LetThemEatCake
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Interesting, I didn't know that category existed, from watching the documentary I always thought she killed herself and the others on purpose, what an evil <modsnip>
NY - 8 Die in Crash on Taconic State Parkway #3
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Shecky
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As a recovering alcoholic, I can totally picture what happened that morning.
I was one of those people who thought they could kill the pain of a hangover by drinking in the morning. The thing was, I would tell myself that I was only going to have one or two drinks to "normalize" myself, I wanted the horrible nausea to go away so I could maybe eat something for breakfast. I can't tell you how many days began with the promise of "today I'll quit binge drinking, I just need a little bit to feel human enough to go on with my day". It's an absolutely visicous cycle to be on.
I'm betting that Diane was feeling really sick that morning, she had a drive ahead of her with a car full of hyper kids. Anxiety attacks are common when you've been in a binge drinking cycle, she probably just wanted to feel decent enough to drive home. That's the alcoholic "logic" kicking in.
She had to hide her drinking from the kids, I know that feeling. I'd be in a house with friends and family and my priority was to sneak booze into my coffee or juice without anyone finding out. Sometimes in haste, you pour more booze than you intended. You can easily end up drunk when you only intended to take the edge off.
She probably slurred her words on the phone with family that morning and she knew she was busted. She panicked and didn't want her family to come looking for her and find her drunk. So you combine drunkenness with panic to flee the situation, I totally understand how that could lead to her going the wrong way into oncoming traffic.
I have empathy for Diane because I know the terror you feel as an addict when you're about to be caught. Your world is going to come crashing down and you think everyone is going to hate you for having this problem.
I'm really lucky that I stopped drinking when I did.
My heart aches for those kids in the car, they must have been so terrified.
Alcoholism is a deadly secret
I was one of those people who thought they could kill the pain of a hangover by drinking in the morning. The thing was, I would tell myself that I was only going to have one or two drinks to "normalize" myself, I wanted the horrible nausea to go away so I could maybe eat something for breakfast. I can't tell you how many days began with the promise of "today I'll quit binge drinking, I just need a little bit to feel human enough to go on with my day". It's an absolutely visicous cycle to be on.
I'm betting that Diane was feeling really sick that morning, she had a drive ahead of her with a car full of hyper kids. Anxiety attacks are common when you've been in a binge drinking cycle, she probably just wanted to feel decent enough to drive home. That's the alcoholic "logic" kicking in.
She had to hide her drinking from the kids, I know that feeling. I'd be in a house with friends and family and my priority was to sneak booze into my coffee or juice without anyone finding out. Sometimes in haste, you pour more booze than you intended. You can easily end up drunk when you only intended to take the edge off.
She probably slurred her words on the phone with family that morning and she knew she was busted. She panicked and didn't want her family to come looking for her and find her drunk. So you combine drunkenness with panic to flee the situation, I totally understand how that could lead to her going the wrong way into oncoming traffic.
I have empathy for Diane because I know the terror you feel as an addict when you're about to be caught. Your world is going to come crashing down and you think everyone is going to hate you for having this problem.
I'm really lucky that I stopped drinking when I did.
My heart aches for those kids in the car, they must have been so terrified.
Alcoholism is a deadly secret
LetThemEatCake
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but she was driving in a straight line though.
Shecky
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It's not hard to keep a car going straight for that short amount of time, even if you're intoxicated. I think she was trying to get off the freeway as fast as possible once she realized she was going the wrong way.
Yes, in a sober state of mind, if you find yourself driving into oncoming traffic the logical solution would be to drive onto the shoulder and stop. In a drunken state? You're not thinking clearly.
My Mom was also an alcoholic, she once drove into oncoming traffic, though thankfully it was on a city street where traffic was like 30mph. The car she was headed straight for just happened to be a cop, who took evasive action and then arrested her.
LetThemEatCake
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well it wasn't for a short period of time, and according to witnesses she seemed totally in control, although to be fair, my father also an alcoholic, never even got pulled over in all his life.
Shecky
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I've watched the documentary a few times now. When witnesses talk about her being focused straight ahead, that's easy for me to believe. When you're drunk you often have double vision, and remember her son said "Mommy couldn't see?" I think Diane had that look on her face because she was trying hard to focus her vision and stop seeing double.
bluesneakers
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To me it seems clear she did, and her husband is lying about everything. I feel awful for her son - to grow up with a father who resents you and in the shadow of what his mother did to herself, the others, his sister, his cousins, and him isn't going to be easy.
