The two passengers in the Tracker received only minor injuries. Eventually, despite the Schuler team’s efforts, investigators ruled the crash a homicide after claiming the deaths were caused by negligent driving. Diane Schuler Diane and the children loaded up in a van belonging to her brother, Warren Hance,… To help support the foundation financially, Jackie has written a book, “I’ll See You Again,’’ in which she writes about hope in the face of suffering and the spirit of her girls. Schuler's son, Bryan, 5, survived. On July 26, 2009 Diane Schuler killed herself and seven others when she drove the wrong way on the Taconic State Parkway. Diane Schuler was a mother of two small children who loaded her own kids and three others into her minivan for a long drive home from a camping trip. Her friends persisted in trying to convince her to have another baby, which seemed unlikely because she had had her tubes tied after the birth of her youngest daughter. I'd been putting a few pills away from each prescription, and taking one or two from Warren's, and just hiding them.”, In July 2009, the three girls went on a camping trip with their aunt, Diane Schuler, and her husband, Danny. After this look at the tragedy of Diane Schuler, check out the sinister google searches this mom made shortly before her autistic son was found dead. But by the time he arrived at the scene, Schuler had left, and tragedy was on the horizon. On that bright sunny Sunday 10 … It even offers a theory as to why in the aftermath of the crash despite there being three families claiming to want the truth, in the end only the Bastardis actually meant what they said. The birth of Kasey Rose came after Jackie had been pushed to the brink of taking her own life due to the grief from the loss of their daughters, Emma, 8; Alyson, 7; and Katie, 5. With her were her husband, Daniel, their 2 children and 3 of their nieces. He recalls her as “reliable, trustworthy, honest,” and denies her victim’s families’ claims that she was “a murderer.”. The results of a toxicology report indicated that Schuler had a blood-alcohol level more than two times the legal limit and marijuana in her system. Investigators noted that the toxicology report lined up with the vodka bottle found at the scene. For reasons unknown or perhaps unintentionally, Schuler then left her phone on the side of the highway — and drove off. Riding with Schuler were her 5-year-old son and 2-year-old … Daniel Schuler, Diane Schuler’s husband, outside attorney Dominic Barbara’s office in Garden City. For the next 75 years, almost to the day, this tragedy would be Westchester County’s worst automobile accident — one that the population hoped they’d never come close to again. Schuler, a 36-year-old Long Island mother of two, was at the wheel, drunk and high, headed south at 70 mph in the northbound lane. “Does it keep one person out of trouble?’’ Warren told Curry about the foundation. Diane Schuler, a 36-year-old Long Island mother of two, was at the wheel, drunk and high, headed south at 70 mph. “Perfect Mom” Diane Schuler Drove Her Van Full Of Kids Into A Head-On Collision — But Why Remains Unknown. When Diane saw a nice brown pocketbook that Jay, her sister-in-law, would like, she bought it, the same way she bought a $300 bat for Jay’s son, making him promise to hit home runs. These records are also consistent with this investigation as well as statements made by Daniel Schuler. “I know for a fact she wasn’t drunk when she came into the station,” he said in a news report. However, at the same time that Diane was reporting heavy traffic, other motorists on the NY Thruway were reporting a different series of events. One minute later, 911 operators received four more calls, this time reporting a similar van driving the wrong way down the parkway at 80 miles per hour. A medical examiner found Diane Schuler's blood-alcohol level was 0.19, more than twice the state's legal limit of 0.08, according to Westchester County District Attorney Janet DiFiore. Only Diane’s 5-year-old son, Bryan, survived. So far, it seemed just as it was — a typical New York family heading home after a camping trip. None of her friends or family members believe she’d knowingly put any children in danger. It also explained the handful of witnesses who had reported seeing Schuler driving erratically, those claiming to see a woman vomiting on the side of the road, and the daughter’s phone call claiming Schuler was having trouble seeing and thinking clearly. Eight people were killed when a minivan being driven by 36-year-old Diane Schuler traveled 1.7 miles in the wrong