More than 2,000 people gathered on Monday night at a park in Amsterdam, New York, tohonor the 20 victims of a deadly limousine crashas authorities turn their attention to thedriver and the company that rented the vehicle, reports say.
Family, friends and local residents prayed, shed tears and held candles at the riverside park as they remembered the victims of what is considered thecountry’s deadliest transportation accident in nearly a decade,Good Morning Americareported.
New York State Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara said the pain of the “horrific” incident has been “unbearable and unending.”
“Tonight we saw the strength of our Amsterdam community once again — thousands came together to honor, remember their lives and support their families,” Santabarbarawrote in a tweet on Monday.
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There were 18 people riding in a 2011 Ford Excursion limousine around 1:55 p.m. local time on Saturday in Schoharie when the vehicle failed to stop at an intersection, causing it to collide with a parked 2015 Toyota Highlander andultimately fall into a ravine,according to theDaily Gazette.
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The groupwas reportedly on their way to a birthday partyfor Amy Steenburg —who also died in the crash, a relative toldNBC News. Many of thepassengers were related, friends, or in romantic relationships.
Amanda Halse/Facebook
“Patrick was such a passionate and good-hearted person. He had such empathy and kindness,” Justin previously told PEOPLE of his brother. “He loved, hugged and cried with his friends and family like their problems were his,” he explains. “[He] celebrated with those same family and friends like our successes were his personal goals.”
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Patrick died in the limo alongside his girlfriend, Amanda Halse. They had been dating for two years and Justin told PEOPLE that Patrick loved Halse very much. Now, as authorities are looking for answers in the incident, Halse’s mother, Martina Wieblitz Halse, has said she’s desperate toknow about her daughter’s final moments.
“I don’t even know what injuries she had,” Martina told PEOPLE of her 26-year-old daughter. “They told me that they took her out of the limousine and put her in an ambulance to go to the hospital and she still had a heartbeat.”
source: people.com
