Diane Schuler, responsible for the 2009 Taconic State Parkway crash that killed eight, was drunk and high at the time, per WNBC. She drove her minivan the wrong way and hit another car head-on, killing herself and seven others in the fatal crash. The incident occurred in July of that year. The final autopsy revealed that she had no other medical conditions that could have possibly caused the crash.
Schuler was reportedly driving home from a camping trip when she drove nearly two miles in the wrong direction and ultimately caused the crash with an SUV. In the car, present with her were her daughter, her five-year-old son Bryan, and three nieces. Only Bryan survived the collision. Meanwhile, the SUV was carrying three men from Yonkers’ Bastardis family, who were all killed in the accident.
The case has become a highly controversial and debatable subject over the years, with many questioning the real cause of the crash. Many have blamed Schuler, including members of her family, while others believe she had medical conditions that resulted in the terrible accident. There’s Something Wrong with Aunt Diane is an HBO documentary that chronicles the ordeal.
Diane Schuler’s autopsy report explained
The WNBC report confirmed that Diane Schuler’s autopsy did mention the three medical issues cited by her family’s attorney as potential causes of the crash. The report described her body and the injuries incurred but made no mention of a tooth abscess, a lump on her leg, or diabetes. It also ruled out a heart condition or problems with the mother’s brain, such as an aneurysm or stroke.
However, the mother-of-two’s autopsy report confirmed that she had alcohol in her brain, urine, blood, stomach, and eye fluid. She had a blood alcohol level of 0.19. This was more than twice the legal limit at the time of the crash. Moreover, authorities reported that she had smoked marijuana about 15 minutes before.
Per the report, Schuler’s husband Daniel hired a private investigator, who claimed that the autopsy showed no sign of cirrhosis. Her family attempted to deny the substance abuse allegation since cirrhosis is a sure indication of a habitual drinker. Many of her relatives also condemned such allegations.
However, Irving Anolik, the Bastardis’ attorney, said, “The lengths these people [Schuler’s family] are taking to deny reality are just astounding and painful to my clients. The fact remains that Diane Schuler was drunk and high when she killed all these people, and the facts aren’t going to change.”
ABC News stated that toxicology reports also revealed Diane Schuler was drunk and high at the time. Investigators failed to determine if Schuler was drinking while driving but found a bottle of vodka at the crash scene.
Other evidence included 911 tapes from a family friend who made a shocking disclosure to emergency dispatchers, per ABC. One of the girls in the car managed to call relatives, pleading for help, minutes before the crash. The family friend told dispatchers, “The girls just called in distress. They said the aunt is driving very erratically. They think she’s sick” before going “radio silent on the cell phones.”
