Fair enough. I think she always had one substance or another on board and this particular morning she woke up in an altered state. Warren describes Diane as disoriented. She slurs her words and calls him Danny. Emma gets on the phone and Diane pulls the minivan over. Garbus attempts to piece together the psychological puzzle of Schuler's state of mind before the 2009 accident, one of the worst in state history. Only Dianes 5-year-old son, Bryan, survived. . . Suicide is the ONLY answer. I dont believe the Taconic Parkway crash was an accident. (Oct. 15, 2009) Credit: Thomas Ruskin By MICHAEL AMON michael.amon . Diane was a type A control freak who had to have things her way and had a hard time relaxing. As haunting and eerie as it is, I dont believe its a mystery. I wish there would be a grand jury to resolve the suspicions of the families of the victims. The HBO documentary There's Something Wrong with Aunt Diane attempted to give us insight as to what motivated Diane Schuler's unthinkable actions on July 26th 2009. It could have been any family that day, but it was my husband's and this is, actually produce conflicting documentation. for more information visit taconictragedy.us. She drives southbound against traffic for nearly two miles, causing more than a dozen vehicles to swerve out of her way. I read once that there was some sort of argument at Mcdonalds about the fact that it was only breakfast that was offered, not lunch (burgers and such), and that she was angry with the order taker about that. She wasnt making any sense., 'I never knew her to drink': Hance stunned by toxicology report. Police also found a broken bottle of vodka in the wreckage. Sometime after 1:30pm:Diane turns right from Pleasantville Road onto an exit ramp (headed in the wrong direction) for the Taconic Parkway. We, the rational, have great difficulty understanding what could bring a person to such a point, especially where kids are involved. Her son is the only survivor and Danny complained about having to take care of him. There is no greater pain than having lost my father and brother from the senseless act of a drunk driver. Jeanne Bastardi has written "The Taconic Tragedy A Son's Search for the Truth" based on the actual seven person homicide that took the lives of her husband's Father, Brother, and dearFriend. Perhaps there was tension between Danny and Diane. Schuler's five-year-old son Bryan was the crash's only survivor and suffered two broken legs and a broken arm among other serious injuries. People Search, Contact Information, Public Records & More She had to do all of the work and take care of the kids. Ruskin said he is now running his own tests to determine exactly what happened that day in hopes of piecing together the moments that led up to the crash that shattered three families and changed this young boy's life forever. The anger about the foundation in the Hance girls honor. Please use a different way to share. By Fiona Roberts. Confusion, abnormal behavior or both, such as the inability to complete routine tasks. Expiration Date: Dec 1, 2018 Type: Emergency Medical Technician. And third, why does Diane stop at the gas pump at Sunoco but not get gas? Doesnt even notice cars screaming by her because her brain is only able to do that one task. Book reviews, interviews, editors' picks, and more. We lose far too many people.far too young. A young man Ive known from his childhood committed suicide by car. 0:04. He is survived by his sister-in-law, Patricia Shuler; brother-in-law, Lyle Pries; nieces and nephews, Scott (Melissa) Shuler . How could she be dead sober at McDonalds, and then within an hour be so blind drunk that she is driving the wrong way down the freeway? Please try again. 1:35pm: The minivan crashes head-on into an SUV carrying the 3 Yonkers men (Guy and Michael Bastardi and their friend, Daniel Longo) to a familyparty. It could have been any family that day, but it was my husband's and this is his story. What I found was a book that created conflicting emotions for me. So, she gets in the car, and they leave. What you may not know is that this version of the story comes from the perspective of the Bastardis - the oft forgotten family who suffered their own tragedy that day. Its when your body turns sugar to alcohol due to yeast in the gi tract. And, good point. Many thanks to my project team for all the hard work that was put into the past 3 Your email address will not be published. The whole affair just wreaks of selfish parenting, lies, substance abuse, dirty money, cover ups and vitriol. I read Jackie Hance's beautifully written memoire of her heartbreaking and unimaginable loss of her three little girls before I read this. "She did not drink. For example, S ABB A 0 B 1 B 2. Its called the Yuppie disease. . I personally believe Diane Schuler was a closet drinker. Their divergent