NY - 8 Die in Crash on Taconic State Parkway #3

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It's been on HBO Go for a while, and it's available on Amazon Video as well for streaming. I don't think it's been on regular cable or network TV.
 
I've read through this thread several times over the past few years. I don't know that we'll ever know exactly what/why it happened. I do think there could be several explanations.

1. She was just so drunk & stoned and it was an accident that resulted in utter tragedy
2. She was suicidal/homicidal and drank & smoked to reduce her fear
3. She was somehow drugged (as mentioned upthread)
4. She had a psychotic break and killed everyone

If she was a functioning alcoholic it's possible no one could tell she was drunk at her various stops, especially since she was drinking vodka, no smell would be detected. I worked at a probation office where we had a "client" who we discovered was a very high functioning alcoholic. She'd drink a bottle of vodka every day, when she got caught she confessed that she was always under the influence when she came in, we never noticed and routinely breathalyzed everyone. She held a job and was never suspected of drinking by anyone. So it's possible Diane started drinking when she got up that morning and drank until she died with no one the wiser.

It's possible Diane had undiagnosed mental health issues that resulted in her intentionally killing the kids and herself.

Truly a very sad situation all around.
 
I think Diane was a functioning alcoholic and pot smoker. She drank when she got home and the kids were in bed and may have lighted up then as well. The camping trip I think was a drink-fest for her and Danny. She was probably hungover from the night before. I think she tried "a hair of the dog" on the ride home and at the McDonalds stop smoked a little and drank a little. The fact that the vodka bottle was not packed away and stored in the rear but at her reach and available is very telling to me. I also think (and am repeating myself) that there was a lot more to the conversation with her brother than "There's something wrong with Aunt Diane"
 
iamnotagolem said:
I've read through this thread several times over the past few years. I don't know that we'll ever know exactly what/why it happened. I do think there could be several explanations.

1. She was just so drunk & stoned and it was an accident that resulted in utter tragedy
2. She was suicidal/homicidal and drank & smoked to reduce her fear
3. She was somehow drugged (as mentioned upthread)
4. She had a psychotic break and killed everyone

If she was a functioning alcoholic it's possible no one could tell she was drunk at her various stops, especially since she was drinking vodka, no smell would be detected. I worked at a probation office where we had a "client" who we discovered was a very high functioning alcoholic. She'd drink a bottle of vodka every day, when she got caught she confessed that she was always under the influence when she came in, we never noticed and routinely breathalyzed everyone. She held a job and was never suspected of drinking by anyone. So it's possible Diane started drinking when she got up that morning and drank until she died with no one the wiser.

It's possible Diane had undiagnosed mental health issues that resulted in her intentionally killing the kids and herself.

Truly a very sad situation all around.
Click to expand...
Have you had a chance to read the police report? It's very thorough, and it shows without question that she deliberately killed herself and those children.
There were 4 eyewitnesses that saw Schuler driving the wrong way onto the Taconic (via the off-ramp.) This is roughly 5 minutes before the crash. All 4 said she appeared to be focused and she was not swerving. The last of the 4 witnesses told police the van entered the parkway and went immediately into the far lane of traffic.
Schuler deliberately made sure she'd be in the lane with the fastest oncoming traffic. And it was later reported her van was traveling ~80 mph.
She was driving that van as fast as it would go. This was never an accident.

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Shecky said:
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
Click to expand...

Great Post. Bears repeating. Thank You.
 
FasHawks8 said:
Have you had a chance to read the police report? It's very thorough, and it shows without question that she deliberately killed herself and those children.
There were 4 eyewitnesses that saw Schuler driving the wrong way onto the Taconic (via the off-ramp.) This is roughly 5 minutes before the crash. All 4 said she appeared to be focused and she was not swerving. The last of the 4 witnesses told police the van entered the parkway and went immediately into the far lane of traffic.
Schuler deliberately made sure she'd be in the lane with the fastest oncoming traffic. And it was later reported her van was traveling ~80 mph.
She was driving that van as fast as it would go. This was never an accident.

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Click to expand...

Are the police reports online? I would be interested in reading them. I go back and forth on this one
 
StephanieH said:
Are the police reports online? I would be interested in reading them. I go back and forth on this one
Click to expand...
I became convinced based on all the eyewitnesses that saw her driving from 1:30pm-1:35pm. She was heavily intoxicated, but her driving was not impaired. From the time she entered on the off-ramp her intentions were perfectly clear. I think a lot of people instinctively shy away from thinking that because it's just such a shocking method.

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FasHawks8 said:
I became convinced based on all the eyewitnesses that saw her driving from 1:30pm-1:35pm. She was heavily intoxicated, but her driving was not impaired. From the time she entered on the off-ramp her intentions were perfectly clear. I think a lot of people instinctively shy away from thinking that because it's just such a shocking method.

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Click to expand...

If it was a murder/suicide, do you have any idea why she did it when her nieces were in the car?


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StephanieH said:
If it was a murder/suicide, do you have any idea why she did it when her nieces were in the car?


