The men tried to pull the girls out of the van and noted that they had no pulse. Diane Schuler and her two children, three nieces, and three of her children left a New York campground on July 26 in her van. "[42] DiFiore won re-election in November. The autopsy also revealed that Schuler was impaired by marijuana, DiFiore said. The children were not in seat belts or car seats at the time of the collision. The fact that she had killed 8 people seemed incidental . Surveillance Clip Summary: Surveillance video showing Diane Schuler at a gas station before she caused a wreck that killed eight people. It was later discovered on the side of a road near a tollbooth by another motorist. Then Barbara told Larry King that they planned to exhume Diane's body for further testing. [4][5], The ensuing investigation into the crash's cause received nationwide media attention. Her niece would later die at the hospital while Bryan would be the only survivor from Schulers van, sustaining broken bones and severe head trauma. [44], Following a request from the Bastardi family that an administrator be appointed for Diane's estate so that a lawsuit could be filed, Daniel officially declined the role in November 2009, leaving it to a county-court judge to appoint a public administrator. The passengers of the Tracker, however, got away with minor injuries. Daniel denied that she drank to excess or smoked marijuana except on occasion to relieve insomnia. [1] Eight people were killed when a minivan, being driven by 36-year-old Diane Schuler, traveled 1.7 miles (2.7km) in the wrong direction on the parkway and collided head-on with an oncoming SUV. Schuler and the children left Liberty at 11am. The 2009 Taconic State Parkway crash was a traffic collision that occurred shortly after 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, July 26, 2009, on the Taconic State Parkway in the town of Mount Pleasant, near the village of Briarcliff Manor, New York, United States. Obviously diane thought this was the best she was going to do in marriage ( listen to her childhood friends) . Was there a lot of pain she experienced? She knew she was in trouble when she spoke to her brother and went to pull over. Five days after autopsy results gave additional confirmation that Diane Schuler's blood alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit with further indication that she had been . SHE DROVE ON THE WRONG SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY FOR TWO MILES. Your IP: [45][46] On December 10, the Bastardi family filed suit against Diane and her brother, Warren Hance, seeking unspecified damages for wanton, willful, and reckless conduct. It features a woman who speeds down the West Side Highway in the wrong direction before crashing and killing herself, her daughter and her two nieces, and another family in another car. While she is usually out of danger after giving birth, Barbara claims she had an undiagnosed lump on her leg. In August 2009, New York Governor David Paterson proposed the Child Passenger Protection Act, which would make it a felony to drive while intoxicated if a passenger under the age of 16 is in a vehicle. The autopsy report, prepared by Dr. Aleksandar Milovanovic of the Westchester County medical examiner's office, describes Diane Schuler's body and her injuries in grotesque -- but makes no mention . Dianes parents, who lived just down the road from the Schulers in Mount Pleasant, claimed to be her natural guardians. After watching the documentary again and seeing those photos of her on the ground where she lay I noticed her left side is different indicative of a stroke. According to the New York Post, Daniel Rother, Dianes husband, is suing the state and Warren Hance, Dianes brother, claiming that they were responsible for the crash that killed eight people. At the time of the crash, Diane Schuler was travelling at around 85 km/h. Pratt added that Schuler could have smoked marijuana right before he died if he had done so 15 minutes before. At the end of the documentary, over the phone, Ruskin states that he had called Jay months previously with the results and that she refused to pick up her phone. That, of course, makes her sick and drunk and still in pain and not thinking clearly at all. Now, nine years later, they may finally have an explanation: Schuler may have had auto-brewery syndrome, a rare condition in which yeast overgrowth in the gut ferments carbohydrates into alcohol. [21] According to Barbara, Schuler was obese for much of her life and suffered from diabetes, although additional sources[which?] The Bastardi family would file a lawsuit against Daniel Schuler and Warren Hance seeking unspecified damages for wanton, willful, and reckless conduct. Really sad and the denial in the family is even sadder. Having watched the documentary, I think Diane was in deep emotional painmuch more than she ever let on. [10][19][20][21] The legal BAC limit for driving while intoxicated in New York is 0.08%. Schuler herself then talked to Hance and said that she was disoriented and could not see clearly. August 7, 2009 - Crash Mom's Husband: Killer or Victim: Who Was Wrong-Way Crash Mom? A toxicology report released by the Westchester County medical examiner found that Schuler had a blood alcohol content of .19% at the time of the accident. cite Diane as having experienced gestational diabetes, an acute