The limousine involved in an accident that killed 20 people in upstate New York on Saturday failed an inspection last month and should not have been in use, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said on Monday, NBC News reported.
"The owner of the company had no business putting a failed vehicle on the road," Cuomo said.
The governor added that the driver did not have the specific license required to operate the limousine.
The National Transportation Safety Board and police are investigating the accident, and it is still unclear if the crash was the driver's fault or a malfunction of the vehicle, Cuomo said.
The governor added that Prestige Limousine, the company responsible for the vehicle, was being sent a cease and desist until the probe is complete.
Cuomo said the limousine was a "chopped vehicle," meaning it had been cut and extended and required federal certification that it had been extended in a way that abides by the law, which it did not have, according to NBC.
Prestige Limousine has had vehicles inspected five times in the past five years and had four taken out of service, according to Department of Transportation records, ABC News reported. That rate is four times the national average.
The accident occurred Saturday when the driver failed to stop at an intersection in Schoharie, New York, and careened into a parking lot before smashing into an unoccupied SUV, which struck the two pedestrians who were killed along with the 18 people in the limousine, authorities said.
Relatives said the vehicle had been rented as part of a 30th birthday celebration.
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