direction on the parkway and collided head-on with an oncoming SUV. " Item #75 on the same page states: "On the same data, I received from ADA Strongin a copy of the EZ Pass records for Daniel Schuler's vehicle and the 2004 Windstar operated by Diane Schuler. Around 11 a.m., however, the trouble started. A co-owner of the campground later said that Diane Schu… In 1934, a bus on its way from Brooklyn to Sing Sing prison in Ossining, New York drove off an embankment and plunged into a ravine. Warren Hance received a phone call. This post examines the 2009 New York Taconic Parkway crash that killed 8 people, including Diane Schuler, the driver of a minivan that plowed for 2 miles in the wrong direction down the parkway. At approximately9:30 a.m.on Sunday, July 26, 2009, 36-year-old Diane Schuler left the Hunter Lake Campground inParksville,New York, in a red 2003Ford Windstarthat belonged to her brother. “I said, ‘What do you mean?’ I could hear Alyson crying in the background. Hance listened intently as his worried 8-year-old Emma explained that aunt Diane was having trouble seeing while driving and wasn’t speaking clearly. The loss of their daughters overwhelmed the couple with grief. She and her husband Daniel had been camping for the weekend with their children and nieces at the Hunter Lake Campground in Parksville, New York. On the 911 tape released from the incident, a caller says Schuler was "going like a bat out of hell. To honor their daughters’ memory, they started the Hance Family Foundation, which helps young girls build confidence and self esteem. I just recently found out about the 2009 Taconic State Parkway crash that involved Diane Schuler, a 36-year-old woman who was driving southbound in the … They piled into her brother Warren’s red 2004 Ford Windstar minivan, while her husband Daniel followed behind in a truck with the family dog. Then, read about John Jairo Velasquez, the hitman nicknamed “Popeye” who killed more than 250 people. Her 5-year-old son, Brian Schuler, was the only one who survived the crash. Inexplicable: Diane Schuler, pictured with her husband, Daniel, son Bryan and daughter Erin, was twice over the drink-driving limit when she crashed … One would later die at the hospital, bringing the total number of fatalities to eight. Kate had a "faint heartbeat" after the crash but died at a hospital, the report said. “I have known her for 20 years,’’ Jackie said. Two hours later, Warren Hance would receive his daughter’s worried phone call. “I just wanted to be with the girls so bad that I got so emotional and so fixated on seeing them again,’’ Jackie said. Katie Serena is a New York City-based writer and a staff writer at All That's Interesting. She brought us back to life.’’, Mom of girls killed in wrong-way crash: 'Hard not to blame yourself'. Diane Schuler's family is intent upon finding a medical reason for her actions: What if the reason is that mental illness is just as viable an explanation for behavior that unwittingly ends up in a disaster? The van was indeed Schuler’s. They're having fun.’ She just didn't sound right. As Diane was making her way down the New York Thruway, she called her brother Warren to tell him they were being delayed, as traffic in the area was heavy. 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. On … 4 of the people killed were children and 3 others were injured. He ultimately admitted that there had been drinking during the weekend, but that Diane had not had anything to drink during the day prior to the accident. Diane Schüler (November 13, 1972 - July 26, 2009) was the fourth child and only daughter of Warren Hance, Sr. and Eileen (McKeough) Hance. Filed Under: Diane Schuler, Jackie Hance, Jennifer McLogan, Warren Hance FLORAL PARK N.Y. (CBSNewYork) — It is a daily struggle for Warren … “She was just nice, loving, kind,” he says. Her friends persisted in trying to convince her to have another baby, which seemed unlikely because she had had her tubes tied after the birth of her youngest daughter. Curry’s full interview with Hance and her husband, Warren, will air on Rock Center With Brian Williams on Friday. Diane Schuler: The Sad Legacy of Alcohol and Drug Abuse 10/27/2009 04:19 pm ET Updated May 25, 2011 On July 26, Diane Schuler entered a busy upstate highway going the wrong direction with her 2-year-old daughter and three young nieces, ages 8, 7 and 5, in the car with her. The specifics of what happened in Diane Schuler’s car after the phone call are unknown, and have been pieced together through witness accounts and toll information. They almost missed Bryan, as he was under