Kingston Woman Charged In Fatal Bicycle Collision

KINGSTON, NY — A local woman has been charged with vehicular manslaughter for an accident that killed a bicyclist in 2022.

Vanessa Lowe, 62, of Kingston, was charged on April 3 with second-degree vehicular manslaughter, second-degree assault, and driving while ability impaired by drugs, according to the Ulster County District Attorney’s office.

The accident happened on Dec. 27, 2022 at 3:37 p.m. on Pine Grove Avenue. According to police, Lowe’s vehicle, a Honda Accord, struck a bicycle operated by 65-year-old Kingston resident Christine Tarasco.

Emergency medical personnel revived Tarasco and transported her to HealthAlliance Hospital in Kingston, but she later died from her injuries, according to the DA’s office.

An Ulster County grand jury indicted Lowe on April 3, and police arrested her on a warrant the same day. Lowe was arraigned Friday.

Toxicology reports of Lowe’s blood revealed controlled substances in her system at the time of the accident, according to the DA’s office, which did not specify which substances were found.

“Please do not drive if you have been drinking or if you are taking any controlled substances, whether legal or not. Our lives depend on you,” the DA’s office said, in a press release announcing the indictment.