The limousine that burst into flames and killed five women in Northern California wasn’t required to undergo a state safety inspection, according to a report in the San Jose Mercury News.
The limo burst into flames on the San Mateo Bridge on Saturday night. Four passengers and driver Orville Brown survived the fire that erupted as the women headed into San Francisco to celebrate the wedding of Neriza Fojas, who died in the blaze.
The cause of the fire, captured on camera as a blast of flames at the back of the white stretch limo, is under investigation.
Victims Jennifer Balon, 39, a mother of two, and Anna Alcantara, 46, both worked at Fruitvale, while Felomina Geronga, 43, also a mother of two, had been working at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Oakland.
Three survivors remain in the hospital: Jasmine Desguia, 34, of San Jose; Mary Guardiano, 42, of Alameda; and Amalia Loyola, 48, of San Leandro. Nelia Arellano, 36, of Oakland, was treated and released.
The four survivors managed to squeeze through the partition after the driver pulled over and climbed out. The women killed were found pressed up against the partition.
California Highway Patrol Commander Mike Maskarich said the state Public Utilities Commission had authorized the vehicle to carry eight or fewer passengers, but it had nine on the night of the deadly fire. Maskarich said it was too early in the investigation to say whether overcrowding may have been a factor.
State PUC spokeswoman Terrie Prosper said Monday that the commission is looking into whether the operator of the limo, Limo Stop, willfully misrepresented the seating capacity to the agency. If so, Limo Stop could be penalized $7,500 for each day it was in violation.
Limo Stop is licensed and has shown evidence of liability insurance, Prosper said. The company has seven vehicles with a seating capacity of up to eight passengers listed with the commission, and it has not been the target of any previous enforcement action.
The CPUC requires that all carriers have a preventive maintenance program and maintain a daily vehicle inspection report, Prosper said. Carriers also certify that they are have or are enrolled in a safety education and training program, she said.
Prosper said requirements for emergency exits only apply to buses, and limousines are not required to have fire extinguishers.
Like most stretch limos, the 1999 Lincoln Town Car had been modified — cut in half, its fuel and electrical lines severed and rebuilt with a large passenger compartment in the middle. But since the car was licensed to carry fewer than 10 people, the state doesn’t require routine safety inspections. Such inspections are required every 13 months for larger limos, airport shuttles and buses.
On Tuesday, state Sen. Jerry Hill, D-San Mateo, said he would introduce a bill next week requiring fire extinguishers in limos and would also explore why the cars carrying 10 or fewer people, including the driver, are not inspected, the Mercury News reported.
“Once that vehicle is modified, the bigger ones have the same structural changes as the smaller ones,” said Hill, whose district includes the San Mateo County side of the San Mateo-Hayward Bridge. “Everything is identical. That makes no sense.”
Topics California Auto
Was this article valuable?
Here are more articles you may enjoy.
Florida Peninsula Says Reforms Have Had an Impact, Announces 2% Rate Cut 
USAA to Lay Off 220 Employees 
Vintage Ferrari Owners’ Favorite Mechanic Charged With Theft, Fraud 
Carnival Puts Miami Headquarters Up for Sale as Florida Real Estate Soars 