his siblings and cousins. Shortly after placing the call to Hance, Schuler made it across the Tappan Zee Bridge and onto the Taconic State Parkway. The Eerie Reason Why Ships Full Of Dead Bodies Keep Washing Up In Japan, Man Denied Building Permit For Garage Erected A Giant Middle Finger Statue Instead, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch. Directed by Liz Garbus. The Hunter Lake campground co-owner, who was also a friend of the Schulers, spoke with Diane before she departed and claimed that she appeared sober. Diane, her daughter, and two of her nieces were dead at the scene of the accident, the children did not appear to have been buckled up, along with three men in the Chevrolet outrider, 81-year-old Michael Bastardi, his 49-year-old son Guy, and her boyfriend, 74-year-old Dan Longo. Daniel is still trying to prove there was a medical reason for her actions. Schuler did not end up purchasing the painkiller, as the station was sold out of it. “Does it keep one girl from feeling bad about themselves for one day? This documentary explores the depth behind the case of a woman whose vehicle collision killed numerous people, including herself. A gas station employee from whom Diane Schuler had attempted to buy over-the-counter painkillers vigorously denied that she had been drunk. On July 26, 2009, Diane Schuler packed up the campsite at Hunter Lake in Parksville, New York where her family had spent the weekend. Unfortunately, the niece would not. A devastating multi-car crash from 2009 gets some clarity with a fresh look at psychological profiling and behavioral analysis. Michael Bastardi, 81, and his 49-year-old son Guy Bastardi were killed, along with family friend Daniel Longo, 74. The end of the book reveals Mike Bastardi's own theory about how Diane Schuler came to be driving drunk and stoned at 85 mph in the wrong direction. At 1:33 p.m., 911 operators received two separate calls reporting a minivan driving the wrong way up an exit ramp on the Taconic State Parkway. Diane Schuler and her 2-year-old daughter also died in the accident. But later reports revealed a statement made by Daniel’s sister that claimed she smoked on a regular basis. The three passengers of the Trailblazer, 81-year-old Michael Bastardi, his 49-year-old son Guy, and their friend, 74-year-old Dan Longo were also likely killed on impact. Ruskin said Schuler ordered the lunch item for her son, Bryan, and had to convince the cashier to put in the special request. Diane Schuler’s Secret Life of Addiction. Of Schuler, the five kids, and the three men in the other vehicle, only Schuler’s son survived. Schuler's son, Bryan, who was 5 at the time, was the only survivor. Eight people were killed: Schuler, her two … He alleges the highway was badly designed and inadequately sign-posted, ... Only her son Bryan, then 5, survived. YoutubeDiane Schuler and her husband Daniel on their wedding day. Brian Sichol, who represents the family of father-and-son victims Michael and Guy Bastardi, made the assertion as he prepared a lawsuit against the estate of Diane Schuler… Before Taconic Parkway accident, mom Diane Schuler told brother she wasn't feeling well. Police also found a broken bottle of vodka in the wreckage. Where that difference goes tomorrow and the day after that and the day after that, you can only dream.”. Panicked, Hance told Schuler to pull over and stay off the road. Schuler’s 5-year-old son Bryan and one of her nieces initially survived the crash and were taken to a local hospital. Susan Watts/NY Daily News Archive via Getty ImagesDaniel Schuler, Diane Schuler’s husband, outside attorney Dominic Barbara’s office in Garden City. Steals & Deals: Up to 76% off satin pillowcases, a versatile hair iron and more. It was 12:58 on the afternoon of July 26, 2009. When Jackie Hance and her husband lost their three daughters in a two-car crash nearly four years ago, she felt she was too broken to be a mother again. Diane Schuler, 36—who died in the wrong-way crash on the Taconic Parkway—recently “seemed under pressure, like work and family were getting to her,” said the pal, Sheila, who asked that her last name be withheld. Today, Daniel Schuler continues to refute claims that his wife is anything short of the perfect woman. The entire event took less than three minutes. They prepared the family to head home to West Babylon on that late-July. As they pulled Diane Schuler out, they reported seeing a large bottle of Absolut Vodka broken on the floor of the driver’s side — a report that would be taken into account when the medical examiner performed his autopsy. Diane