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Click to expand...
Hi Stephanie,

I really don't know why she decided to do it then. I honestly don't care to speculate, only because that's probably not something we'll ever know.

You should read the police report if you have a chance, it's actually really interesting for a lot of reasons.


This is an excellent overview of the accident site and where exactly Schuler was when she was driving into oncoming traffic.
55f6454f686c751813c7ef5b1c4fb656.jpg


She drove almost two miles while managing to stay in the same lane the entire time. And remember, the autopsy ruled out any medical issue that would effect her driving.

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I was married to an alcoholic for 14 years. He could absolutely drink half a bottle and still seem fine to those that did not know him well. I thought of him when I read that people said she was driving and looked very focused. I remember that look well when my husband had snuck too much to drink and was driving with our family in the car. He too would put it in coffee or sprite bottles so we didn’t know until it was too late. That focused stare was more of a blank look, trying to act normal, knowing he was busted by me. It was a horrible cycle of lies and fights. Alcoholics can function normally while drinking... until they can’t. I think she just drank too much, didn’t notice she was going the wrong way. My ex- once drove me 100 miles in the wrong direction and would not listen to me, would not pull over insisting he was fine and we were going the right way. Scariest ride of my life, and before we had cell phones so I couldn’t call for help. I think the answer is just that simple.. she was an alcoholic who thought she was just fine and didn’t realize she had too much. JMO


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That's what I think as well.

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I keep going back to the phone call to Warren--- we only know what Warren said that Diane said and his daughter said. I think Diane was hungover from the night before and took a "hair of the dog" to make herself feel better. She could have slurring her words and he "ordered" Diane to pull over. It explains to me why she left her cell phone on the barrier.
 
one man's shot is another man's chug------joking aside------I think she had the bottle close by for her own use. It struck me very odd that someone as organized as she was reported to be would not have packed away the bottle with all food stuffs and kitchen things. I think Diane started early and kept drinking thru out the drive.
 
Hi - this is my first post. I stumbled on this website when I was searching online for Diane Schuler updates and I'm hooked!

After watching the documentary TSWWAD, I've become obsessed and watched it multiple times.

Here's my best guess on what happened:
  • When Diane's mom moved out, Diane was expected to fill mom's shoes at age 9, and she by all accounts did what she needed to do to handle the situation. She lost her childhood by assuming the care provider role for the males in her life. This created great resentment in Diane, yet she didn't complain to anyone about it. This environment could also be the catalyst for creating Diane's personality disorder (bi-polar or Borderline PD), especially if Mom had a history of it. (I suspect Mom did if she up and moved out to be with the neighbor dude). Diane resents her mother greatly and is determined to prove to everyone and to herself that she will be a superior mother in every way.
  • Diane comforts herself with food and struggles to maintain a healthy weight throughout her life. Her self esteem is low and she masks her sadness by being the funny one in her group of friends. Daniel was her first serious boyfriend and when she finds him, she is convinced he is "the one". Through the fog of infatuation, she doesn't realize what a immature, lazy slacker he is, and she's willing to do all the heavy lifting in the relationship so she can find love and have a family like her other friends have.
  • Diane gets married and takes charge of everything. She wants to control everything but is resentful and exhausted. To cope she starts drinking and smoking pot after the kids go to bed. It's her dirty little secret because her perfect mother image is everything to Diane. She did a good job of hiding it since just about everyone interviewed said she took great care of the kids and volunteered for all the school trips, etc., while working a full time job. Couldn't Daniel offer to drive the kids to daycare for her? Maybe he did but she didn't have confidence in Daniel for him to follow through or something. She was a definite control freak. She knows if her drinking and smoking secret gets out she will be an outcast.
  • Since Erin was only 2, I suspect Diane had only recently started binge drinking before the crash. She probably stopped drinking while she was pregnant, at least. This could explain why her liver was healthy per the autopsy.
  • That morning, Diane is tired and dreading the drive back with 5 kids. She decides to order an OJ at McD's for her vodka mixer to get her through. Once they're on the road she realizes she is a little too drunk. She pulls off somewhere and takes a few hits off a joint? while the kids are distracted at a rest stop (that's pretty ballsy to do at a rest stop but maybe she had the liquid courage going from the vodka).
  • The marijuana, combined with the alcohol, makes Diane sick and dizzy. Based on personal experience - this sometimes happens if you smoke weed after you've been drinking large quantities of alcohol. She is freaking out because she realizes she is in no condition to drive and her dirty little secret may be exposed.
  • She pulls over to call Jackie Hance, probably as a cover to buy more time, but Erin tells Jackie what's really going on and by the time Warren calls, Diane is in full rage and panic mode. She discards her phone to cut off all communication because she doesn't want anyone to help her and find out she's been drinking and smoking. She has been able to control everything before and this is nothing she can't handle, in her intoxicated mind.
  • Diane gets off the phone with Warren and she is so focused on hiding her secret and getting the kids home that she doesn't pay attention to any of the signs or cars around her and she crashes and kills herself and 7 innocent people. A drunk person can drive precisely in a blackout/autopilot stupor.
 
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