Pastor, wife killed in 6car pileup on Long Island's Southern State Parkway
Mar 16, 2026
Two people were killed in a six-car pileup on the Southern State Parkway and police say a drunk driver going the wrong way caused the crash.
A mangled mess of cars blocked the parkway Sunday night when the driver of a black Cadillac Escalade lost control in the westbound lanes, police said. The
driver allegedly crossed the center median near Exit 17S in the Town of Hempstead and crashed into cars traveling east bound.
The driver crashed head-on into a black Toyota SUV, killing 82-year-old Donald Maxwell and 88-year-old Liscent B. Maxwell. Their family members declined to speak to the media, but on social media tributes poured in for the 82-year-old, a pastor at the Pentecostal City Mission Church.
A total of six cars, holding 10 drivers and passengers, were affected. One other person had critical injuries while the rest of the injuries were described as minor.
The alleged wrong-way driver, 36-year-old Diana Kutateladze of Oceanside, has been charged with driving under the influence, vehicular manslaughter, reckless driving and other offenses. She’s expected to be arraigned on Tuesday.
...read more
read less