Schuler, her daughter, and two of her nieces were likely killed instantly. The deaths included Schuler, her daughter and three nieces, and the three passengers in the SUV. The results of a toxicology report indicated that Schuler had a blood-alcohol level more than two times the legal limit and marijuana in her system. In their first interview since their daughters’ death, Jackie and Warren spoke to TODAY’s Ann Curry about the impact the birth of their young daughter has made on their lives. However, she and her husband, Warren, visited a fertility specialist, and she was able to become pregnant. Her toxicology report showed that her blood alcohol level was at 0.19 percent (over double the legal limit of .08 percent), with another six grams of alcohol sitting in her stomach yet to be absorbed. Susan Watts/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images. The McDonald’s employees also denied that Schuler was intoxicated, and in fact, reported she carried on a coherent and lengthy conversation while she waited for her order. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. “They were the reason I was put here, I believe, because they were really amazing girls.”. “She was fine, but she did ask for Tylenol.”. Riding with Schuler were her 5-year-old son and 2-year-old daughter, and her brother's three daughters (ages 8, 7, and 5). His 36-year-old sister Diane Schuler’s number appeared on the caller ID, but when he answered, his own young daughter was on the line. Diane Schuler’s family, however, denied all allegations of intoxication — and several people Schuler had interacted with over the course of the morning backed up the family’s claims. Diane Schuler, a successful account executive and the mother of two of the children in the car, sped up the Taconic Parkway in the wrong direction for almost two miles before crashing into an oncoming SUV. Seven of the 11 people involved in the crash were pronounced dead at the scene. “Unless you believe that a woman who’s like a PTA mom of the year decides this is the day I don’t give a damn, I’m going to have eight or ten shots and smoke a joint in front of my kids and nieces, then something else had to happen,” said Daniel Schuler’s private investigator. The sister-in-law of Diane Schuler told investigators that Ms. Schuler smoked marijuana regularly and was a heavy drinker, according to a lawyer for the family of two of the victims. Of those that responded to the crash, the first two were fellow drivers who had witnessed the ordeal. Despite these high levels, nobody knew that Schuler was an alcoholic before her death in this tragic accident. '', Hance on daughters: 'My greatest desire is for people to know them'. Toxicology reports later revealed that Diane Schuler, 36, had a blood alcohol level of .19 -- … “It just gives you a meaning again,’’ Warren said. I said, ‘Let me talk to Aunt Diane.’, “Diane got on the phone, and she said, ‘They're just playing. Diane Schuler and her husband Daniel on their wedding day. Along the route home, the minivan party participated in several road trip rituals; stopping at McDonald’s and several gas stations. IE 11 is not supported. Was she really the reckless drunk, or the perfect suburban mother? The bus was instantly engulfed in flames, ultimately resulting in the loss of 20 lives. Then it was thought that Schuler may have had an abscessed tooth, as she’d been seen rubbing her cheek — although she hadn’t complained of pain. “When you lose everything and then you get something to hold onto, there's really no way to be able to describe it. Daniel also revealed that his wife smoked marijuana “occasionally” but never to excess and only for insomnia. Other witnesses reported seeing a minivan pulled over on the side of the highway with a woman bent over next to it appeared to be vomiting. Victims included Diane, her daughter and three nieces as well as three passengers in another SUV. Autopsyfiles.org - Diane Schuler Autopsy Report Subject: Autopsyfiles.org - Diane Schuler Autopsy Report Keywords: Diane Schuler, Taconic State Parkway Accident, autopsy report, celebrity autopsies, celebrity deaths, autopsy Created Date: 9/8/2009 6:01:19 PM A gas station security camera captured the last images of Diane Schuler, before her minivan crashed into oncoming traffic killing eight in total. Over the course of the investigation, Daniel Schuler eased up on his initial claims that his wife never drank during their camping weekend. Though he suffered from severe head trauma and several broken bones, Bryan would ultimately survive his ordeal. The girls loved her.”, Read an excerpt from Jackie Hance's book 'I'll See You Again', In the midst of the fatal ride with Schuler, Hance’s daughter, Emma, called her on the phone in distress, saying, “Mommy, something’s wrong with Aunt Diane.”, “I didn't understand it,’’ Jackie said. Diane Schuler: Now it Makes Sense November 10, 2009 The Diance Schuler case — about the young woman who barrelled down the Taconic Highway in Westchester County the wrong way, killing eight including 4 children in her car. I know we've made a difference. Eight people, including four children, were killed in the three-car head-on collision July 26, 2009 in Briarcliff Manor along the Taconic State Parkway. 