UPDATE 3: Diane Schuler
DOMINIC BARBARA, LAWYER IN DIANE SCHULER CASE, LOSES LAW LICENSE IN BILLING FLAP
from the article by Timothy O’Connor – Lower Hudson Valley.com
The lawyer for the family of the wrong-way driver who killed herself and seven others in a crash on the Taconic State Parkway is going to lose his law license for 18 months for billing and bookkeeping irregularities.
The Second Appellate Division of the state Supreme Court made the ruling in the wake of a grievance committee finding that Dominic Barbara had committed four acts of professional misconduct.
Barbara represents Daniel Schuler, who denies medical findings that his wife, Diane Schuler, was drunk and high when she drove south in the northbound lanes of the Taconic parkway and crashed into a car carrying three men from Yonkers.
The three men died as did Diane Schuler, her daughter and three nieces.
Toxicology and autopsy reports found that she was intoxicated and high on marijuana at the time of the July 26, 2009, crash. Barbara and Schuler blamed her conduct on ailments, claiming without evidence in the days after the crash that Diane
Schuler had diabetes, a possible embolism, an abscess in her mouth and perhaps a stroke.
Schuler and Barbara reportedly signed a $100,000 deal with HBO to speak with the cable outlet and allow his wife’s body to be exhumed for a documentary about the crash.
Barbara, a Garden City attorney, will lose his law license as of March 10 for professional misconduct involving nearly $50,000 of clients’ fees, the appellate court ruled Tuesday.
One client gave Barbara $40,000 to represent him but did not receive proper, timely bills for services rendered. Another client who paid Barbara a $10,000 retainer struggled to get back more than $7,000 of that sum after she discontinued her divorce action.
The court said Barbara blamed the incidents on his health problems and sabotage of his law practice.
Karma is a bitch, isn’t it folks?
So Dominic Barbara has been disbarred, albeit temporarily. I guess this means that Daniel Schuler needs another attorney to represent him. Admittedly, it will be hard to replace a man who can keep a straight face while he tells the world that his client’s wife was drunk and high when she killed 7 people in a wrong way crash because she was diabetic and using vodka to raise her blood sugar, but I’m sure he’ll find a slimy ambulance chaser willing to do it.
166 Comments »
LOOOL! One less slimey, obese lawyer in the world! I think he will kill himself or become a crazed hobo giving blowjobs for crack money in one year or less!
This news fills me with intense and profound joy. And I would much prefer to see this prick giving blow jobs for crack in less than one year. You know, if we get to choose.
Ahhh, but it appears not to be a permanent disbarment, only 18 months. What a pity.
Yes, I should have stressed that more, but I thought I’d do things the way I thought Barbara himself would have handled them. After all, it was just one detail – LOL.
While I dance with delight, I also shake in terror.
This POS is still free to run for public office, write a book, or other means of making a buck….
I wish that he has to return double the amounts in dispute…..
But most judges are former lawyers, so they take care of each other…
This story hits me hard for so many reasons. I now avoid driving on the taconic pkwy because of the tragedy that took place there. This bitch scarred me! Any person making money while defending her just makes me sick. Very glad to hear he was disbarred. Rip to the kids and adults that were killed on that horrible day:(
No wonder Diane had so many problems – with so many enablers in her life she probably never had to take any responsibility….
I wonder if her husband or their atty will go to hell in her place so she can rest easy in heaven?
To ” Fred” what gives you the right to talk about this family in that manner? Who do you think you are? And , What? You are a saint? Maybe you will take that place in hell. GET A LIFE LOSER!!!!!!!
Thank you Piers Anthony, for revealing that Natasha is Ah Satan spelled backwards.
You don’t know what you’re talking about.
ah Satan ..heard it before “Jason”… and you don’t know me or my beliefs. Maybe “LOSER” was a little cruel but don’t try to tell me I don’t know what I am talking about. I live in Nova Scotia Canada. I have 20 years experience with drug and alcohol abuse.
Also, Natasha may spell ahsatan backwards but look up the meaning. Then get back to me. I look forward to it.