condition related to pregnancy, rather than a chronic condition. Warren Hance, father of three victims and brother of mom, comes out of the church at the funeral for Emma, Alyson and Kate Hance and Diane and Erin. The Long Island mother was driving home from a camping trip when she got on the Taconic and drove nearly two miles in the wrong direction before plowing head-on into an SUV. I just wish that he would just admit that she was drunk. Daniel eventually raised the money to retest the samples taken during Dianes autopsy along with new samples taken during the exhumation of Dianes body. I wouldn't be surprised if Danny and her got into some fight, he said something he regretted, and likely feels some responsibility for what happened, but is afraid of criminal/legal/financial repercussions. She had etoh and weed in her system. They were required to include Hance in the suit as he was the owner of the van. Diane Schulers death has left her family and friends in shock. [25][26], Daniel and his attorney, Barbara, believed that Schuler was driving erratically due to a sudden medical emergency, such as a stroke. "The scientific evidence indicated that Diane Schuler was intoxicated at the time of the crash," the statement read. Some mysteries, however, start when we know the end and wonder, how did we get here? Or, at least, this is the case with Diane Schuler and the horrific and tragic 2009 Taconic State Parkway crash that had claimed eight lives, including Schulers own. The woman's 5-year-old son survived. Jackie Hance, the mother of the Schulers three nieces who died in the crash, would also file a lawsuit against Daniel Schuler in July 2011. . Two men who saw the accident said that they saw a large, broken Absolut Vodka bottle in the van when trying to pull Schuler out of the car. The only way she could cope was by being perfect . So then what to do? Three men in the Chevrolet outrider, 81-year-old Michael Bastardi, his 49-year-old son Guy, and Diane's boyfriend, . Cookie Notice Schuler would later change his story, saying that Diane never drank to excess or could have been driving while drunk that day. / CBS News. At 9:30am on July 26, 2009, Diane Schuler loaded up her two children (ages five and two) along with her brothers, Warren Hance, three daughters (ages eight, seven, and five) into her brothers red 2003 Ford Windstar and left the Hunter Lake Campground to start the journey to West Babylon, New York. Schuler had a blood alcohol level of 0.19 at the time of the accident, and her family has long insisted that she was not a drunk driver. "They want to know what happened that day," said forensic investigator Michael Archer. Maybe if he knows what happened that morning, if they argued or anything, that would be the truth. Abs can cause a wide range of symptoms, including hypoglycemia and stroke, similar to those seen in other patients. It could also be due to an imbalance in the body, or an infection that has affected the body. Schuler, a 36-year-old Long Island mother of two, was at the wheel, drunk and high, headed south at 70 mph in the northbound lane. I totally agree with Mary, the big question is why? For more information, please see our What Daniel and Barbara pushed was that Diane suffered from some sort of stroke or medical issue, which led to her odd and erratic behavior. The pain wasnt going away. On the way back to their home in West Babylon, on Long Island, Schuler stopped at a McDonald's restaurant and a Sunoco gas station in Liberty. IE 11 is not supported. The following photos are of the collision site only, and do not feature autopsy and cadaver photos. Her issues with her mother and brothers had never even been discussed much less resolved. She is seen claiming that "she was told not to pick up" and "that she didn't understand any of it." Performance & security by Cloudflare. The backseat was occupied by two young children, one aged seven and the other five. He remained hospitalized for several weeks before returning home in early October. No possible explanation suffices for the horrific July 26 crash, in which Ms. Schuler, returning from a camping trip, drove 1.7 miles in the wrong direction on a curvy . said, "[It] might have been an embolism". Browse 12 diane schuler stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. Diane Schuler was a 36-year-old Long Island woman who tragically killed herself and seven others in a fiery wrong-way car crash on the Taconic State Parkway in New York in 2009. Adults with Crohns disease have a greater risk of developing this problem. [6], At approximately 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, July 26, 2009, 36-year-old Diane Schuler left the Hunter Lake Campground in Parksville, New York, located in the Catskill Mountains, where the family kept their camping trailer. Link copied Sept. 1, 2009, 9:23 PM UTC / Source . The three men in the Trailblazer: 81-year-old Michael Bastardi, his 49-year-old son Guy, and their friend, 74-year-old Dan Longo were also declared dead at the scene. Done deal. In 2001, Dr. Elizabeth Hartney, BSc, MSc, MA, PhD, a psychologist, professor, and director of the Centre for Health Leadership and Research at Royal Roads University in Canada, described auto-brewery syndrome in a child with short gut syndrome. CSRL & CDG cartel Hang Woman From Bridge With Message Written on Her Body. The Trailblazer would