Mother who caused head on collision that killed 8...
 

I don't know if its big news all over the country but its pretty big in NY an NJ...

But it turns out the mother that was driving her vehicle the wrong way on a highway that crashed into another vehicle headon and killed a total of 8 people had a .19% blood alcohol content, had injested Pot, and had an additional 6 ounces of volka in her stomach.

Her family is denying those facts, and are asking for a private autopsy. For those of you that don't know. She drove 2 miles the wrong way on a busy highway before causing the collision. She killed her daughter three nieces and three men in another vehicle, her 5 year old son is in bad shape at the hospital.

But does anyway actually believe that she wasnt under the influence of drugs and alcohol?

Yeah, how could she not have been wasted?

Somebody is playing CYA here.

...

This tragedy is up there with the "Pretty women hate me!" guy that blasted the zumba class in PA.

Shit happens.

She had to have been on something...

Silly intoxicated drivers.

How is this a matter of opinion?

^^ Good question ...

I think she was wasted to drive in the wrong direction on highways ... I mean on ramps even look different! You had to be on something or seriously out of it to do that ...

I just drove that stretch of highway last night. It's not an easy drive since the road actually winds and is very narror in many places.

I'm actually wondering if it was more a suicide than anything else.

Well if they tested her BAC to .19, and there's nobody giving us a reason to believe otherwise, why should I believe otherwise? I get that it must be hard for her family to accept that their relative could be responsible for so many deaths, but sometimes you gotta face the facts: she drank a shitload, and drove. It was stupid, and people died.

yeah I don't have enough info to make a decision. I am scientific by nature so let's see what the second autopsy shows. either way this is terrible. I've seen people do some pretty stupid stuff without being under the influence so I say its at least plausible.

We have a winner!

I am still wondering how two people drove the wrong way on the same road on the same day. I find that very strange. I also find it hard to believe she could have been that intoxicated. I smell a botched job with the autopsy.

Even so I voted I dunno, because I like to be informed rather than mouth off.

Two people? Is there a detail I'm missing here?

Truth is not a matter of popular opinion.

her family is claiming all sorts of things one example was that she had a tooth apsess....if it turns out that she was an alcoholic and the family had knowledge that she drove on a regular basis under the influence...is there anything criminally they could be held liable for...i dont think so...but civilily they would be in trouble...

its hard to believe that they would let her drive with the children in the car....but i deal with this all the time...in my state dwi is a traffic offense...but if theres a juvenile in the car there is a criminal charge that goes with it. and ive seen it used more than you would think and mostly having to do with crashes.

its such a tragedy for all involved and i will continue to follow the story...

I thought this was common knowledge. Here:

"It was the second wrong-way crash on the parkway on Sunday. Five people were injured in an early morning collision between two vehicles, one of which was headed northbound in the southbound lanes. That accident occurred about 20 miles north of the later incident."

Link to Article

I find this strange. If it's so hard to get on a highway going in the worng direction, how did two people do it on the same road in one day?

Thanks. I know nothing about this other than what has been posted here.

They should probably look into what may be causing the confusion, but I don't see why the odd occurrence of two in one day makes it any less likely the autopsy is correct.

Well, If I had been in a wreck and the autopsy revealed that I had a BAC of 1.9 my family would be denying it too because I don't drink that much EVER and my family knows that not only would I ever not get that drunk, I wouldn't drive. I would assume the reason her family is denying it is because it it is unusual behavior.

I think suicide is the the cause. She probably heard about the accident and said fuck it, That's how I'm going out. She got liquored up and did it. That would explain the two crashed in one day..

It's also possible her family simply doesn't want to believe it.

One problem I have with the suicide theory is that you often hear about parents taking their kids with them, but her nieces? That just seems odd to me, though granted it's a minor detail.

The primary issue here, though, is whether she was really that intoxicated, which I have yet to see any reason not to believe. If the autopsy says it, it's likely true, suicide or not.

It just so sad and senseless.

she was under the influence of life, wunnit she.
120,000 more babies born in the last 5 minutes....zzzzz

Maybe she was fucking crazy. Maybe she snapped that day. Maybe she was drunk, high and snapped.

Either way she did it, and IMO after that many deaths, she should go too.

If it was my daughter she killed, I'd kill her myself, family or not.

I'll wait for the facts, thank you.

I'm glad you guys aren't going to be on the jury when my hearing comes up.

:splat:

We're not saying that if this were a court, we wouldn't want to see an autopsy report, and take a look at all the available evidence.
Only that in this case, from where we're standing, with the information we have all pointing towards intoxication, and the only voice going against that is the family (understandable), there's no reason not to believe it.
Plus, she's already dead, not much we could do in a court of law.

Understood. But I also know that things aren't always what they appear to be. I guess I'm not one for speculation when it comes to potential lifelong consequences for someone.

There are no real facts yet, as far as I'm concerned. Deciding what we think at this point means we're buying into whatever hype is broadcast our way and that's not something I'm feeling good about these days.

Besides, that could be your mom, sister, wife, daughter. I'm just sayin' ...

