One of the four women who survived a deadly Cutchogue limo crash two weeks ago has commenced a lawsuit.
According to her attorney, Jason Paris of Paris & Chaikin PLLC in New York, a summons and complaint was filed in New York State Supreme Court in Kings County yesterday on behalf of his client Olga Lipets, 24, of Brooklyn against Peconic resident Steven Romeo, his company Romeo Dimone Marine, limo driver Carlos F. Pino and Ultimate Class Limousine, Inc.
Damages remain unspecified in the suit.
His client, Paris said, has been released from intensive care and is recovering from her injuries, which include multiple fractures in her left leg, with surgical inserts, and a broken jaw which is still wired shut. Also, he said, Lipets suffered “emotional trauma,” the extent of which is still unknown.
Lipets is a graduate student at Lehman College studying speech pathology and communications. After the accident, she has displayed a “mixture of pain, sadness, and relief to be home with her family”, while understanding what the families of the young women lost in the crash are enduring, he said.
No other suits have yet been filed but Paris said he’s reached out to the three other surviving victims and offered free consultation for them and their families.
An investigative team is working to see if a case against a “defective design in the roadway” can be pursued against the municipalities involved, Paris said.
Paris said nothing can ever adequately compensate for what the victims endured, the “hope is to find some measure of justice.”
Romeo, charged with driving while intoxicated, was found to have a blood alcohol level of .066.
Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota said while that number is under the legal limit for driving while intoxicated, the investigation continues, and factors still under consideration include speed of both vehicles, reconstruction of the accident scene, whether or not there were drugs Romeo’s blood, cell phone information for both Romeo and the limo driver, and interviews with witnesses who have come forward.
Also, Spota said, blood was not drawn until one hour and 40 minutes after the accident, and “most likely,” his BAC reading could have been “.08,” the legal limit for driving while intoxicated.
“We have a very emerging picture, but it is not a complete picture,” Spota said, of the accident.
No charges have been filed against the limo driver, who was tested and found to have no drugs or alcohol in his system.
The young women who lost their lives in the accident were Brittany M. Schulman, 23, of Smithtown, Lauren Baruch, 24, of Smithtown, Stephanie Belli, 23, of Kings Park, and Amy R. Grabina, 23, of Commack.
Also injured in the accident were the driver of the limousine, Pino, 58, of Bethpage, Joelle M. Dimonte, 25, of Ellwood, Melissa Angela Crai, 23, of Scarsdale, and Alicia Arundel, 24, of Setauket.
