SARATOGA COUNTY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — A verdict for Nauman Hussain brought some peace of mind for the families of some of the 20 victims in the 2018 Schoharie Limo Crash. But, some families say the fight for their loved ones is not over.
They’re calling for Mavis Discount Tire, the company that serviced the limo, to be held accountable.
“They definitely hold accountability,” Jill Richardson-Perez, Matthew Coons’ mother, said. “There’s a part of this that’s theirs also.”
“Justice is incomplete,” Mary Ashton, Michael Ukaj’s mother, said. “They should have been brought to the table right from the get-go just as Hussain was. Any entity involved that was part of the cause of the crash should be brought to the table.”
The former manager of the location where the limo was serviced, Virgil Park, and two mechanics, admitted under oath they did not complete the brake work needed to make the limo safe to drive and they gave the vehicle a passing inspection without actually performing that inspection.
Those next steps could already be in motion. Saratoga County District Attorney Karen Heggen said she requested information from the New York State Police related to their investigations into Mavis Discount Tire. Heggen said she is looking into the company’s conduct and how it may be related to the fatal crash.
Mavis’ accountability is a point Lee Kindlon, Hussain’s defense attorney, tried to hammer into the jury during the trial.
“It’s always difficult to find a silver lining on a gray cloud of having my client convicted, but if we were able in any way to move that discussion forward, certainly Nauman is happy about that,” Kindlon said.
Mavis Discount Tire still has a number of civil lawsuits against them alleging they were at fault for allowing the limousine to be on the road and lying about the proper brake work and inspection.
Mavis Discount Tire declined to comment.