Funeral Held For Bride-To-Be Killed In Hudson River Boat Crash
PEARL RIVER, N.Y. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- After going public with their doubts about the investigation, the parents of a bride-to-be killed in a Hudson River boating crash turned their attention to her funeral.
A service for Lindsey Stewart of Piermont was held Thursday at the church in Pearl River where she would have been married Aug. 10.
During the service, her mother, Carol Stewart-Kosik, urged Stewart's fiancé, Brian Bond, to use the wreck as "a source of strength.'' She told him that her daughter loved him with "every fiber of her being.''
She described a 30-year-old who used to put her hands on her hips and tell it like it was. Despite Stewart's brutal honesty the human resources manager always put a positive spin on things, CBS 2's Amy Dardashtian reported.
"I can't remove the word tragedy from Lindsay's legacy anymore than I can push that aluminum barge out of the Hudson," Stewart-Kosik said during her eulogy.
She asked mourners to use the tragedy as a source of strength. Stewart's sister quoted Bob Marley and then said, "Lindsey, You loved living life and you lived the life you loved."
After speaking, Stewart-Kosik went to his Bond's pew and hugged him.
Funeral Being Held For Bride-To-Be Killed In Hudson River Boat Crash
"Look to the people that are surviving, Brian, and the support we're going to give him," Bond's family friend, Donald Franchino, said after the service.
"They say when you come, look around you and see the trees, the flowers and remember Lindsey for that or a sunset at night and remember her when you see that," family friend Robert R. Simon said.
Stewart died Friday night when the powerboat she was in crashed into a barge near the Tappan Zee Bridge. Bond was injured and his best man, Mark Lennon, was killed.
The pilot of the boat, Jojo John, was charged with vehicular manslaughter and police said they suspect he was intoxicated.
Rockland County District Attorney Thomas Zugibe confirmed Wednesday that tests on John's blood are not yet complete. He said all information would be submitted to a grand jury.
But Stewart's and Lennon's parents suggested that poor lighting on the barge and not drunkenness was responsible for the crash.
In a statement issued Wednesday, they said their conversations with survivors of the crash, including Bond, made clear that the passengers "had consumed very little alcohol and considered themselves sober.''
EXTRA: Click Here To Read The Full Statement
"None of them saw the barge. They did not brace for impact and could not identify what they had hit -- even after impact -- as they desperately worked to direct the first responders coming to their aid," said Stewart's mother, stepfather Walter Kosik and Lennon's parents, Kevin and Dympna Lennon.
They asked other boaters to help with the investigation by emailing any knowledge they have "of the barges or the accident conditions.''
Investigators have said they are looking into whether the barge was properly lighted. The stationary barge was carrying construction materials for the $3.9 billion project to build the new Tappan Zee Bridge.
The U.S. Coast Guard has insisted the construction company working on the new Tappan Zee Bridge played "no negligent role" in the crash. The Thruway Authority added lighting after the crash.
"The fact that the next day they put more lights on that barge, to me, is a sign there wasn't adequate lighting on that barge" said Nicholas Warywoda, an attorney for Bond.
Lennon's wake is set for Thursday from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and 7 p.m to 9 p.m. at the Wyman-Fisher Funeral Home. His funeral will be Friday at 11 a.m. at St. John the Baptist Church in Piermont.
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