I think his statement about his mom not being able to see is how he processed her going straight at the other cars. Why would she do that? She must not have been able to see them.
It's heartbreaking to think about those kids.
I'm sure she had a large life insurance policy since she was the main bread winner and a CEO at Cablevision
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I saw the documentary last night. Horrible tragedy. Obviously Diane made some really bad choices but she's dead.
The husband and the sister really did seem to believe there was an " innocent" explanation, but there wasn't. I can't help suspecting that they didn't and perhaps still don't think she was capable of such a thing.
While there may be some blame being put on him for "letting his alcoholic, irresponsible wife drive with five kids in the car" and he may be defensive about it, I am not sure this is his motive.
Nothing has come out about the legal liability issues. Obviously, Diane is liable in the accident regardless. I'm sure the full limits of her insurance was paid out and a claim could be made against her estate which probably also paid out so that there was probably nothing left for the husband and the son to inherit from her. The husband however, would not normally be liable for anything; he wasn't there and it wasn't even his car, it was Diane's brother's. Ironically, Life Insurance is not normally part of the estate so he could keep those proceeds.
It seems very unlikely that anyone would have a legal claim against him. All the other family claimed they wanted was for him to acknowledge that she should be held as an example of the hazards of drunk driving and he seemed unwilling to do this. He may have been and perhaps still is, in denial, but so what?
Nowhere have I learned of any evidence that she was an alcoholic or otherwise been known to drink and drive. One may speculate that "only an alcoholic would do such a thing". I'm not so sure. I wonder if it is possible that a normally responsible person with a toothache, a headache or who was just bored, stressed, depressed or whatever, got the bright idea that a few shots of vodka and a little pot wouldn't make the drive home a little more pleasant and she somehow misjudged how much she drank.
The husband and the sister really did seem to believe there was an " innocent" explanation, but there wasn't. I can't help suspecting that they didn't and perhaps still don't think she was capable of such a thing.
While there may be some blame being put on him for "letting his alcoholic, irresponsible wife drive with five kids in the car" and he may be defensive about it, I am not sure this is his motive.
Nothing has come out about the legal liability issues. Obviously, Diane is liable in the accident regardless. I'm sure the full limits of her insurance was paid out and a claim could be made against her estate which probably also paid out so that there was probably nothing left for the husband and the son to inherit from her. The husband however, would not normally be liable for anything; he wasn't there and it wasn't even his car, it was Diane's brother's. Ironically, Life Insurance is not normally part of the estate so he could keep those proceeds.
It seems very unlikely that anyone would have a legal claim against him. All the other family claimed they wanted was for him to acknowledge that she should be held as an example of the hazards of drunk driving and he seemed unwilling to do this. He may have been and perhaps still is, in denial, but so what?
Nowhere have I learned of any evidence that she was an alcoholic or otherwise been known to drink and drive. One may speculate that "only an alcoholic would do such a thing". I'm not so sure. I wonder if it is possible that a normally responsible person with a toothache, a headache or who was just bored, stressed, depressed or whatever, got the bright idea that a few shots of vodka and a little pot wouldn't make the drive home a little more pleasant and she somehow misjudged how much she drank.
Flyingxchanges
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My interest was renewed in this case after a seemingly similar accident happened near my house last week. Such a senseless tradgedy.
The accident by my house was eerily similar. Young mother drove 1.7 miles going the wrong way down a busy highway with her 14 month old in the car. She apparently stayed on the shoulder the entire time at a high rate of speed before she entered the travel lane and hit another car head on. She died and the driver of the other vehicle died after being transported to shock trauma. Her baby has injuries but is expected to recover. There was also a third car involved whose occupants were not injured.
I just can't comprehend why, even if impaired, you don't stop when you realize you're headed into oncoming traffic.
The accident by my house was eerily similar. Young mother drove 1.7 miles going the wrong way down a busy highway with her 14 month old in the car. She apparently stayed on the shoulder the entire time at a high rate of speed before she entered the travel lane and hit another car head on. She died and the driver of the other vehicle died after being transported to shock trauma. Her baby has injuries but is expected to recover. There was also a third car involved whose occupants were not injured.
