Victims of horror limo crash that killed 20 identified

The victims of a horror limousine crash that killed 20 people on Saturday in New York have been identified.

The group included four sisters, two brothers and several longtime friends. Also killed were the limo driver and two pedestrians.

Amy and Axel Steenburg

The limousine that crashed Saturday was headed to a brewery in Cooperstown, New York, to celebrate Amy Steenburg’s 30th birthday.

Amy and Axel, 29, had been married in June and travelled extensively in recent months, according to their Facebook pages.

Amy, a nurse, was one of the four sisters killed the crash. In her final Facebook post, Amy wrote that she loved her husband “more than words can say”.

Rich Steenburg

Mr Steenburg, 34, of Johnstown, died along with his brother, Axel. He worked for GlobalFoundries, a semiconductor and manufacturing company. The New York Times reported that he was survived by a 10-year-old daughter and 14-year-old stepson.

Matthew Coons and Savannah Devonne Bursese

Mr Coons, of Johnstown, was a weightlifting aficionado described by relatives as a gentleman with a dry wit.

“He had a huge heart, a golden heart,” his aunt, Suzanne Douglass said.

“He made you laugh so hard until you cried.”

Mr Coons, 27, lived with Devonne Bursese, his 24-year-old girlfriend, and a sister who has two daughters, his nieces.

Amanda Halse and Patrick Cushing

Ms Halse, 26, a waitress in Watervliet, was in the limousine with Mr Cushing, her boyfriend, who worked in the technology office of New York’s Senate. Known as “Cush,” Mr Cushing, 31, also played for Team USA Dodgeball.

Ms Halse’s sister, Karina, who visited the crash site Monday, said Mr Cushing and Ms Halse, who both lived in Halfmoon, were like “two peas in a pod”.

The sisters had been texting on Saturday as Amanda Halse got into the limo to head to the birthday party. Before Amanda Halse received her sister’s reply, she died in the crash.

Mary and Rob Dyson

Mary Dyson, 33, died in Saturday’s crash along with her husband, Rob, 34. She was one of the four sisters killed.

The Dysons lived in Watertown, New York, where Army Veteran Ms Dyson worked as an engineer and a coach at Star Spangled Crossfit, which dedicated a workout to her on Monday.

Abigail and Adam Jackson

Abby Jackson, a 34-year-old teacher, was among the four sisters killed. Adam Jackson, also 34, worked as a deputy commissioner at the Montgomery County Board of Elections, according to his Facebook page.

The Jacksons left behind two daughters, Archer and Elle, ages four and one.

Allison King

Ms King, 31, of Ballston Spa, was killed in the crash along with her three sisters. A Facebook fundraiser created for her parents, Tom and Linda King, had raised more than $132,000 as of Monday evening.

Erin and Shane McGowan

Erin, 34, and Shane, 30, were married in June in upstate New York. Erin McGowan worked as an administrative assistant at St. Mary’s Healthcare in Amsterdam.

“They were two very young, beautiful people,” her aunt, Valerie Abeling said.

“Everybody involved, it was horrific thing. Our lives have been changed forever.”

Amanda Rivenburg

Amanda Rivenburg, 29, of Colonie, was close to her parents and remembered by friends and co-workers for her sense of humour.

She worked for seven years for Living Resources, a New York non-profit that works with people who have disabilities.

Scott Lisinicchia

Friends and family members identified Mr Lisinicchia, 53, of Lake George, as the driver of the limousine on social media. His wife, Kim, posted on Facebook that “it hurts me to a core to have to bury my husband.”

Brian Hough and James Schnurr

Mr Hough, a 46-year-old assistant professor of geology at the State University of New York at Oswego, and his father-in-law were the two pedestrians killed in the crash, according to Facebook posts by relatives and media reports.

Police said Mr Hough and Mr Schnurr were standing in the store parking lot when they were killed.

Mr Hough is survived by his wife and their eight-year-old son, said Arta Hough. She described Mr Hough as a “great father, great son.”

Michael Ukaj

Mr Ukaj, a former Marine from Johnstown who served a tour in Iraq, died on his 34th birthday, his mother told the Times Union of Albany.

Mary Aston said her son joined the Marines at 17, had post-traumatic stress disorder and was honourably discharged because of a medical condition.

“He was just such a good boy,” Ms Ashton said.

“My baby is gone.”

Rachael Cavosie

Facebook posts by relatives say Cavosie, 30, of Waterford, was known as “Rach” to all her cousins. One of them referred to her as “a soul that touched so many lives”.

The Times Union reports she is survived by her parents, one sister and two brothers. One of the cousins from the Albany area is raising funeral funds on GoFundMe.