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| Stephanie Belli |
The names of the 4 young women who died on Saturday when a pickup truck crashed into the side of their party limousine during a Long Island wineries trip have been released.
Brittany M. Schulman, 23, Lauren Baruch, 24, Stephanie Belli, 23, and Amy R. Grabina, 23, died when Steve Romeo’s pickup truck hit their limo with such force that it was almost split in two.
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| Brittany M. Schulman |
A young bride-to-be was among the survivors. All were taken to Stony Brook University Hospital hospital. The limo driver, Carlos Pino, 58, of Bethpage, was also taken to hospital with injuries.
Prior reports from police said that the women were enjoying a bachelorette party, but they later clarified it to be a birthday party.
Romeo has been charged with driving while intoxicated and arraigned at his Eastern Long Island Hospital bed where he has been since his arrest when he was allegedly caught fleeing the scene.
According to Southold Local, Suffold County Assistant District Attorney Elizabeth Miller confirmed that Romeo, 55, had been charged with DWI and held on $1million bond bail and that the DA will seek to upgrade the seriousness of the charges.
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| Amy R. Grabina Romeo’s attorney Dan O’Brien said that his client would plead not guilty during his scheduled court appearance on Friday and denied he was running away from the scene. No results have been published yet regarding Romeo’s blood alcohol level at the time of the accident, Miller said. |
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| Lauren Baruch |
The injured women were identified as Joelle Dimonte, 25, of Elwood, Melissa Angela Crai, 23, of Scarsdale, Alicia Arundel, 24, of Setauket, and Olga Lipets, 24, of Brooklyn.
Meanwhile this same man was involved in another fatal accident last year, it has emerged.
Steve Romeo, 54, the co-owner of Southold based Romeo Dimon Marine Services, was operating a skid steer loader at work in January 2014 when a bucket fell off the truck and killed 30-year-old Andrew Leone after striking him in the head.
Police ruled that the 2014 incident was a tragic accident, but Romeo has been charged with driving while intoxicated and arraigned at his Eastern Long Island Hospital bed for Saturday’s limo crash.
Following the accident in 2014, Romeo and his business partner Kris Dimon were fined $28,000 for 4 ‘serious’ safety violations.
Leone was not wearing a hard hat inside the boating firm’s warehouse and suffered ‘severe head trauma’.
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.’
Daily Mail
Source: abegmusic news line
