Tragic newlywed sent text saying vehicle in "terrible condition" moments before 20 killed

One of 20 people killed in a horrifying limousine crash in New York told her cousin the party vehicle was in "terrible condition" minutes before the tragedy, it is claimed.

Newlywed Erin McGowan, who died along with her husband Shane, had sent a text message complaining about the state of the stretch limo, her aunt says.

The limo was a last-minute replacement after a bus that was originally hired broke down.

The McGowans were one of two pairs of newlyweds killed in America's worst transportation crash in nearly a decade.

Four sisters from one family and two brothers from another were among the 20 victims when the limo taking passengers to a surprise birthday party crashed.

All 18 people in the 2001 Ford Excursion limo were killed, along with two pedestrians, when the limo failed to stop at a T-shaped intersection at up to 60mph in Schoharie in upstate New York on Saturday afternoon.

The group was celebrating the 30th birthday of newlywed Amy Steenburg, who died along with her three sisters, her husband and her brother-in-law.

Described by family as a "dynamic duo", the McGowans - Erin, 34, and Shane, 30 - were just starting a life together after getting married in June and were saving to buy a house.

About 20 minutes before the crash, Erin, who worked in record-keeping at a hospital, had sent a text message to a cousin after she apparently became alarmed by the state of the limo.

Erin's aunt, Valerie Abeling, said her daughter received the text message, telling the Washington Post: “The vehicle appeared in terrible condition."

The aunt said the group had hired a bus to go to Cooperstown, but the vehicle broke down before it arrived at its destination.

The firm then sent the limo to take the group the rest of the way, she added.

Ms Abeling said: “Our lives have been changed forever.

“These were friends just starting their lives, getting married and this is how it ended.

"It’s a tragic loss of beautiful souls.”

Ms Abeling said her daughter had been invited to join the group but didn't go.

Those who were in the limo were high school and neighborhood friends from Amsterdam, New York.

They were visiting wineries in the area and were on their way to a brewery in Cooperstown when the crash happened, it was reported.

Sisters Mary Dyson, Abigail (Abby) Jackson, Allison King and Amy Steenburg, the youngest of the four who was celebrating her 30th birthday, were killed.

Amy's new husband Axel Steenburg, 29, and his brother Rich Steenburg also died, as did Abigail's husband Adam Jackson.

Amy and Axel had just got married in June. Axel and his brother both worked at at GlobalFoundries, a manufacturer of semiconductors.

Abby, a teacher, and Adam were parents to two young daughters, four-year-old Archer and 16-month-old Elle.

Mary and her husband Robert Dyson, who was also among the dead, leave behind a young son.

As she visited the scene of the crash, the sisters' grief-stricken aunt, Barbara Douglas, told reporters: “One just got married, and that’s what this was- her new husband was giving her a surprise birthday party."

Their devastated brother Tom King, 35, told the New York Post that the sisters - who were among seven siblings - "were very tight".

He said: "They were the Four Musketeers. We all are what’s left.

"There was seven of us - five sisters and two brothers."

The other victims include Erin's cousin Patrick Cushing and 53-year-old limo driver Scott Lisinicchia.

Amy Dunlop-Johnson, a cousin of Axel and Rich, told CBS News the group was being transported between wineries in the area, a popular autumn tourist destination as dying leaves change colour.

Erin's uncle Anthony Vertucci told the Times Union: "They just decided to rent a limousine and have fun and not worry about everything."

He added: "My whole entire family is in complete and utter shock. It's hard and so tragic.

"We're just talking layers of tragedy. There are so many families affected by this."

New York state police said the crash happened just before 2pm on Saturday when the limo failed to stop at the T-shaped intersection of State Route 30 and State Route 30A at about 50mph.

Eyewitnesses said it appeared the limo was travelling at 60mph.

It then crashed into an unoccupied Toyota Highlander in a car park outside the the Apple Barrel Country Store and Cafe, slammed into the two pedestrians and ploughed into the ditch.

Schoharie Town Supervisor Alan Tavenner said the intersection is at the bottom of a steep hill.

He told the Washington Post: “If somebody’s new to the area or not familiar with the area, I can see how it’d be easy to miss that you’re coming down to the T-intersection and going to have to stop at the bottom of it."

The owners of the Apple Barrel Country Store and Cafe wrote on Facebook on Sunday: "Yes, are open today. And could use your hugs. Donations are be accepted for our local emergency services.

"We are doing our best to cope and grieve. We are a big family at the Apple Barrel, and part of the bigger family of Schoharie. We cope by being together. And that is why we are open."

The crash happened during a busy bank holiday weekend in Schoharie, a town of 3,000 which was hosting its annual Stone Fort Days event.

It was the deadliest transportation accident in the US since a Colgan Air plane crashed into a house in Buffalo, New York, in February 2009, killing all 49 people onboard and one person in the home.

Concerns about the safety of stretch limousines have resurfaced following the crash, which is being investigated by state police and the National Transportation Safety Board.