The Latest: State senate staffer among victims in limo crash

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SCHOHARIE, N.Y. (AP) — The Latest on a crash in upstate New York that killed two pedestrians and 18 occupants of a limousine (all times local):

11:45 a.m.

One of the 20 people killed in a limo crash in upstate New York worked in the technology office of the state Senate.

Senate Leader John Flanagan on Monday called Patrick Cushing an “extraordinary” employee and “wonderful young man.”

Saturday’s crash in the town of Schoharie killed 18 occupants of the limousine and two pedestrians.

Suzanne Douglass said her nephew, Matthew Coons, of Johnstown, also died in the crash.

She says he had “a golden heart” and “made you laugh so hard until you cried.”

Relatives said the group was in the limo for a birthday celebration.

A memorial gathering was planned for Monday evening in Amsterdam, New York, where some of the victims lived.

The group included four sisters and two brothers.

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9 a.m.

Grief counseling and a vigil will be held following a devastating accident that killed 20 people in upstate New York.

The crash on Saturday in the town of Schoharie (skoh-HAYR’-ee) killed two pedestrians and 18 occupants of a limousine, including four sisters.

Relateives said the group of young adults was headed to a birthday party. Some lived in nearby Amsterdam, New York, and grew up together. Two of the couples were newlyweds.

The Amsterdam school district is offering grief counseling Monday. One of the victims, Abby Jackson, was a teacher there.

She and her husband Adam left behind two daughters: 4-year-old Archer and 16-month-old Elle.

Democratic State Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara says the vigil will be held on Monday evening in Amsterdam.

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This item has been corrected to show that some victims, not all, lived in nearby Amsterdam.

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12:15 p.m.

The manager of a store in upstate New York says the nearby intersection where a limo crashed, killing 20 people over the weekend, has long been dangerous.

Jessica Kirby is managing director of the Apple Barrel Country Store and Cafe in Schoharie (skoh-HAYR’-ee) New York. She says that three tractor-trailers have blown through the same stop sign in the past.

Relatives say the limousine was carrying four sisters, relatives and friends to a 30th birthday celebration when it crashed Saturday, killing all 18 in the limo and two pedestrians.

Kirby says of the accidents, “we have been asking for something to be done for years.”

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