Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Diane Schuler Loses Everything After Drinking And Driving


Drinking can kill you. Marijuana can cause a careless fatality. Negligent driving can translate into homicide. Drinking, impairment from marijuana and negligent driving all at the same time can be suicide, murder or both. Diane Schuler, 36, caused a head-on collision that killed eight people. Among the dead was Diane, Diane's daughter and her three nieces. The collision happened on Taconic State Parkway north of New York City. Toxicology reports apparently indicate that Diane was drunk (0.19%) and had smoked marijuana. The result was a three-vehicle collision when she was driving the wrong direction on the high way. The exact reason why Diane was driving in such an impaired state is unknown. What is known is that Diane's impaired judgment has forever destroyed her family.

Diane's blood alcohol was 0.19 percent. She also had high levels of marijuana in her system according to New York State Police. There was an additional "6 grams of alcohol in her stomach that had yet to be metabolized" according to the State Police. In other words, she was only becoming more intoxicated as she drove. And drive she did. Apparently she drove up to two miles in the wrong direction on the highway. Perception, judgment and memory would likely have been impaired. A broken bottle of vodka was discovered in the minivan. The minivan contained five precious children. Diane's minivan crashed into an oncoming SUV carrying three adults. A third vehicle was also damaged.
Schuler and four of the children died. Of the children, one was Schuler's daughter and three were Schuler's nieces. The surviving child in the minivan was Schuler's son. Three adults in the SUV died. Two adults in a third vehicle suffered minor injuries. Westchester County District Attorney Janet DiFiore will continue the investigation of this fatality. However, no investigation can ever right the horrible wrong caused by this lapse in judgment.

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

The bottle never solves any problems.

Anonymous said...

Maybe Diane was having a real bad day and once she started drinking, she could not stop. Don't judge. She is gone.

Ms Calabaza said...

TRAGIC!

Anonymous said...

Trolls! This is a sad deal.

Anonymous said...

If she had lived she would be jailed.

Anonymous said...

Be happy with yourself what you've done, where your gonna be/going in the future....
it will rub of on your personality and others will find you more pleasant.

In other words, let it go.

Dollar Bill said...

Nope, the estate of the two killed adults will be suing big time!

Dollar Bill

Anonymous said...

A woman drinks and smokes pot on a journey down the highway with a car full of kids, driving recklessly & very fast (when most drunken drivers slow down) and then drives for almost 2 miles in the wrong direction. Another sad case of 'maternal homicide-suicide complex'. God rest the souls of the children and the Yonkers men who were Diane Schulers victims and give their families the strength to get through the loss of their loved ones.

Anonymous said...

Maybe domestic dispute was the motive for her inebriated rampage?

Anonymous said...

Just what was this gurl thinking?

Anonymous said...

Very sad story... All I can say is god bless all the families trying to make sense of this, and then trying to move forward!

Video Guy said...

My question is; How many times before this incident was she driving while intoxicated with children in her van? I'm sure this was not the first time, and I would think there to be an abuse of alcohol in her past

Anonymous said...

Good Question!

Anonymous said...

Hubby said his wife did not get drunk. Toxicology must be a mistake!

Anonymous said...

Too many lives lost to drunk driving!

Anonymous said...

watched the HBO special. the father now looks like a real a-hole. hardly takes care of his son, says he is sorry to have been left a single parent, that diane was sposed to take care of that! did he get high with her, make a toast, get her going???? it sure doesn't fit her profile, he had motive to be rid of wife and kids.

Anonymous said...

or tell her he was leaving "i never WANTED these kids", triggering PTSD from mom going at her age 9???? her name will be forever besmirched

Anonymous said...

In the documentary, Danny said they took a bottle of vodka to the camp and left it there for the season. That Diane packed it to go back suggests that she did not intend to go back - even though it was only July, the "season" was over. This suggests some rift between husband and wife.

Danny said he went to the camp on Thursday, but he really didn't go until Friday morning. Where was he? Does that have anything to do with the rift?

Danny said she packed the bags and he put them in the car, but he didn't see the vodka. She had to have removed it from the bottom of whatever bag it was in and placed it in the front seat. That says that she intended to drink on the drive home.

Diane was a "control freak". She did exactly what she intended to do at all times. For her, it was "my way or the highway" right to the end of the road.

outsider said...

NOt sure how accurate the documentary was but one thing is for sure, this was a very messed up lady. Hope she can find rest in the next world.

So Sad said...

Ironically, most people only hear another's pain after they stop breathing...