News: Update: Tragedy on the Taconic
(Long Island, N.Y.) An HBO television special aired Monday night at 9pm Eastern Standard Time entitled “There’s Something Wrong with Aunt Diane.” The documentary was designed to revisit the tragic accident that occurred in July of 2009 near Route 117 along the Taconic State Parkway. The program revealed many new details and perspectives about the mind-blowing incident.
Much of the special was devoted to examining the life of thirty-six-year-old Diane Schuler who perished in the accident along with seven others. Four children were lost, one of whom was Diane’s two-year-old daughter, Erin. While Schuler’s toxicity report determined her blood alcohol level to be around two times the legal limit, her family maintained that a medical emergency was what caused her to drive two miles southbound in the Taconic’s northbound fast lane.
The family spoke with an expert who maintained, against their hopes, that he believed the initial toxicity report was accurate. An investigator, who was hired by Schuler’s family, claimed that the DNA from the report matched that of Schuler’s, and that the test results were the same after they had been retaken. Medical records and witness statements did indicate, however, that Schuler suffered from ongoing dental problems that were heightened towards the end of her life.
Other drivers along the parkway claimed that Schuler stared straight ahead with a serene and oblivious expression and didn’t brake before slamming head-on into the oncoming vehicle. They claimed that she had kept her hands on the steering wheel in the ten and two position, and that she caused a third vehicle to be impacted by the crash. Contrary to information discovered after initial research, which stated there was a delay in police involvement, the documentary aired 911 calls that were placed after Schuler’s niece alerted her father of her aunt’s behavior.
Schuler had been driving her brother’s minivan at estimated speeds of seventy miles per hour. She remained traveling in the left lane and was allegedly going straight as an arrow down the wrong end of the roadway. Her vehicle continued to travel after impact, and many other drivers responded by attempting to help at the scene.
For that reason, dozens of 911 calls were made, some of which were hysterical and disturbing. Some described the scene as chaotic; witnesses screamed at the sight of multiple fatalities. One off-duty police officer responded to the incident, and along with other bystanders, attempted to aid those involved in the crash.
Earlier footage of Schuler and interviews with her family members revealed that she had been looking for pain killers at the gas station she visited prior to the crash. This, the family believes, is evidence that Schuler suffered from a medical emergency. Other drivers along the roadways witnessed the children swaying in the vehicle during the ride, and it has not been determined how Schuler embarked on the wrong side of the entrance ramp.