then struck a 2002 Chevrolet Tracker. The end of the book reveals Mike Bastardi's own theory about how Diane Schuler came to be driving drunk and stoned at 85 mph in the wrong direction. Daniel then changed his story, and consistently denied that his wife ever "drank to excess" or could have been drunk while driving that day. Relatives of the mother of two have decried allegations she had substance abuse problems. [56] In the documentary, Daniel and Barbara claim they gave a private investigator, Tom Ruskin, $30,000 to conduct an independent investigation and to re-test samples. This makes it illegal to drive with a minor under the age of 16 in the car. During this call, one of Schuler's nieces reportedly told her father that Schuler was having trouble seeing and speaking clearly. Donate today. Diane Schuler was cut in half when she was hit by a train while crossing a tracks. The occupants of a third vehicle sustained minor injuries. Two hours before Diane Schuler drove the wrong way on an upstate parkway, killing herself and seven others, a motorist saw someone who looked and dressed like her doubled-over on the side of the . Doctors recommend that patients get a breathalyzer test to determine their blood alcohol level if they have auto-brewery syndrome. "[20][27] According to Tom Ruskin, a private investigator hired by Daniel's lawyers, none of the McDonald's employees had seen anything in Schuler's behavior to suggest that she was intoxicated. Her brain, urine, blood, stomach, and eye fluid were also discovered to be alcohol-containing, as previously reported. After a few years of having watched it about 3 times and reading everything on it, I think Ive come up with what I believe happened. She was drunk driving. [51], In September 2009, the syndicated talk show Dr. Phil broadcast an episode about drunk-driving moms that focused heavily on Schuler and the crash. [9] At 11:37 a.m., Schuler called Warren Hance, her brother and father of her three nieces, from the van. A co-owner for the campground said that when she left Diane Schuler appeared sober. }, First published on November 10, 2009 / 2:05 PM. Warren Hance spoke with his eldest daughter Emma on that terrifying phone call in the days following the tragedy. It does again confirm that she had alcohol in her brain and urine, along with her blood, stomach and eye fluid as has been previously reported. I have read police reports and autopsy reports and read the book by Jackie Nance the 3 little girls mother. Colombia wants to deport "cocaine hippos" to stop them from multiplying On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. True crime, usually, tends to focus pretty heavy toward unsolved mysteries, which can be a wild variety. Auto-brewery syndrome is extremely rare, and there are only a handful of documented cases in the medical literature. .component--type-recirculation .item:nth-child(5) { "Exhuming her body is only going to prolong the pain of the families involved . WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. A man who died in the wrong-way crash that killed eight people on a New York highway survived the impact and suffered at least briefly from pain . Barbara also mentioned an "abscess" that had persisted in Diane's mouth for seven weeks prior to her death, and a lump in her leg, about which she[who?] [9][18] Bryan was the only passenger of Schuler's vehicle to survive, suffering from broken bones and severe head trauma. In July 2011, Jackie Hance, who lost her three daughters in the crash, filed suit against Daniel, her brother-in-law. The end of the exit ramp, at the intersection with Pleasantville Road, is marked with two signs that read "Do Not Enter" and two signs that read "One Way". 185.111.106.78 It was to help with some major pain that she didnt expect . Her body was severed at the waist and her legs were found several feet away from her torso. Schulers husband, sister-in-law, and an investigator working on their behalf all made claims and/or inferences that Schuler had spoken to the Sunoco clerk while attempting to buy over-the-counter pain-relief medication, although the gas station did not sell any. Excessive alcohol consumption can cause physical and social problems in people with ABS. In fact, she had been observed carrying on an extended conversation while ordering her food and orange juice. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Diane Schuler: Wrong Way Taconic Crash. She reportedly told him that they were being delayed by traffic. Toxicology reports showed that Schuler had a blood alcohol level of 0.19, nearly twice the legal limit, and also had traces of marijuana in her system. Husband said, he never even wanted kids.there is more here. If youre a massive true crime stan, do sign upfor our newsletter. To me, this is all pretty cut and dry - she had been unhappy/depressed in her life for quite some time - raising kids with a deadbeat husband after having her own mother walk out at an early age. 147 First Avenue East Makes no sense. By all accounts, she was a good employee, a loving mother, and a happy member of the family. This week marks two years since Diane Schuler, a 36-year-old Long Island "supermom," caused a collision while driving a minivan the wrong way on New York's Taconic State Parkway. : They hardly referenced the little sister at all, but were totally obsessed with her not being called an alcoholic . Schuler left Liberty just after 11 a.m., traveling along Route 17/Interstate 86 and the New York Thruway (Interstate 87), entering the Ramapo-Sloatsburg service area, and crossing the Tappan Zee Bridge heading east. I believe diane had some major medical pain that day. