On a quiet Sunday night just west of Exit 17S on the Southern State Parkway in Hempstead, New York, tragedy struck when a wrong‑way driver plowed into oncoming traffic and took the lives of an elderly couple.
Around 10:15 p.m. on March 15, 36‑year‑old Diana Kutateladze of Oceanside was behind the wheel of a 2020 Cadillac Escalade headed west when she clipped a BMW in the left lane. Police say she then crossed over the center median and barreled into eastbound traffic.
Without warning, Kutateladze’s SUV slammed into multiple vehicles, the most devastating impact coming as a head‑on collision with a black 2016 Toyota Highlander. Inside that SUV were Donald Maxwell, 82, and his wife Liscent, 88. Both were pronounced dead at the scene.
In total, ten people in six vehicles were caught up in the chaotic chain‑reaction crash. Several were rushed to nearby hospitals. One victim was in critical condition through the night, while others suffered injuries that were serious but not life‑threatening.
State police say speed and suspected impairment are key factors in how the crash unfolded. Kutateladze herself was hospitalized and later taken into custody. She now faces a slate of felony charges, including aggravated vehicular homicide, vehicular manslaughter, assault, driving while intoxicated, and reckless driving.
Traffic on the eastbound Southern State Parkway was shut down between Exits 15 and 17 for nearly seven hours as investigators pieced together what happened. Roads finally reopened just past 5 a.m. the next morning.
Friends and neighbors described the Maxwells as kind and active in their community. In the wake of the collision, loved ones are left grappling with sudden loss and asking why a routine drive turned deadly.