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. She wasn’t making any sense.”, 'I never knew her to drink': Hance stunned by toxicology report. They even suggested she could have had an embolism or a heart attack, though all claims of medical issues were refuted by the autopsy report. At approximately 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, July 26, 2009, 36-year-old Diane Schuler left the Hunter Lake Campground in Parksville, New York, in a red 2003 Ford Windstarthat belonged to her brother. For 1.7 miles, it erratically sped south down the northbound lanes of the Taconic State Parkway before colliding head-on with a Chevrolet Trailblazer — which subsequently collided with a Chevrolet Tracker at 1:35 p.m. The Hances were stunned, as they had had no reservations about leaving their children with Schuler. Her husband, Daniel Schuler, left the campground at the same time in a separate vehicle since he had a pickup truck and took the dog with him. However, she and her husband, Warren, visited a fertility specialist, and she, Jackie has written a book, “I’ll See You Again,’’. In addition to being drunk, Schuler also had high levels of THC in her system; enough to suggest she could have smoked marijuana as recently as 15 minutes before the crash. He was on his way and would meet them shortly. “There was none. The following investigation determined that Diane Schuler was heavily intoxicated during the time of the crash. "They were my life,’’ Jackie said. ", “She brings a heartbeat to this house again,’’ Jackie said. By all accounts, she was a good employee, a loving mother, and a happy member of the family. Then, read about John Jairo Velasquez , the hitman nicknamed “Popeye” who killed more than 250 people. On the way home, Schuler drove nearly two miles in the wrong direction on the Taconic State Parkway with five children in her minivan at speeds as high as 85 miles per hour, according to eyewitnesses. As soon as they saw what had happened, they rushed to help — pulling Schuler and her kids out of the van. With Jesse Temple, Brad Katinas, Diane Schuler, Jay Schuler. Around 9:30 a.m. Diane, along with her 5-year-old son Bryan, her 2-year-old daughter Erin, and her three nieces (8-year-old Emma, Emma, 7-year-old Alyson, and 5-year-old Kate) left the camp. Due to the crash and the publicity of it, the governor of New York David Paterson proposed the Child Passenger Protection Act, which would make it a felony to drive while intoxicated with a child under the age of 16 in the car. Diane Schuler herself then got on the phone and described being disoriented; her vision foggy. After this look at the tragedy of Diane Schuler, check out the sinister google searches this mom made shortly before her autistic son was found dead. According to several eyewitnesses, a minivan was driving aggressively on the highway, tailgating, flashing their headlights, honking their horn, and straddling two lanes. When Jackie Hance and her husband lost their three daughters in a two-car crash nearly four years ago, she felt she was too broken to be a mother again. But the tragedy changed that perception. Schuler had begun her day with seemingly good intentions. The only survivor was Schuler's son Bryan, then 5, who now lives with an ocular nerve impairment. on Rock Center With Brian Williams on Friday. "Diane Schuler was … “She bought cards for birthdays”. Only Diane’s 5-year-old son, Bryan, survived. In an attempt to prove that his wife had not been intoxicated, Daniel Schuler and his attorney issued a statement that claimed Diane Schuler had been driving erratically due to a medical issue — such as a stroke — rather than intoxication. “So the thought of being in this pain forever was just too much to handle. The children had been in the backseat, but were not secured in car seats, nor did they appear to have been wearing seatbelts. Diane Schuler was traveling at about 85 km / h at the time of the crash.