Natasha: Rebirth-From Anastacia. Greek in origin.
Ahsatan – the act of dreaming.
So these two definitions together could mean that you are a delusional troll rebirthed into a troll who is dreaming that your opinion matters. Ta-da!!!! Don’t tell us to look things up if you don’t like the outcome of our research. :)
When the comments are surface deep, the insults will lack the same cut. You don’t know anything about Fred other than his name and you called him a loser. I took the same level of less than skin deep insult and turned it back on you. With your 20 years of experience in Drugs and Alcohol in Nova Scotia, have you ever considered Rehab–zing.
See what I did there? I took your words, almost completely out of context, and I made a totally ridiculous comment based only on the barest reading of the words. I did no soak myself in your “rich” and “detailed” history, I ignored your “impressive” resume, and I indicated sarcasm, wherever possible with “quotation marks.”
In short, I give you exactly the level of discourse you give back. If you want to give me a Turing test, say something useful that builds on this conversation and use some of that 20 years of experience to say something thoughtful or thought provoking, Calling someone who bothers to read the comments of others and follow this story from the beginning, a loser, is about the least thing you can do to impress anyone.
If your next response is to say, “I don’t need to impress you,” and then break out into a Whitney Houston song, I urge you to realize that we’ve seen it, laughed about it, and moved on already. We have lives, I dare say I have one, and while we know nothing of your “bona fides,” we know more of Fred than you, so I for one pass judgment without contest in his favor.
If you now intend to leave in a huff, I say “good day” to you and tip my hat.
Because Diane was a great mother and person…..it’s hard for the family to accept what actually happend! As it would be for anyone else. NO ONE has the right to say who is going to hell! Whoever attends this website better pray that they don’t!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
LMAO @ Jason!!! Dude I copied and pasted to word pad some of that awesome sling to use on others later!! Touche` buddy lol!!
I read somewhere that Daniel and the atty made a movie deal. I believe for an investigative documentary to clear Diane’s name.
Whatever.
this guy will probably just hire some new fresh out of school law grad to be the public filing face-the one whose bar# and name are on all pleadings while he will still be conniving and running the show pulling his schemes from behind the scenes…
Agree ferrets. I have seen it before .. this scumbag will barely miss a beat. He will get someone to front for him and it will be business as usual.
Piece of garbage should have been disbarred just for taking Daniel Shuler’s case, but oh, well, anyway it gets done is fine by me.
SOMEONE has to defend Daniel. If he has no attorney, then they can’t prosecute him, it wouldn’t be legal and he’d walk regardless.
It’s strictly a public relations thing Meaghan. Daniel Schuler hasn’t been charged with any crime, and the Westchester Counter DA announced months ago that they found no reason to ever do that.
Schuler hire Barbara strictly to make excuses for why Diane tested as drunk and was driving the wrong way on the highway. Barbara came up with some winners, like Diane using Ambesol for an abscessed tooth and that causing a .19 blood alcohol content in her blood, and Diane being diabetic (which she wasn’t) and using the vodka to raise her blood sugar. Seriously, Barbara got in front of the media and said that stuff with a straight face, and more.
whether Daniel Shuler was in pursuit of a truth that would repair his wife’s memory and/or counter the pile of law suits against her ‘property’ (him) is not clear or coherent. Why would he put himself in the spotlight or portrayed as some monster, too, who’d sue her brother and the one who’d lost all three daughters if he didn’t have someone BIG like Barbara to represent him? Either he felt strongly enough about his wife and her memory or frightened beyond belief about being sued himself and went on offensive before needing defense … but a lawyer isn’t scum just because he protects or defends someone we don’t like or understand, and it’s easy to jump on the band wagon and declare defense attorney is equivalent to the devil except greedier … so why not be an individual about it and accept, even rejoice over the fact that these guys exist to defend people instead of corporations or institutions and that our Constitution affords us the luxury of representation, no matter what the public thinks. Yet I doubt Barbara cares what you or any of us think and that’s okay too–he wouldn’t survive without a thick skin. Bless defense lawyers … against dishonest and vile prosecutors who are supposed to search for ONLY the truth and don’t .. at least Defense attorneys are not dishonoring their oath when the truth may get in the way … “better 9 guilty men go free than one innocent man go be convicted” (that’s our Constitution alright .. live with it)
I completely agree. I do not live in the U.S. I live in Canada but the way I see it sometimes, ” you are not innocent until proven guilty, you are guilty until proven innocent”.
