Mr. Kindlon said Mr. Hussain had met on Monday with investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board, the State Police and the state’s transportation department and was asked to turn over certain documents about the company and the vehicle.

The process of collecting that material was underway, Mr. Kindlon said, when he received a “panicked call” from his client’s family at about 11 a.m. on Wednesday, telling him that Mr. Hussain was being arrested. Mr. Kindlon said there had been no request by the authorities to speak with his client’s father.

The crash has also raised questions about the regulation and oversight of stretch limousines, specially made vehicles that are built from former cars or sport utility vehicles and often do not have to meet strict federal safety requirements. And while drivers of such elongated vehicles are required to wear seatbelts, passengers in the back are not.

The limousine that crashed had failed two inspections by state officials in the last seven months, inspection reports show. Both failures resulted in the limousine being ordered off the road until the defects inspectors found were fixed.

In the latest inspection, conducted in early September in Saratoga Springs and lasting 43 minutes, the limousine was found to have 18 seats but to be certified to carry no more than 10 passengers, including the driver.

It also was cited for a dangling brake line that could make contact with one of its tires. The limousine’s warning light for its hydraulic-braking system was staying on, the report showed. The owner was also faulted for not addressing problems noted in an earlier inspection.