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. Unbearable tragedy: Jackie Hance lost her daughters Alyson, seven (left), Kate, five and Emma, eight in a horrific car crash. Despite these high levels, nobody knew that Schuler was an alcoholic before her death in this tragic accident. Tim Ruskin, an investigator hired by Daniel Schuler, found people who observed Diane carrying on an extended conversation while ordering food. She drank more. This tips her mental state completely off the rails and shes now tripping as if in a dream state. One of the saddest news stories of the summer just got sadder the husband of Diane Schuler, whose wrong-way drunk-driving crash killed her and seven others, tells New York Magazine he still . The documentary suggests that Diane Schuler could have been suffering from severe pain caused by a tooth abscess during the drive home, causing her to look for painkillers at the gas station and, upon failing to find any, self-medicating with drugs and alcohol. Hance told Schuler to pull off the road and wait for him to get to her and the children. Credit: www.alcoholproblemsandsolutions.org. The purse: In the documentary pause it at the photo of the Vodka bottle. Complications of a different disease are a cause of auto brewery syndrome. The Westchester County medical examiners office released a toxicology report on August 4 that showed that Schuler had a blood-alcohol content of 0.19%, with approximately six grams of alcohol in her stomach that had not yet been consumed. [13], At about 1 p.m., another call was made to Hance from Schuler's cell phone. Meanwhile, her husband, Daniel Schuler, was in another vehicle. Authorities believe Schuler was not an alcoholic, according to the station. This post examines the 2009 New York Taconic Parkway crash that killed 8 people, including Diane Schuler, the driver of a minivan that plowed for 2 miles in the wrong direction down the parkway. But if Schuler did have the condition, it could help explain why she seemed perfectly sober to those who saw her in the hours leading up to the crash, but was, in fact, intoxicated. I believe Danny and diane had some kind of disagreement that morning. September 27, 2022. Schuler's family, including her husband, Daniel Schuler, blamed her bizarre behavior . Diane had multiple bone fractures, with lacerations in her internal organs. Eight people were killed when a minivan, being driven by 36-year-old Diane Schuler, traveled 1.7 miles (2.7 km) in the wrong direction on the . These lives passed instantly when the crash happened. The drive takes about 40 min, but she's gone for over an hour when her brother called. } , Daniel Schuler filed a lawsuit against the state of New York for not keeping the road safe and against Warren Hance as he owned the minivan that Diane was driving. Thats an absurd theory. Part 14: Diane Schuler and the Taconic Parkway Collision- Photo Gallery. Heres everything to know about the lead-up to the tragic event and the questions that still plague many to this day. Her husband literally did nothing. She told Hance that Schuler was having trouble speaking clearly and seeing the road. The documents were released to the families of the three Yonkers, N.Y. men who died when Diane Schuler smashed her minivan full of children head-on into their SUV. [19] On August 18, Westchester County District Attorney Janet DiFiore said that no charges would be filed in the incident, because Schuler was the only person responsible for the deaths. But the egregious nature of the accident is highly unique. Diane Schuler, a 36-year-old . The police receive a report about 11 fatalities at the scene. [21][23][24] When Larry King and Oprah Winfrey asked Daniel about the vodka in the van, he claimed that the couple always kept an "old" bottle in their camper. This woman has the most control over herself and everyone Ive ever seen. In the 1940s, a rare condition known as auto-brewery syndrome was first identified. More research is needed to learn more about its causes and possible treatments. Bacteria in the colon spend a lot of time in the gut, which is an important part of the digestive system. Alcohol consumption increases the risk of liver cirrhosis, brain damage, and even death for those with ABS. This seems highly unlikely to me. Lawyers for the family of two of the Yonkers men killed in the crash dismiss Ruskin's interpretation of the autopsy results as a plus in the Schuler's column. Diane Schulers death is still a mystery to this day. All the conspiracies surrounding Nicola Bulleys disappearance and death, Who killed Jeffrey Epstein? Leandras Law (Child Passenger Protection Act) is a New York State law making it an automatic felony on the first offense to drive drunk with a person age 15 or younger inside the vehicle, and setting the blood alcohol content, or BAC, at 0.08. At the time of the collision, Schuler was travelling at 85 mph. Trending News [52] The next month, Oprah Winfrey devoted an episode of her show to the crash, interviewing Tom Ruskin via Skype, with Winfrey responding incredulously to several of his claims.