Schoharie crash limo had its origins in Ozarks

SCHOHARIE — Federal transportation investigators have traced the origins of the stretch Ford Excursion involved in last year's Schoharie limo crash to a dusty stretch of road in the Ozarks.

In a 36-page report made public last week, the National Transportation Safety Board asserts that the original owner of the Excursion, Larry Macera of Rensselaer, purchased the stretch limo in 2001 from a Rogersville, Mo., company called 21st Century Coach Inc.

Macera ultimately sold his fleet of limos to Advantage Transit Group in Albany about six years later. The Excursion was then sold again in 2016 to the Hussain family, which owned a motel in Wilton and operated a small limousine service on the side.

Nauman Hussain, who managed the limo service for his father Shahed Hussain, is now facing 20 counts each of manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide for each of the 20 people killed in the Oct. 6, 2018 crash. Prosecutors allege Shahed Hussain knew the vehicle was dangerous to drive. A State Police report found that "catastrophic" brake failure was the cause of the crash.

Read more: https://www.timesunion.com/business/article/Schoharie-crash-limo-had-its-origins-in-Ozarks-14489586.php
(Albany Times Union)