schedules likely allowed Diane to move in and out of the marriage, relationally, on a superficial level. This book is not only about the horrific acts of Diane Schuler and the suffering that she has caused so many people but also about the added pain caused by those who fabricated stories about her actions that day. Ruskin said he has not asked Bryan what he remembers about the moments leading up to the crash. Her tolerance must have been high enough that she seemed normal to Warren and Jackie Hance (and if shes a closet alcoholic, this makes sense) in a few of their phone calls. In keeping the promise that I made to my father, I hope this book can in some way speak for my brother, Guy, and my father. At first, I thought there was no way this was intentional. Diane had serious problems and probably self medicated rather than seek professional help. According to articles Ive read, symptoms include nausea, vomiting, headache, dizziness and disorientation. 11:37am: Emma calls her father, Warren Hance, on Dianes phone, to report they are running late. I looked at the title and wondered if the Bastardi family were able to find answers not in Jackie's book. She was bludgeoning and then shot to death in her home just 3 months after getting married. This book deals with the Bastardi family. Not wanting to stick it on the floor in the backseat with the kids there, she did exactly what I have done when Ive had to transport open bottles of liquor, she stuck it underneath the drivers seat just in case she were to get pulled over. An excellent synopsis of the events and which I agree with. Schuler's 5-year-old son, Bryan, survived. Reviewed in the United States on May 14, 2013. My bottom line theory is that she, for some reason, snapped that morning and she decided she was done with life. My father taught me how important family is. Scouting for big fish and or bait fish. Every adult in this book handled their grief in varying ways but I found it distasteful that the four little girls who perished are largely ignored and the author goes on to trash Jackie Hance who is suicidal but tries to do some good with the money people donated. 12:15-12:45pm: Eyewitnesses report a red minivan pulled over on the side of the road, just north of the Thruway service area in Sloatsburg, NY. I read this strictly to get more info on this tragic case. Diane kept too many things inside. Wonder how Danny Schuler is doing today? "Something medically had to have happened.". I found this book when I finished Jackie Hance's book about the tragedy. The call drops. Thank you! Shirley J. I do believe it is entirely possible Diane was a closet alcoholic and people either didnt know or refused to know/were in denial. https://bit.ly/2IJL4EXWant More True Crime? To keep the image alive with Danny meant not rocking the boat in their marriage, not bringing up grievances, and putting a perfect face out to the world. Ive become re-invigorated in the case after hearing about an extremely rare disorder called Auto-Brewery Syndrome (please see links below for more info on this). In Dianes case she always appeared normal and NOT drunk. The clerk stated to police that she asked for a pain reliever & wasnt there but only a couple of minutes. This is the story of the infamous Taconic Parkway crash but if you're reading this review then you already knew that. And again adults smoke pot on weekend trips to camps. Blowing horns, flashing lights, and waving arms did nothing to deter her. That doesnt make any sense to me. After all, theres nothing wrong with them. I was raised in an Italian-American family. I wish there was a more in-depth written study of this case. This woman didnt take these children to eat breakfast after a fun filled camping trip to turn around and decide to kill herself, and them. For someone with OCPD, if everything felt like it was unraveling and she couldnt keep tight enough reins on it, they might just become suicidal. Toxicology reports show her BAC at .18 and THC in her system. Over the years, Dianes mother attempted multiple times to reconcile with her only daughter. I bought this in order to fill in some gaps in the story of this tragedy and the book does do that. Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club thats right for you for free. 17 outside Middleton. Whether or not Diane. However justice died with Diane. OTOH, I do think its possible she had a migraine headache, which could explain her inability to see well. With Jesse Temple, Brad Katinas, Diane Schuler, Jay Schuler. TG I quit drinking, but some people cant. An eye opener for all. Maybe she felt like it was better for her kids to die than to be with her lousy husband. On Oct. 11, 2011, she gave birth to a daughter, Kasey Rose, who helped bring joy to the couple after the emotional devastation from the accident on the Taconic Parkway in New York in July 2009. You can try. Was this, at least in part, a diversionary tactic Diane employed? Its a staple in stores like that. One error thoughethanol is a liquid, not a gas. Diane exhibited all the signs of a drunk and high driver: aggressiveness, erratic driving, tailgating, honking her horn, straddling the lines, and she was seen hunched over as if throwing up by two separate witnesses on two separate occasions. Warren speaks briefly with Diane, reporting nothing unusual about the call. Diane Schuler 's son, Bryan, survived the accident; however, sustained severe injuries. A casual, just a few times a year drinker would have passed out by .09 or .10. People who knew Schuler said she was a stable, devoted and trustworthy mother, not someone who would put others, especially her children, at risk. I truely feel for their loss and pain. Question-there is no audio of her asking for pain relievers at the gas station. Its a shame she couldnt unburden herself especially to her sis-in-law Jay who seems like a sweetheart of a human being. Clearly, Diane had been drinking heavily. Sadly I agree she planned this she was way to organised not too.I believe she drank and used marijuana as a way of getting her courage up.When someone dies we remember the best Ive been through that and its not surprising her husband paints a perfect picture.I know this is years old now but it kind of haunts you.I think its unforgivable it was selfish to an extreme underneath all that so called great person was a really angry self centred one.I hope god can forgive I cannot. Anyone can act sober and power through a fast food order and convenience store. But I take issue with the convenience store stop. I dont have an opinion either way on alcohol or pot usage I live in a state where its legal. Written after viewing the notes her husband Michael was keeping, the book is based on his story detailing the drunken driving accident that drew worldwide attention. Schuler hired Ruskin to look into the accident. It depends on how much you drink and how long its been going on. He went on multiple new outfits to defend Dianes memory and even hired a private investigator to take a second look at Dianes autopsy findings. I believe Diane intended to kill herself and either didnt care if she took others out with her or, worse, planned to take others out with her. Diane drove around aimlessly, drinking and smoking, likely working up the courage to follow through with her suicide mission. The young lone survivor of the horrific Taconic State Parkway crash has finally learned that his mother, baby sister and three cousins were all killed in the accident, according to a report. It ended there, nobody went further with the story, like did the house burn with her or what, anybody else burn in the house. The fact that she was driving aggressively and honking, to me, could have been an attempt to gain attentionmaybe she was desperate for help, and in her disoriented state didnt think to just pull over and dial 911. The Hances were stunned, as they had had no reservations about leaving their children with Schuler. I do have an opinion about driving while high and/or drunk when you have a van full of defenseless little children. She has a car full of kids and hes in a truck with his dog? Warren's sister, Diane Schuler, was behind the wheel . (unanswerable, I know). To me its the phone: she gets out of the van and carefully leaves it behind. I think she did have drug and alcohol dependencies but harder to spot when you use prescription medication, food, shopping, alcohol and unchecked control issues. Low Income Housing Tax Credits. She had phone conversations with her brother during her drive back from the camp. Anyway, I think you wrote one of the best synopsis of the timeline and accident and your theory is very interesting and one I havent heard of or thought about before. It was written by the wife of the son and brother of one of the deceased males but is done so in third person so that was a strange literary choice. The Bastardi family are right in wanting justice. Liked by Bryan J. Schuler Jackson Generation declared Commercial Operation on May 4, 2022! The kids confirm this when they speak with the brother. Please try again. I just wanted to be with the girls so bad that I got so emotional and so fixated on seeing them again, Jackie said. Verified Purchase. He is preceded in death by his parents Frank and Elma Zeringue and his brother Edgar. Maybe she still had alcohol in her system when they left the campground, so she would not necessarily have to drink a lot to raise her BAC a bit. At what point did Diane stealthily transfer it to the drivers side of the minivan? Reviewed in the United States on September 2, 2018. Again witnesses and video show her as sober and acting normally. This increases the likelihood that Diane, if she did