DA: Pickup driver was below limit after limo crash

The Suffolk DA says the pickup truck driver's blood alcohol content was below the legal limit after last weekend's fatal Cutchogue limo crash. District Attorney Tom Spota says Steven Romeo still could

News 12 Staff

Jul 25, 2015, 1:42 AM

Updated 3,366 days ago

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The Suffolk DA says the pickup truck driver's blood alcohol content was below the legal limit after last weekend's fatal Cutchogue limo crash.
District Attorney Tom Spota says Steven Romeo still could have been legally drunk at the time of the crash, and the DWI charge against him stands. Romeo was not given a Breathalyzer test at the scene, and officers didn't draw his blood until 1 hour and 40 minutes after the crash.
"Forensic toxicologists are telling us now, that at the time of the crash, the defendant's blood alcohol was most likely over .08," says Spota.
Romeo's bail was reduced from $500,000 to $50,000.
Meanwhile, authorities are looking into whether Romeo or limo driver Carlos Pino were using their cellphones at the time of the crash. Accident reconstruction crews are investigating if speed was a factor.
Police say Romeo crashed his pickup into a limousine making a U-turn at Route 48. The crash killed four young women who were riding in the limousine. Pino told police that he never saw the truck, but a person who says they witnessed the crash contradicts that claim.
A funeral was held Friday for 23-year-old Stephanie Belli. Services were held earlier in the week for Brittany Schulman, 23, Lauren Baruch, 24 and Amy Grabina, 23.
Four other women and the limo driver were also injured in the crash. The district attorney says he plans to interview the four surviving passengers when they are released from the hospital.