The Cutchogue resident who has repeatedly complained to the town about the operations of Vineyard 48 returned to the podium at town hall last night to renew his complaints about crowds, parking and limo traffic — including limousines and party buses making U-turns on County Road 48, blocking the lanes of the divided highway.
Bill Shipman, who lives across the road from Vineyard 48, told the town board last night he believes the town’s failure to enforce its own codes contributed to the horrific fatal limo crash at the intersection of CR 48 and Depot Lane July 18 that claimed the lives of four young women, all in their 20s, who’d been out on wine-tasting tour of the North Fork, with their last stop at Vineyard 48.
Now, Shipman says, he’s been “commanded by the grand jury to appear for this” on Jan. 7.
Steve Romeo of Southold, the driver of a pickup truck that T-boned a stretch limousine as it was maneuvering to make a U-turn at the intersection of Rt 48 and Depot Lane, was arrested at the scene and charged with misdemeanor driving while intoxicated. Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota said at a press conference a week later that more charges could be filed.
The case remains open and under investigation, a spokesperson for the district attorney said last week. The DWI charge against Romeo is still pending in Southold Justice Court, Robert Clifford said. A grand jury will review the matter, he said. Because of the secrecy of the grand jury proceedings, he said he did not know any details, including a time frame for when the case would be presented to a grand jury.
Caros Pino, 58, of Bethpage, the driver of the limo, which carried eight passengers, was not charged. He consented to blood tests and was found to have no alcohol or drugs in his system, according to police.
An analysis of Romeo’s blood, drawn an hour and 40 minutes after the crash, showed a blood alcohol content of 0.066 percent, according to Spota. That’s below the 0.08 percent BAC minimum for driving while intoxicated, though above the statutory threshold for driving under the influence.
The U-turn Pino was attempting — which Southold Police Chief Martin Flatley called “a dangerous move” immediately after the crash — is one that Shipman and other residents have been complaining about “for years,” Shipman told the town board last night.
“This is what we’ve always been afraid of,” the police chief said on the day of the crash. Limos making such turns take up two to three lanes and pose a danger on area roads, Flatley said.
The intersection was not signalized at the time of the accident. A traffic light has since been installed by the county.
The limo driver, crash victims and their survivors have filed notices of claim against the town and county, complaining of negligence in their alleged failure to correct an intersection known to be dangerous; state law requires a plaintiff to file a notice of claim at least 30 days prior to the commencement of litigation against a municipality.
Shipman said last night he’s been asking the town to enforce it codes with respect to parking by limos on CR 48, parking of more vehicles at the site than allowed by Vineyard 48’s approved site plan, and more for four years. Unchecked town code violations lead to bigger problems, Shipman said.
Out of frustration, feeling like his complaints fell on deaf ears, Shipman said he stopped complaining “and then tragedy happened.”
He obtained a copy of a Dec. 2, 2013 staff report on the Vineyard 48 site plan that referenced a planning board public hearing at which there were “numerous reports of limosines and buses attempting U-turns on CR 48 and having to make multiple maneuvers back and forth to make the turn, blocking traffic and creating a life-threatening hazard. Vehicles on Rt. 48 travel at least 55 mph,” Shipman read from the report.
“This is the report of your own staff,” he told board members.
Supervisor Scott Russell told Shipman the town has been taking enforcement action.
“Intermittently at best,” Shipman interrupted. “I complain to you each and every week from April to November. I’m not here because I’m getting anything out of this. I’m not getting anything out of this,” he said.
“This is subject to litigation so I have to bite my tongue here,” Russell told him. “It’s an operation that’s gone beyond its boundaries without a doubt. Violations have been issued. Litigation is pending.”
Stretch limos and party buses continue to make U-turns at the Depot Lane intersection, Shipman and his wife said after the meeting.
“It’s still going on, all the time,” Beth Shipman said. “We are worried that it’s just a matter of time before tragedy strikes again.”
Correction: A previously published version of this story incorrectly stated a green turning arrow had been installed along with a traffic light in front of Vineyard 48. There is no turning arrow, just a traffic light.
