Donald Maxwell & Liscent Maxwell ID’d As Deceased In Sunday Night New York Chain-Reaction Crash

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. (THECOUNT) — Donald Maxwell, 82, and Liscent B. Maxwell, 88, were killed Sunday night when an alleged drunk driver crossed the center median on the Southern State Parkway and struck their vehicle head-on in a catastrophic six-car crash in the Town of Hempstead, Nassau County, according to New York State Police.

The victims were passengers in a 2016 black Toyota Highlander traveling eastbound on the Southern State Parkway when the crash occurred. Both Donald Maxwell and Liscent B. Maxwell were pronounced dead at the scene. The pair’s residences have not been publicly released.

The crash occurred at approximately 10:13 p.m. on Sunday, March 15, 2026, on the westbound Southern State Parkway just west of Exit 17S — the Hempstead Avenue/Ocean Avenue interchange near Malverne — in the Town of Hempstead, Nassau County.

According to New York State Police, Diana Kutateladze, 36, of Oceanside, was driving a 2020 black Cadillac Escalade westbound on the Southern State Parkway with one passenger aboard. Troopers say Kutateladze sideswiped a gray BMW traveling in the left lane, at which point she lost control of the Escalade. The vehicle then crossed the center median and continued traveling westbound into the eastbound lanes — directly into oncoming traffic.

The Escalade struck multiple vehicles before colliding head-on with the Highlander carrying the two victims. In total, six vehicles and 10 drivers and passengers were involved in the chain-reaction crash.

Several people were transported to local hospitals. One individual suffered critical injuries. The remaining injuries were described by police as non-life-threatening. The names of the injured have not been released.

The collision forced the closure of the parkway between exits 15 and 17 for approximately seven hours overnight.

Investigators determined that speed and impairment appear to have been contributing factors in the crash.

Kutateladze was arrested at the scene and charged with aggravated vehicular homicide, vehicular manslaughter in the first degree, vehicular manslaughter in the second degree, second-degree assault, driving while intoxicated, and reckless driving.

The Southern State Parkway is a 25.53-mile limited-access highway running east-west along the South Shore of Long Island, connecting Nassau County communities from Elmont near the Queens border eastward through to West Islip in Suffolk County. The parkway’s alignment includes sections with limited acceleration and deceleration lanes and numerous curves, characteristics that have historically contributed to serious crashes along the corridor, particularly between Exits 17 and 32.

The Town of Hempstead is the most populous town in New York State and one of the most densely populated municipalities on the East Coast, with a population exceeding 770,000. It encompasses communities including Oceanside, Malverne, Valley Stream, West Hempstead, and Franklin Square. Nassau County sits on Long Island immediately east of New York City’s Queens borough, and the Southern State Parkway serves as a primary east-west corridor for South Shore commuters.

Oceanside, the community where Kutateladze resides, is located approximately 3 miles south of the crash scene and is home to roughly 32,000 residents. It is bordered by Rockville Centre to the north and Long Beach to the south.

New York State Police are asking anyone who witnessed the crash or has dashcam or surveillance video footage of the incident to contact Investigator Jeffrey Shillingford at 212-814-9597.

The investigation remains ongoing.

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