'We Will Never Be Whole Again': Long Island Families Fight For Justice Five Years After Fatal Limousine Accident
SMITHTOWN, N.Y, (CBSNewYork) — This weekend it will be five years since a tragic limousine crash killed four young women on Long Island.
Their families gathered Thursday expressing frustration that their legal battles with local government have been dragging on.
Five years haven't healed wounds, nor have they brought justice, say the families who lost four daughters -- Lauren, Amy, Brittany and Stephanie.
"This should have never happened. We should have our children here with us today," said Steven Baruch, father of victim Lauren Baruch. "But because of something entirely preventable, our lives will never be the same and we will never be whole again."
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He's still tortured by unanswered questions, says Baruch, whose daughter Lauren was one of the eight young women who in 2015 responsibly took a limo for an East End vineyard tour. But their stretch limo, making a U-turn on Route 48, was T-boned by a pickup truck.
A perfect storm, found the grand jury. Poor limousine construction and a badly designed traffic light with no green arrow or U-turn restrictions. Now, lawyers for the families have unearthed a citizen's email warning local officials that allowing a U-turn there was a disaster waiting to happen, CBS2's Carolyn Gusoff reports.
"You're talking about a road that's 55 miles an hour, that's like doing a U-turn on the Long Island Expressway," said Paul Shulman, father of victim Brittney Shulman.
"It's horrible. It's something that could have been avoided and these girls would be with us today," said Susanne Shulman, mother of Brittney Shulman.
"They knew that this accident was going to happen years before it happened, we have the email, and they did nothing, " said Bob Sullivan, the Baruch family attorney.
The town of Southold's response is that it's a county road and the town has been asking Suffolk County to address safety at the intersection since 1998. Because of the lawsuit, a spokesman for the county declined to comment.
The families, frustrated, say they're still fighting the town and county for accountability, hoping good can come from something so tragic.
"The Safe Limo Act will ensure that the industry follow the same safety protocol throughout the entire country," said Nancy diMonte, mother of an injured victim.
Mandatory seat belts, airbags and escape hatches in limos.
"Rest in peace to Lauren, Amy, Brittney and Stephanie. We will never forget," Baruch said.
Honoring their girls by making roads safer for others.
