Long Island limo hit by ‘drunk driver’ leaves four dead and one injured

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Driver of pickup named as Steve Romeo, 54, who owns a boating business
Four dead and five seriously injured after limo was hit by a pickup truck
Two women from the limo, including the bride, are in critical condition
Truck hit limo on Route 48 near 5pm Saturday in Cutchogue on Long Island
The identities of the four female victims have not been released at this time

By Evan Bleier For Dailymail.com and Associated Press

Published: 19:21 EST, 18 July 2015 | Updated: 09:42 EST, 19 July 2015

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The hit and run driver who plowed into a limo carrying a bachelorette party while allegedly drunk on Saturday was involved in another fatal accident last year, it can be revealed.

Steve Romeo, 54, the co-owner of Southold based Romeo Dimon Marine Services was operating a skid steer loader at work in January of 2014 when a bucket fell off the truck and killed 30-year-old Andrew Leone after striking him in the head.

Police ruled that incident a tragic accident, but Romeo is expected to face charges for his role in Saturday's crash which left four bridesmaids dead and the bride-to-be seriously injured after the suspected DWI on Long Island after a winery trip.

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Four bridesmaids were killed and at least five others were seriously injured after a limo was hit by a truck

An extended cab truck T-boned the limo, which was carrying seven women, around 5pm on Saturday

Three of the women died at the scene and were covered with sheets and the fourth died at the hospital

Following the accident in 2014, Romeo and his business partner Kris Dimon were fined $28,000 for four 'serious' safety violations according to the Suffolk Times.

Leone was not wearing a hard hat inside the boating firm's warehouse and suffered 'severe head trauma'.

Double tragedy: Steve Romeo has been involved in two fatal accidents in the past 18 months. In January of 2014 his co-worker died when a bucket fell on his head after falling from a skid steer loader Romeo was driving. And on Saturday, Romeo plowed his pickup truck into the side of limo carrying a bachelorette party - killing four

At the time, Dimon said, 'It was a tragic accident; that's all I can say. And my business or personal life will never be the same because of it.'

On Saturday a law enforcement official said that a pickup truck driven by Romeo T-boned the limo, which was carrying seven or eight women, along Route 48 around 5pm Saturday in Cutchogue on Long Island's North Fork.

The driver, who police have identified as Steve Romeo from Southold, allegedly fled the scene and was tackled by chasing cops and arrested.

The victims' names have not been released but they are thought to be from the New York City area.

The limo was leaving a winery called Vineyard 48 and making a U-turn at a blinking traffic signal to head west when the red truck collided with it, Southold Police Chief Martin Flatley told Newsday.

'He [the pickup driver] hit the brakes right before and he broadsided the limo right on the passenger side,' he said.

'This is one of the worst accidents I've ever seen.'

Three woman died on impact and another woman died a short time later at Taconic Bay Hospital. All were bridesmaids, CBS New York reports.

Two other women, including the bride, are in critical condition, according to CBS New York.

Emergency workers who responded to the scene covered the bodies with white sheets while they remained in the wreckage of the black limo.

Southold police chief Martin Flatley told CBS News that the impact was so violent it nearly sheared the limo in half.

'The pickup truck was halfway through the limo,' said witness Lynne Lulfs to the New York Daily News.

'We saw bodies hanging out of the left side of the car. They looked like young girls. It was just arms, and heads and hair.'

All of the deceased women were 24 or 25, according to the New York Post.

One of the injured women was identified as 'Alicia' from East Setauket by her stepfather.

Pickup truck driver arrested after crash kills four bridesmaids

A law enforcement official said the extended cab truck T-boned the limo along Route 48 in Cutchogue

The limo was leaving a winery called Vineyard 48 and making a U-turn at a traffic signal on Long Island

Witnesses at the scene described seeing 'bloodied evening clothes' and hearing the victims call for help

A passing motorist, 76-year-old Ted Webb, 76, called 911 and ran to the limo after seeing the accident.

He said the truck was 'embedded' into the limo and that two survivors clad in black party dresses were silent after seeing 'what happened directly in front of them'.

Webb said: 'They had to die instantly. There was no noise. No screaming no shouting,'

'They looked like they were in a state of shock,' Webb said of the surviving victims.

'They weren't screaming or shouting,' he said. 'They're sitting in the back and they saw what happened directly in front of them.'

The women were part of a bridal or bachelorette party and the wreck shredded the victims' party dresses, according to the New York Daily News.

The driver, who sat on his tailgate sipping water while others were helping the victims, was charged with driving while intoxicated and should be arraigned on Sunday, according to the Suffolk Times.

The man, who is reportedly from North Fork, attempted to flee when police arrived.

He was reportedly taken to the hospital with broken ribs and a bloodied nose after being arrested.

Reporter describes horror crash which killed four bridemaids

The Suffolk County DA's office is involved in the investigation and a press conference is coming on Sunday

Lynne Lulfs, a Hampton Bays woman who witnessed the accident, called it 'surreal'.

She said: 'It was as if to say, 'I know I've done wrong, come get me.'

'As we came around, all we saw were bodies out the left side of the vehicle, hanging out.'

Witnesses at the scene described seeing 'bloodied evening clothes' and at least one of the women was heard 'calling for her mother', Southold Local reported.

Two police helicopters assisted in the rescue and landed directly on Route 48, which was closed down and remained that way for several hours, according to Fios 1.

The Suffolk County DA's office is now involved in the investigation and a press conference is coming on Sunday, according to WABC.

Two police helicopters assisted in the rescue and landed directly on Route 48, which was closed down

The driver was charged with DWI and will be arraigned. The names of the victims haven't been released

The state revoked Vineyard 48's liquor license in late 2013.

The Cutchogue winery vowed to appeal the decision to State Supreme Court at the time.

Bill Shipman, whose house is across the road from the winery and saw Saturday's accident, lauded the decision to take away the license and warned about the possibility of a fatality in the future.

He said Saturday: 'This is the thing we've complained about since 2010 and it still goes on every week.

'They block the lanes of traffic and back up to make their turns. It's a disaster. I've said a limo is going to get T-boned here.'

The driver of the truck was reportedly taken to the hospital with broken ribs and a bloodied nose

Limousines are common in the area for people visiting the numerous wineries there.

Saturday's collision marked the second car crash with multiple fatalities on Long Island in the last several days.

Last Sunday, a father and his two children were killed when their sedan was rear-ended and the car burst into flames. His wife — the children's mother — escaped uninjured.

A Queens man was charged with driving while intoxicated in connection with the crash and another man was charged with driving his friend away from the scene. Both have pleaded not guilty and deny any wrongdoing.