Failures sowed the seeds of grief and sorrow

SCHOHARIE, N.Y. _ Grieve for the 20 people who died in the Schoharie crash and pray for those who loved them.

But also get angry for the victims because this is a story of failure _ terrible, inexcusable failure that led to unimaginable sorrow.

Who failed?

A company, Prestige Limo, that employed a driver without a proper license. That ignored violations and put a limo that had failed a recent inspection on the road. That appears to have treated its passengers, its precious cargo, without the care and respect they deserved.

Who failed?

A state that also didn't do enough to protect that precious cargo. That didn't force that unsafe limo off the road or Prestige out of business. That too often gives shoddy transportation companies a slap on the wrist. That has tough regulations without teeth to enforce them.

Consider that just last month, the state Department of Transportation cited Prestige for numerous violations on the Excursion SUV and noted violations from a prior inspection that had never been corrected. Despite the limo having been driven 1,300 miles between the inspections, its license plates apparently weren't confiscated.

That's a failure.

On Wednesday, police arrested Nauman Hussain, the son of Prestige owner Shahed Hussain, who is out of the country, and charged him with criminally negligent homicide. Police said the son knew the limo belonged parked in a garage.

"The sole responsibility for that vehicle being on the road on Saturday rests with Nauman Hussain," said George Beach, the superintendent of State Police.

Lee Kindlon, the attorney for the Hussains, said authorities were jumping the gun and hadn't had the time for an investigation thorough enough to warrant the arrest. He urged investigators and the public to avoid a rush to judgment and to wait before unfairly casting blame.

Kindlon isn't wrong. We don't yet know exactly how the accident happened at the intersection of routes 30 and 30A, or why the limo was out of control when it slammed into parked car and an embankment, killing the 17 passengers, the driver and two pedestrians.

Accidents happen. Tragedies happen. Sometimes neither can be prevented.

But we already know enough to understand that the Schoharie crash wasn't some random tragedy beyond the limits of human control. We know that the trip should not have happened. The deaths should have been prevented, could have been prevented.

If not for failure.

Kindlon pointed the blame at the dangerous road conditions on Route 30A. The state, he claimed, knew the road and the intersection were deadly and didn't address the problem. He urged grieving families to consider lawsuits.

Maybe Kindlon is right about that, too. Maybe the condition of the road will prove to be yet another failure to add to the list. It could even be that this tragedy, the nation's deadliest road accident since 23 were killed when a bus exploded near Dallas 13 years ago, will prove to be the perfect storm of failure.

Who was failed?

The victims, of course, including four sisters, two brothers, newlywed couples, and young parents. Most were out to celebrate Amy Steenburg's 30th birthday party. They had dreams and sorrows, hopes and worries. They had futures, until those futures were stolen.

We will learn more about the victims in the days ahead, when their funerals reveal what was unique and special about each one of them. We will hear about the light that made them shine, the impact they had on the lives of others, the beauty of their souls.

Who was failed?

The parents and children of victims, most of all, but also the many people who knew and loved them. They'll live with sorrow that will last and holes that can't be filled. The funerals will reveal the depth of their anguish.

Who was failed?

The police and rescue workers, certainly, who woke up Saturday unaware they would arrive at a scene of horrific carnage. We can only imagine what they saw outside the Apple Barrel Country Store. We know they will never be the same.

In a way, the rest of us were failed, too. The Schoharie crash has overwhelmed and shaken this region like few events in memory. We look at the smiling faces of the victims and realize they were us _ our friends and neighbors, the people around us at the grocery store, our extended families. The dead deserve our sorrow and our grief, and we are giving it to them. They also deserve our anger for the indefensible failure that made all this sorrow and grief possible.

Contact columnist Chris Churchill at 518-454-5442 or email cchurchill(at)timesunion.com