The driver in last year’s car crash outside a Voorheesville church that killed three people was sentenced in Albany County Court today.
LuAnn Burgess, 55, was given five years of probation with 600 hours of community service. She will not serve any jail time. As a condition of the plea, she cannot operate a motor vehicle for the rest of her life.
In August of 2012, Burgess was charged with felony aggravated vehicular homicide, vehicular manslaughter and three counts of criminally negligent homicide. The charges were leveled nearly one year after the crash took place. She was also charged with misdemeanor counts of reckless driving and driving while ability impaired by the combined influence of drugs, along with other traffic violations.
`When tragedies like this occur, no one ever wants to accept any part of the responsibility, however, I want to remind everyone that we all have a collective responsibility to prevent anything like this from happening again,` said Albany County District Attorney David Soares in a statement. `The doctors prescribing medications, the patients taking medications, and the friends and family of those taking these medications must all realize the risks that can occur when taking prescription medication.`
On Aug. 10, 2011, Burgess was dropping off her 6-year-old foster son at Voorheesville Elementary School and began to head east on Mountainview Street toward home, according to then Albany County Acting Sheriff Craig Apple. According to police, her flip-flop sandal fell off near the gas pedal, leading her to lose control of the SUV and strike three elderly women standing in front of St. Matthew’s Roman Catholic Church.
It was later discovered through a round of toxicology reports that Burgess allegedly had several medications in her system at the time of the crash that were being used to treat her Parkinson’s disease.
The three women standing outside the church were Carol Lansing, 66, of Green Island, Rosmarie Hume, 79, of Waterford and Frances C. Pallozzi, 89, of Waterford. They were a part of the Empire State Volksporters, a group of nearly 50 hikers in the Capital District who Apple had said would normally walk in that area on Wednesdays. They were waiting for a friend who had stopped into the church to go to the bathroom when the car careened across the church lawn and struck them.
Attorneys Larry Rosen and Cheryl Coleman, who are both representing Burgess, released a statement after the indictment and said they do not feel Burgess will be convicted.
“We do not believe that Ms. Burgess committed any crimes. A tragic accident occurred a year ago and it was an accident, not a crime,” it read in part.
The District Attorney’s Office called investigation `exhaustive` and said the charges are the result of `countless man hours dedicated to witness interviews, collision investigation and reconstruction analysis, toxicology inquiry and exploration, and a thorough assessment of potential legal matters associated with the presentation of this case to a Grand Jury.`
“I would like to sincerely applaud the families of Rosemarie Hume, Carol Lansing and Frances Pallozzi, for their strength and courage during this extremely challenging process,` said Soares.
The district attorney said he hopes people will think before taking their medication to prevent similar tragedies in the future.