A 36-year-old woman accused of driving her SUV off a northern New York road and fatally striking another woman mowing her lawn faces manslaughter charges.
Deana M. Olsen pleaded not guilty Thursday to an eight-count indictment that includes charges of second-degree manslaughter and driving while ability impaired by drugs.
Authorities allege that Olsen was under the influence of marijuana and the prescription painkiller codeine at the time of the August 2011 crash in Kingsbury near the Vermont border that killed 48-year-old Terry Brownell.
Olsen's lawyer told the Post Star of Glens Falls that she was not under the influence of drugs and was not using a cellphone. The lawyer said that Olsen's vehicle was hit by something, possibly Brownell's push lawnmower, which caused her to lose control.
