A few days ago, as a retired traffic patrol police officer who has investigated many serious and fatal crashes, I decided to take a closer look at the scene of the tragic limousine crash at Schoharie, NY.
In particular, I was curious about the hill on which the limousine — with reportedly defective brakes — ran away, out of control.
In a very gentle way, the downhill slope starts as this road (Route 30) crosses over Interstate 88, over a mile from the scene of the eventual crash, but after 200-300 yards the descent gets steeper.
Of key interest to me were both the number and positioning of any traffic signs warning of the long descent, and of any possible ‘escape’ areas where a runaway vehicle might have been steered into, say, a field, to obtain a potentially less-dangerous stop.
Bearing in mind that it is now a year since the fateful crash occurred, with the loss of twenty lives, I have no way of knowing whether, for example, the number of warning signs has changed since then, so this was just an issue for my professional curiosity.
However, just today — October 9, 2019 — it has been reported in the media that Mavis Tires charged for brake repairs to the doomed limousine while failing in any way to carry out those repairs. The landscape may be changing as to who or what is most to blame for this outrage.
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Also see:
>> The Limousine Tragedy at Schoharie, NY — Memorial Unveiled
>> NTSB Calls for National Safety Standards for Limousines