Longtime Prattsville resident Donald Olson -- a Prattsville town justice, former clerk of the Greene County Legislature, and deeply involved member of the close-knit Prattsville community -- was killed in a head-on collision on Route 23 in Windham on Thursday, May 9. He was 71.
The driver of the second car, who was badly injured in the crash, has been identified as 48-year-old Kathleen McNeil-Blount, the Daily Mail reports. Nearly a week after the fatal crash, police are still investigating the horrific accident:
Police said Tuesday they are still trying to determine what caused a vehicle driven by Kathleen McNeil-Blount of Jewett to cross the yellow line and smash head-on into a car driven by Donald Olson, who was pronounced dead at the scene.
No charges have been filed, the paper reports.
An obituary published in several local newspapers this week writes of Olson's longtime involvement in the Prattsville community:
Don enjoyed several careers including milk truck operator, darkroom manager and pressman at Catskill Mountain Publishing (Mirror Recorder) and eventually retired from Greene County in 2003, where he served as clerk of Legislature for more than 10 years.
Don was an active member of his community, where he has served as Prattsville town justice for the past 20 years. He was a member of the Prattsville Hose Company for more than 25 years and held the positions of president, chaplain, commissioner and chairman. He was also a member of the New York State Magistrates Association and past member of the Masons Mountain Lodge 5291/Oasis 219. He loved living in Prattsville and worked tirelessly until the time of his death to assist in the rebuilding efforts after Tropical Storms Irene and Lee devastated the small town in 2011.
A memorial service for Olson will be held at the Ashland Firehouse on Route 23 on Saturday, May 18, at 11am, under the direction of the Decker Funeral Home in Windham.
Olson's family is asking for donations to be made to the Donald G. Olson Memorial Fund at any branch of The Bank of Greene County or NBT Bank.
