The man behind the wheel in the deadly New York limousine crash did not have the proper license and the vehicle had failed an inspection just last month, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said.
Speaking at the Columbus Day Parade, Cuomo told reporters that DMV officials had recently inspected the limo and that it should not have been on the road. The limo crashed on Saturday, killing the driver, Scott Lisinicchia, and all 19 passengers.
Lisinicchia, 53, blew through a stop sign about 45 miles east of Albany and crashed into the parking lot of a popular tourist destination, Apple Barrel Country Store and Cafe. His 17 passengers _ including a newlywed couple _ were killed in the crash. Two pedestrians were also killed.
"He was a great guy," said Thea Broadus Griggs, a friend of Lisinicchia's since high school who started a GoFundMe to help with funeral costs.
The driver's wife, Kim Lisinicchia, wrote on Facebook that she'd lost her best friend.
"It hurts me to a core to have to bury my husband. I miss him so very much. ... I love you Scott," she wrote.
The driver's niece, Courtney Lisinicchia, asked for prayers.
"Don't believe what they say. My family is going through a really rough time and social media is always twisting everything around. The investigation is STILL going on and the facts are not verified," she wrote online.
The National Transportation Safety Board is inspecting the crash, which is the deadliest transportation disaster since a 2009 plane crash near Buffalo, N.Y., that killed 50 people.
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