I just can't comprehend why, even if impaired, you don't stop when you realize you're headed into oncoming traffic.
U2forever
vision over visibility
Why don't they stop when they realize they are headed the wrong way?
Suicide is what I believe. JMO
How awful and her poor baby and the other driver.
Godspeed, wee one :angel:
Godspeed, innocent driver
I feel bad for their families.
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bluesneakers
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My heart breaks for those kids. And her son. Who knows what he remembers? I hope he's getting a lot of help.
U2forever
vision over visibility
Bluesneakers, if your referring to Diane's son, I know, just devastating for him and to have his father, don't get me started. JMO
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bluesneakers
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I am.
And OT: But is that your picture in your avatar? If so you have gorgeous hair! That's the color I've been trying to get for three years.
Harmony 2
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Is it possible Diane suffered a brief psychotic break or a form of psychosis?
http://www.livescience.com/53388-brief-psychotic-breaks-remain-a-mystery.html
http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/A+psychotic+break
http://www.livescience.com/53388-brief-psychotic-breaks-remain-a-mystery.html
http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/A+psychotic+break
Claudia
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I think that's very possible. She went from composed to crazy in a matter of 15 or so minutes. Let me see if I can locate a timeline I was looking at last night. It's a good layout of what happened and when.
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Claudia
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July 26th, 2009
0930 Diane and the 5 children leave campsite driving the Hances' borrowed minivan. She doesn't appear intoxicated to the campsite owner who spoke to her before she left.
0956 Diane and the kids stop at McDonalds to get breakfast for everyone. She has a long conversation with several employees, didn't appear intoxicated to anyone she spoke to in person or to the police on the surveillance tape. She does not smell of alcohol.
1036 Diane stops at a gas station, briefly looks around for pain meds, then asks the clerk for them. Doesn't appear intoxicated to the employee nor on the surveillance tape. She does not (on camera) appear to be drinking or smoking anything during this stop.
1137 Diane calls Jackie Hance, says they're running late getting home. They chat about getting tickets for a play one of the girls will be in. She at this point sounds fine and normal.
1200 According to witnesses, Diane starts driving aggressively and erratically (driving fast, changing lanes frequently) but "precisely". She is driving straight and not swerving.
1215-1230 According to witnesses, Diane is driving VERY erratically and aggressively: honking, tailgating, trying to pass cars by driving on the shoulder. She pulls over into rest stop area, bends over as if she is going to vomit.
1255 Diane starts making strange phone calls from her cell phone while driving. She makes several calls to wrong numbers.
1300 Emma Hance (8) makes a call to her mother. Emma is distraught and says "there's something wrong with Aunt Diane": She is sick and cannot see the other cars on the road (Diane's son Bryan later told his family that "Mommy's head hurt, and she couldn't see."). The other kids in the car are crying. Diane takes the phone from Emma tells Jackie that everything is fine, and the kids are just playing around. She is slurring her words and sounds drunk. Jackie asks to speak to Emma, and Diane ends the call abruptly.
1302 Warren Hance calls Diane's cell phone. Diane is stopped somewhere and out of the car. She is totally disoriented and calls him Danny. He tells her to stay where she is, he is coming to get them. She is unable to provide a location, so Emma reads road signs to her father. (Diane was parked across the street from the barracks of the New York State Police.)
1310 Three wrong numbers are dialed from Diane's cellphone. Diane leaves her cell phone on the lane divider, gets back in the car and drives completely off course.
1315 Warren tries to call Diane several times, no answer.
1330 Diane steers the van onto the Taconic Parkway going the wrong way, totally oblivious to drivers honking and flashing their lights at her. She is reported to have a determined and serene look on her face and is holding the wheel steadily. Proceeds onto the highway, drives straight in the fast lane for 1,7 miles at 70-85 mph (110-135 kpm) before hitting an oncoming SUV head on, killing 3 men inside and all the minivan's passengers (Bryan is the sole survivor). An open bottle of Absolut Vodka is found in the passenger seat.
1335 Calls to 911 reporting accident.
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0930 Diane and the 5 children leave campsite driving the Hances' borrowed minivan. She doesn't appear intoxicated to the campsite owner who spoke to her before she left.
