Transportation committee needs to look at.
Any vehicles carrying more than eight passengers must be inspected every six months by the Department of Motor Vehicles.
DOT’s requirements only extend to those vehicles garaged in Connecticut and transporting individuals within the state. Additional requirements for commercial motor vehicles traveling into and out of Connecticut fall under the regulations of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
Cesarski said the DOT does surprise inspections.
“On occasion you’ll see these sting operations that they do on prom nights,” he said. “They’ll do right to the schools and conduct inspections to make sure the limos are safe.”
When inspectors come to the office, Cesarski said all of their records are ready. The company keeps records of each vehicle, the services that have been performed, the amount of passengers being transported and detailed records on drivers including their license information and health certificate.
“The inspectors in the state really do a great job,” Howley said.
N.Y. investigation
Federal and state investigators in New York are still attempting to determine the cause of the crash. Published reports said the 2001 Excursion, modified into a stretch limousine, ran a stop sign, struck a parked sports utility vehicle and then rolled down an embankment. The 17 passengers and driver were killed along with two pedestrians.
The vehicle is owned by Prestige Limousine Chauffeur Service, which had previously been cited for various safety concerns.
But there is more to the story surrounding the company. Its founder, Shahed Hussain, a Pakistani national, was convicted of fraud while working as a translator for the DMV in Albany, and he became an FBI informant.
CNN reported Hussain attended services at a Newburgh, N.Y., mosque at the FBI's direction in 2008. The FBI set Hussain up with a home with concealed audio and video recording equipment, as well as audio equipment for his car. Hussain, who presented himself as a wealthy Pakistani immigrant who knew about Islamic teachings, testified in at least one federal case, CNN said, citing records.
Although Hussain is in Pakistan, his son, Nauman was in charge of day-to-day operations, according to published reports. Nauman has been charged with criminally negligent homicide as a result of the crash.
Nationally there were 28 fatal crashes — and 39 total fatalities — involving large limousines from 2008 to 2017, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. That compares with nearly 318,000 fatal crashes and nearly 347,000 total fatalities in crashes involving all types of vehicles during that period.
Of the 39 fatalities, 24 were occupants of large limousines while the remaining 15 killed were pedestrians or were in other involved vehicles.
From 2013-17, the numbers drop to 16 fatal crashes involving 23 fatalities (13 were occupants of the large limousines and 10 were pedestrians or occupants of other vehicles), according to the NHTSA.
That compares with nearly 162,000 fatal crashes, and just over 176,000 total fatalities in accidents involving all types of vehicles during that same period.