Twenty people are dead following a horrific wedding limousine crash at an upstate New York tourist spot.
Excited about a birthday celebration and wanting to do the right thing by not driving, 17 friends piled into a white stretch limousine for what was supposed have been a fun party at a brewery in upstate New York.
Tragically, they never made it.
The massive vehicle, speeding downhill, approachedthe intersection of two highways that residents had long warned was dangerous,The New York Times reported.
Within seconds, the limousine lost control, careening through the intersection and hitting an empty car.
Emergency services recover the limousine which crashed in killed 20 people. Image / CBS6 Albany
Four sisters, two brothers and at least three young couples were among the dead. The limo driver also died along with two pedestrians.
One of the 20 victims involved in the crash told her cousin moments before the collision that the stretch limousine was in terrible condition, The Washington Post reported.
Erin McGowan, 34, who died along with her newlywed husband Shane, 30, had sent a text message to her cousin questioning the vehicle's condition roughly 20 minutes before the fatal crash, her aunt says.
Erin's aunt, Valerie Abeling, told The Washington Post that her daughter received a text message saying: "The vehicle appeared in terrible condition."
"It's tragic. Horrible. I can't even begin to even explain …" Ms Abeling said in an interview. "Our lives have been changed forever."
Erin McGowan, with husband Shane, sent a text message just prior to the crash suggesting she was worried about the condition of the car.
The McGowans were just starting a life together after getting married in June and were saving to buy a house.
Tragically, Amy Steenburg, whose birthday was cause for the celebration, and her three sisters have been identified as those among the dead. Their names were Abigail Jackson, Mary Dyson, Allison King and Amy. Their husbands also all died in the crash.
The women's aunt, Barbara Douglas, told the New York Post they were "beautiful girls".
"They were beautiful girls, full of life. They had their whole lives ahead of them," she said.
"One of them had two children. One of them had one child."
"They did the responsible thing getting a limo so they wouldn't have to drive anywhere," Mrs Douglas added. She did not want to name them publicly but added: "They were wonderful girls. They'd do anything for you and they were very close to each other and they loved their family."
Valerie Abeling, the aunt of victim Erin Vertucci, said her 34-year-old niece and her niece's new husband, 30-year-old Shane McGowan, were victims. "She was a beautiful, sweet soul; he was, too, they were very sweet," Abeling said. "They were two very young, beautiful people" who "had everything going for them."
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo released a statement saying he has "directed state agencies to provide every resource necessary to aid in this investigation and determine what led to this tragedy."
Autopsies were being performed on the dead but authorities didn't say whether the limo occupants were wearing seat belts, nor did they give any indication as to the speed of the limo.
Sisters Allison King (back left) Abby Jackson (front left), Amy Steenburg (front right) and Mary Dyson (top right) were all killed in the crash.
The 2001 Ford Excursion limousine was travelling about 270 kilometres north of New York City when it failed to stop at a stop sign at an intersection, police said. It went across the road and hit an unoccupied car parked at the Apple Barrel Country Store and two pedestrians.
The intersection had been redone in 2008 because of a fatal accident there, said Jessica Kirby, who is managing director of the store.
Since the reconstruction, three semi-trailers had reportedly run through the same stop sign that the limo went through, she said. Officials worked with the state to stop heavy trucks using the intersection, she said, but accidents had continued to happen.
