ALBUQUERQUE, NM - A woman has pleaded guilty in connection with a deadly crash in Albuquerque over two years ago, according to KOB.
Authorities said Donna Helgesen was driving a Mazda west on Paseo Del Norte Boulevard near Browning Street on March 12, 2021 when she slammed into the back of a Toyota Prius, causing the Prius to catch fire. The other driver, 62-year-old Rick Rivera, was pronounced dead at the scene while his passenger was seriously injured.
Helgesen, now 58, was driving at 106 miles per hour at the time of the wreck according to prosecutors.
Under the terms of a plea deal, Helgesen pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide, reckless driving and great bodily injury by vehicle. Helgesen, a former nurse and health care administrator, will face up to seven years in prison when she is sentenced.