It's hard to say since 20 miles on that stretch of highway is vastly different from one end to the other.

But it is very hard to drive the wrong way for any strecth there, but easy to accidently do since the onramps and offramps are very short and not well signed.

How is a measured BAC not a fact?

have current eastern seaboard new york metropolitan area-airborne waste dump fumes or armageddon-level, area 51 mercury levels in her home water supply been ruled out completely as cause of accident at this time?

Ding ding ding!!


I voted wrong, now I feel like an idiot. I picked "Yes, yada yada yada" thinking it was that yes she was on drugs, not "yes she is not on drugs". tricky tricky wording!

Indeed.

When was the breathalyzer last calibrated? Who did the reading? Could it have been misread, misprinted or misunderstood.

Or better yet, ask an attorney.

I was under the impression the woman was a DoA, meaning the BAC was determined from blood drawn by an ME during an autopsy.

So, are you saying there are no such things as facts?

P.S. Lawyers have very little to do with truth and facts (if they exist).

I don't know if she was DoA, but it seems pretty likely, especially after seeing the pictures. I highly doubt the BAC was determined by breathalyzer. The fact the family wants an independent autopsy also indicates the BAC was determined based on the autopsy, in which case there is very little room for doubt.

Boatloads of room for doubt, m'dear:


CTV.ca | Charles Smith erred in 20 autopsies: review

Last I checked this was in a different country with a different coroner.

That's like saying we need multiple autopsies on every body, just to be sure. That a rare few coroners are corrupt, or inept, says nothing of the likelihood that this coroner, like most others, is doing his or her job with the appropriate expertise.

No one is saying he/she isn't - but people deserve the benefit of the doubt, and the instance quoted is hardly the only time a coroner has been guilty of making mistakes or fudging the facts. It's even a recurring Law & Order plotline!

Given the paucity of information in the OP and subsequent posted link, and the relationship of the "perpetrator" to the victims, I'd sure be happy to see a lot more information and can delay the public flogging until that is available.

This Fark headline is appropriate here:

Billy Mays didn't use cocaine, David Carradine wasn't a kinky masturbator, and grieving families in denial don't seem to understand forensic evidence

Yeah, pretty much as far as legal cases go. Does anyone ever know the truth other than those involved? The legal system's designed to hear evidence, circumstantial and factual but verdict is based on weighing evidence for both sides. Verdicts and convictions aren't totally based on facts, they're based on supposed preponderance of evidence.

The OP asked if we believe she was under the influence. My opinion, although different from yours, is that at this point I'm not quite ready to prosecute.

I wasn't implying that lawyers have anything to do with facts, only that most would be able to cite multiple cases where evidence was mishandled or botched. Besides, you don't have to be drunk to accidentally get on the exit ramp instead of the entrance ramp.

I'd just like to point out that I have not actually stated an opinion about this case. I merely asked a clarifying question about your statement.

However, if she indeed drove 2 miles the wrong way, and passed a single "exit". backward road sign, or car that she didn't hit, then state of sobriety may be a reasonable question.

Question for Cyn: On that stretch of road is it possible to cross the median to the other lanes? And is there a shoulder?

yes there are places to cross over to the other side from time to time. It's a parkway, which Robert Moses designed to be less about getting from point A to point B and more about having a pretty drive. There are trees and grass dividing the 2 directions. Most of the parkways are 2 lanes in each direction. No commercial vehicles are allowed, nor trucks.

This isn't the parkway, but it is a good example of what it looks like for parts of it.

USA: Parkways - SkyscraperCity
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...9e839edb_o.jpg

This is a stretch of the Taconic

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...78924ac3_o.jpg

Although you still haven't stated your opinion in answer to the OP, it's not difficult to read between the lines.

I think that her state of sobriety is a reasonable question, too.

So, you are willing to read between the lines and speculate on it even though there are no real facts? ;) :p

First, I'm with other's in that I highly doubt BAC was determined via a Breathalyzer. But how they came up with the BAC isn't really important.

Second, I'd be a hard sell on the suicide theory. Took herself, four members (children) of her own family and three other people out by doing a head-on... after driving how many miles the wrong way? Females don't normally commit suicide via violent methods. I think the stats say poison/overdose is the leading, by far, cause of female suicide. I didn't know her, don't know all the facts so I could be wrong but it doesn't sound right to me.

Third, facts are not debatable nor are they public opinion... true. But people make mistakes on tests, happens all the time. Is it possible the BAC and the THC (had marijuana in her system too, right?) tests were both botched? Yeah, could happen but unless they just mixed up her samples with someone else's I don't see that as very likely. Messing up on one test seems highly more likely then screwing up two.

So I don't know what to make of it. Articles like This seem to be full of contradictions. She was fine an hour before the crash then had 10 drinks and smoked some pot before the crash? Was she driving down the road binge drinking and toking? Could happen, I've pulled people over and found a half empty bottle in their lap and warm blunt in the ash tray. Seems odd to me she would engage in these behaviors with her child and three nieces in the vehicle.