0956 Diane and the kids stop at McDonalds to get breakfast for everyone. She has a long conversation with several employees, didn't appear intoxicated to anyone she spoke to in person or to the police on the surveillance tape. She does not smell of alcohol.
1036 Diane stops at a gas station, briefly looks around for pain meds, then asks the clerk for them. Doesn't appear intoxicated to the employee nor on the surveillance tape. She does not (on camera) appear to be drinking or smoking anything during this stop.
1137 Diane calls Jackie Hance, says they're running late getting home. They chat about getting tickets for a play one of the girls will be in. She at this point sounds fine and normal.
1200 According to witnesses, Diane starts driving aggressively and erratically (driving fast, changing lanes frequently) but "precisely". She is driving straight and not swerving.
1215-1230 According to witnesses, Diane is driving VERY erratically and aggressively: honking, tailgating, trying to pass cars by driving on the shoulder. She pulls over into rest stop area, bends over as if she is going to vomit.
1255 Diane starts making strange phone calls from her cell phone while driving. She makes several calls to wrong numbers.
1300 Emma Hance (8) makes a call to her mother. Emma is distraught and says "there's something wrong with Aunt Diane": She is sick and cannot see the other cars on the road (Diane's son Bryan later told his family that "Mommy's head hurt, and she couldn't see."). The other kids in the car are crying. Diane takes the phone from Emma tells Jackie that everything is fine, and the kids are just playing around. She is slurring her words and sounds drunk. Jackie asks to speak to Emma, and Diane ends the call abruptly.
1302 Warren Hance calls Diane's cell phone. Diane is stopped somewhere and out of the car. She is totally disoriented and calls him Danny. He tells her to stay where she is, he is coming to get them. She is unable to provide a location, so Emma reads road signs to her father. (Diane was parked across the street from the barracks of the New York State Police.)
1310 Three wrong numbers are dialed from Diane's cellphone. Diane leaves her cell phone on the lane divider, gets back in the car and drives completely off course.
1315 Warren tries to call Diane several times, no answer.
1330 Diane steers the van onto the Taconic Parkway going the wrong way, totally oblivious to drivers honking and flashing their lights at her. She is reported to have a determined and serene look on her face and is holding the wheel steadily. Proceeds onto the highway, drives straight in the fast lane for 1,7 miles at 70-85 mph (110-135 kpm) before hitting an oncoming SUV head on, killing 3 men inside and all the minivan's passengers (Bryan is the sole survivor). An open bottle of Absolut Vodka is found in the passenger seat.
1335 Calls to 911 reporting accident.
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U2forever
vision over visibility
I am.
And OT: But is that your picture in your avatar? If so you have gorgeous hair! That's the color I've been trying to get for three years.
fftopic:bluesneakers, yes, I took that pic last month. Thank you, my hair is my best feature, I was blessed. If you want tthe formula I can ask my hairdresser as it's a mixture. I cannot remember if it's Redken Chromatics or Matrix Socolor, and if you want the name of it I will have to message it to ya. Not a secret but if I tell ya on the boards I will get banned. lol
hot cawfeee
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I'm glad this is still being discussed and its great to see old and new WSers !!
I think Diane was an alcoholic and potsmoker--- she overdid it the night before and had to drink and smoke a little to take the edge off the hangover. IMO Danny knew about her pot smoking and drinking as did her family. I am always curious as to the conversation Diane and her brother Warren had on the phone. I have never been fully convinced that she was OK when she spoke to her brother and sil Jackie.
Fast question--- did brian say "Mommy says her head hurts" or did he say "Mommy's head hurts"--- difference of course being what his mom said versus what he observed or even overhead his mom say.
I think Diane was an alcoholic and potsmoker--- she overdid it the night before and had to drink and smoke a little to take the edge off the hangover. IMO Danny knew about her pot smoking and drinking as did her family. I am always curious as to the conversation Diane and her brother Warren had on the phone. I have never been fully convinced that she was OK when she spoke to her brother and sil Jackie.
Fast question--- did brian say "Mommy says her head hurts" or did he say "Mommy's head hurts"--- difference of course being what his mom said versus what he observed or even overhead his mom say.