Oceanside Woman Pleads Not Guilty To Manslaughter Charges After Fatal DWI Crash, DA Says

MINEOLA, NY — An Oceanside woman is facing up to 25 years behind bars Friday after she was indicted on vehicular homicide and other charges related to a March 15 DWI crash that left two people dead, prosecutors said.

36-year-old Diana Kutateladze pleaded not guilty Friday to two counts of aggravated vehicular homicide, one count of first-degree vehicular manslaughter, two counts of second-degree manslaughter, a count of aggravated vehicle assault, two counts of second-degree vehicular manslaughter, a count of first-degree vehicular assault, two counts of second-degree vehicular assault, four counts of second-degree assault, one count of DWI Per Se, five counts of third-degree assault, DWI and reckless driving, police said. If found guilty, prosecutors said she could serve up to 25 years in prison. Patch attempted to reach Kutateladze's attorney, Taryn Schechter, for comment Friday.

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The charges stem from a five-car pileup on March 15, which prosecutors said left a husband and wife dead and other drivers injured. In that crash, Kutateladze had been driving her Cadillac Escalade 81 miles per hour in a 55-per-hour zone, prosecutors said. Blood drawn from Kutateladze about an hour after the crash revealed a BAC of .15 percent, almost twice the legal limit, prosecutors said.

“A husband and wife who spent their lives serving the community are dead because this defendant allegedly drove drunk instead of just staying home,” Donnelly said. “Diana Kutateladze was allegedly driving more than 80 miles per hour while intoxicated when she crashed into one car, crossed into oncoming traffic, and crashed head-on into the victims’ vehicle. Her actions turned a quiet Sunday evening into a scene of absolute chaos, resulting in a horrific five-car pileup. My office is committed to seeking justice for the Maxwells and we will work to hold the defendant fully accountable for the lives she destroyed.”

The crash took place just after 10:15 p.m. on March 15, when Kutateladze was traveling westbound on the Southern State Parkway with her husband riding shotgun. After sideswiping a BMW near Exit 17S, Donnelly said, the Escalade hopped the parkway median, crossing into oncoming traffic where it hit a 2016 Toyota Highlander head-on. That head-on collision turned into a five-car pileup after three more cars crashed into the initial two, prosecutors said.

In the passenger side of the Highlander, prosecutors said, were a pair of Pentecostal pastors, Donald and Barbara Maxwell, aged 82 and 88, respectively. Both Donald and Barbara were killed instantly, prosecutors said, when the passenger side of the car was crushed on impact. The 71-year-old man driving the Highlander also sustained serious injuries, prosecutors said, including a compound fracture in his hand, significant heart injury and multiple fractured ribs.

Kutateladze’s husband was trapped in the passenger seat of the car his wife had been driving, prosecutors said. He was rushed to Mount Sinai South Nassau and placed on a ventilator after first responders extricated him from the car, prosecutors said. More than a month after the crash, the man is still in the hospital; he suffered broken bones and head trauma that resulted in a brain bleed, prosecutors said.

The drivers of the final three cars suffered injuries including whiplash, back pain and trauma that could require surgery, prosecutors said.

In the aftermath of the crash, police shut down the parkway for multiple hours while they attempted to remove people from the cars and remove debris, prosecutors said.

As for Kutateladze, prosecutors said she was treated for minor injuries at Nassau University Medical Center. Kutateladze was arrested March 16 and is due back in court May 20, prosecutors said.