have OCPD (and, perhaps, other comorbid PDs), would not have been able to prioritize the childrens needs over her own needs, especially in a moment of high stress. Bryan was in the back of the family's van when, police say, his mother, Diane Schuler, left an upstate New York campground and drove the wrong way for nearly two miles down a Westchester County highway. The minivan plunged downhill and burst into flames as the SUV was pushed across two lanes and struck by another SUV. And what about her nieces? Or at the very least they should have been strapped into booster seats. Her aunt is the only person who even mentions her. Im late to this conversation and dont know if anyone will see this. Ive watched the documentary a dozen times and one thing I noticed is that Jay Schuler (Dannys sister-in-law) was always very close to him and protecting him without his brother being there. Can Auto-Brewery Syndrome also manufacture a big Vodka bottle, like the one found in the crash? Erin Schuler, 2, Dianes daughter: Deceased, Guy Bastardi, 49, driver of Chevy Trailblazer: Deceased, Michael Bastardi, 81, passenger in Chevy Trailblazer: Deceased, Daniel Longo, 74, passenger in Chevy Trailblazer: Deceased, Diane Schuler, 36, driver of minivan: Deceased. She gets a headache. Ive also been on REDDIT and other sites. Bryan is trying to rebuild his eyesight and his father puts a patch over each eye to try to strengthen it. Her husband Daniel Schuler and his lawyer Dominic Barbara have claimed that it was not illicit drugs and alcohol that caused Diane's behavior, but rather a medical condition and thetoothache-numbing agent Anbesol. On July 26, 2009, Diane Schuler, 36, was driving the wrong way down the Taconic State Parkway in New York when her minivan slammed into an SUV, killing Diane, her young daughter, three nieces, and three passengers in the other vehicle. But, why gel tabs? Diane leaves her phone neatly on the concrete barrier where she pulled over, just past the toll plaza, and drives off. Danny and Diane were ships in the night. I would recommend it though because some of the smaller details in the whole tragedy missed in the press are sketched out here. Perhaps a medical emergency, and that is why she stopped for Tylenol. The family leaves the McDonalds. Nearly a dozen other calls to her phone go to voice mail over the next 20 minutes. Emma reports seeing a sign that reads Sleepy Hollow and Tarrytown. Diane takes the phone again and Warren tells her to wait there. Lots of inconsistencies; for example, I dont know where the information about Diane looking for Tylenol came from, I believe I read the attendant refused to cooperate; the little girl who talked to her dad said nothing about her aunt having problems seeing, that was something the surviving little boy told his aunt when he had recovered and was in her care. Written after viewing the notes her husband Michael was keeping, the book is based on his story detailing the drunken driving accident that drew worldwide attention. Maybe she found something out that was disturbing. And it would be reasonable to ask that Daniel Shueler not profit from the acts of his wife that day. I couldnt see her (or any other responsible human being) taking others with her. Things like The house needs painting, the gutters need to be cleaned. Friends and acquaintances said Diane never complained. Her sister-in-law . Schuler's minivan eventually collided with an SUV, killing her and seven others, including her three nieces and her own daughter as well as Michael and Guy Bastardi and Daniel Longo, who were riding in the SUV. The whole story smells rotten. A woman matching Dianes description is seen sitting on the guard rail and appeared unwell. After studying and watching and thinking that the most simple answer is likely the real answer I posit this. Actually, I heard in one interview that the private investigator hired by Dianes husband said this. At the accident scene, an empty bottle of Absolut Vodka was found in the debris of the drivers side of the minivan. "She had contacted her brother two hours before to say she wasn't feeling well" NY State police conference (7/27/09)"A drunk driver did not do this to your family," Daniel Schuler (9/1/09)** This book is based on the facts and information as presented to the family from the state police investigators, district attorney's office, private investigators, medical examiners, and other sources as listed. Had she lived she'd be in jail on second degree murder charges. Brian was born November 17, 1959 to parents Dennis Schuler and Janice Eckhart. But I dont know how drinking vodka could help a migraine. The boy was the only person to survive the head-on crash that killed his mother, 2-year-old sister, three cousins, as well as three men in the oncoming car. 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