I hope the family gets the private autopsy and for their sake I hope they take their own tissue samples.

Until the tests, which seem to be in question, are redone I vote "Don't know" When independent tests are done I might be willing to change my vote.

Actually, the article says that she was "fine", based on the attentiveness of the McDonalds employees, prior to 10:30 am. The crash occurred around 1:30 pm. And in a phone call at 1:02 pm "Schuler's 8-year-old niece told her father that Schuler wasn't feeling well and had trouble seeing and speaking."

a couple of quick points...

yes the BAC is a fact and it was taken directly from blood so its a more accurate reading than what you would get from just a breath sample...

and driving for driving the wrong way on the highway....i might have forgot to mention that she drove the wrong way for about 2 miles before crashing...i could see driving he wrong way for 50 feet maybe even 300 feet....but two miles...

---------- Post added at 01:25 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:15 PM ----------

ive dealt with people that wittnessed accidents thought the person seemed fine in talking with them and turned out to be a .16% BAC, an untrained eye my not pick up on the signs that a trained professional with experience dealing with dwi's would notice...and she prolly wasnt that drunk yet...she coulda been a .08 at the time she was at mcdonalds or even a .00, 3 hours would be plenty to reach a .19% ive reached a .17% in four hours and i wasnt even throwing them back...

trouble seeing and speaking would be a classic sign of impairment due to alcoholic beverage consumption....in training for looking for impaired drivers officers are told a sign would be someone leaning forward in there seat with there face closer to the windshield

yet another wrong way driver.

I was tempted not to type my opinion in.
I'm undecided, I'd certainly want to see the second autopsy before jumping on either bandwagon for a few reasons.

1) Labs make mistakes, more then the general public would believe (personal sources and experiences), for a few years now I've had major tests ran at different labs when it involves me or my family. The ME doesn't usually run the tests, he or she take the samples bundles them up and ships them to a lab (at least thats the procedure where I live).

2) After almost 2 decades of running the highways and byways for a living I've seen people drive down major roads and highways the wrong way more times then I'd want to count. And yes sometimes I've helped pickup the pieces and testify in court as to what I saw and did. Actually I almost did it myself once because of a misplaced sign when a road was under going some repairs.

3) Yes most women tend to suicide with drugs/poison (according to statistics anyways) but who is to say she didn't just snap because of something that happened on the way to where she was going?

4) Drinking that much AND doing drugs and then driving on a highway with not only her own children but her nieces as well makes me just a bit skeptical, not nearly enough to rule it out mind you but it does raise a flag in my mind.

5) Why would she leave her cell phone behind like that? Or did I just misread something? "On Sunday, July 26, Long Island resident Diane Schuler left her cell phone near the bridge before driving a van carrying her three nieces and own two children the wrong way on the Taconic State Parkway."

I dunno, if I was on a jury with this case with the evidence so far presented I doubt if I could make a decision.

I like the suicide theory. She could have been drunk and all, but there were 4 other people with her, albeit kids.

Dang, that's a nice road.

What a terrible story to read about, never had heard of it before tonight.

From USA Today:
A half-hour before the crash, Schuler pulled over to call her brother, Warren Hance, and said she was feeling disoriented and had trouble seeing. Hance said he told her to stay put and he would drive to her. Schuler drove off, leaving her cellphone at the roadside stop. Instead of heading south, toward home, she drove north.

Witnesses interviewed by police indicate Schuler may have been the woman whom other drivers had reported seeing before the crash. Police had received calls from drivers complaining of a woman in a red minivan filled with kids driving on Route 17 and also on Interstate 87. Callers complained the vehicle was "straddling two lanes, tailgating, flashing its headlights and beeping the horn."

Seems a little fishy to me. Granted, if she called her brother, she should have taken his advice and stayed put. But drunks and stoners don't call relatives to report they're not feeling well. It may seem a little far-fetched, but I'd check if she might have stopped along the way home for some refreshments that got laced by some employees who thought it might be funny to get some soccer mom stoned. Other reports indicate she was diabetic, and the symptoms she described could be attributed to hypoglycemia. She was obviously showing bad judgment by flashing her lights and honking her horn to get attention, instead of just pulling over and waiting for help. Perhaps she was hoping she could get someone to stop and call for help, realizing she left her cell phone at the rest stop.

In any case, it's a tragedy for everyone involved.

it certainly would be possible for her to unknowningly consume something that had been laced with thc....but to drink the amount of alcohol that she consumed unknowningly would be impossible....and they found a bottle of vodka in the van...

its a mystery for sure

maybe she was going to go to sleep while driving?????

TACONIC CRASH MOM, DIANE SCHULER'S FAMILY KNEW SHE SMOKED MARIJUANA - New York Post

Interesting but doesn't explain the BAC. No word on a second, independent autopsy?

No, nothing as of yet.

Not even word if they can get one done?

Seems like if they really wanted one they could get one. I mean I don't know that. But now that it's come out that people knew she toked, maybe they don't want one. Might just prove they're wrong. Then they won't be able to claim it was botched.