What goes around comes around. Too bad it is not a permanent revocation!
Maybe I’m going soft, but, I feel sorry for the husband. He must have really lost his mind to be totally shutting out the other families affected and persisting in “clearing his wife’s name”. He needs medical help, not legal help.
I understand your point Mrs., but I can’t have any sympathy for him. I’ll reserve my sympathy for the innocent victims and their families, who must now live without them.
Having been raised by an alcoholic/prescription pill junkie, I just cannot accept that he didn’t know his wife was a substance abuser. It is impossible for a reasonably sane and rational person to have an intimate relationship (of any sort…not necessarily sexual) with an addict and not be aware of the problem. I swear I could spot an alcoholic a mile away when I was 8. No, he knew his wife was a substance abuser. He just never thought she’d drink/drug while driving, especially with children in the car. Now he has to live with the fact that a. his wife was nothing more than a piece of shit drunk and b. he enabled her behavior by doing nothing about it. Fuck him and his attorney.
Maribeth, I agree with everything you’ve said, and everything that pysih has said. What I’m saying is, he must have checked right out mentally. He was in denial when she was alive. And he’s in a deeper stage of denial now. I don’t feel like if I have empathy for the husband than I don’t have empathy for the victims and their families. This guy is not a strong person. If he had to face up to the reality of what his wife did and the harm he is causing the victim’s families in fighting to clear his wife’s name…it would be too much for him. I am not defending his actions. He needs the help of a good doctor (or team of doctors). The lawyer is a total scumbag with no redemption for him.
reading in interest about the denial of husband and reasonable idea that explains why he’d pursue such a dangerous line in defending what looks like a monster driven by perfectionism yet way out of control with no regard for innocent kids behind her since total denial of his wife’s condition would definitely maintain itself if not grow thicker after his ‘support’ system has gone away and he’s even more threatened by his life without the crutch. but can’t think of lawyer as scumbag simply because you don’t like his client or think he shouldn’t even consider representing someone you don’t like or seen as hatefully by others, possibly me too — thank God for the courage (or greed or combination of both) that propels people into a field where they shield others and save lives that the public would rather extinguish … Thank God they exist and are not cowardly retreating just because someone like you doesn’t understand a client or accepts our Constitution. If someday you need one I know with all the love I have for my country that he or she will be there–and I’m happy for that.
I, also was raised by an alcoholic/pill abuser mother. I believe it is possible that a lifetime substance abuser could fool anyone….Even a mate. Sure there would be signs, but , being an ex-junkie myself, I fooled pretty much everyone in my life. I could also spot an abuser a mile away, but that is because we know the signs. Did Daniel Schuller know the signs? I don’t know that either. (Do You). And, how do you know what he was thinking? Are you a mind reader? And, “PIECE OF SHIT” drunk? That is a little childish don’t you think? She was still a mother, wife, sister, daughter, niece, etc… Enabler? Maybe but this was a life shattering tradegy with many victims, and whether you wish to believe it or not? Daniel is still one of them. To all the victims of the July 26, 2009 tradegy.. May you all REST IN PEACE
A mother who killed her daughter and severely injured her son because she was drunk and high.
A sister who killed all of her brother’s kids because she was drunk and high.
I could keep going, but the point is, Diane’s actions make her a piece of shit.
Best summation of that I’ve seen !!
ok people its like this no one will ever now what ever realy happened we were not there just as we did not live with these people so be fore you cast that first stone live a day in the husbands shoes it is a tragedy with what happened on that day but we didnt know her or her family so stop judging them as we did let some one probe into your life and see what you are hideing then let me know how you feel and if thats was the case that the family knew she was a user then its on them for putting the kids in that posision he as her husband could have just as easaly drove the van and she could have drove the truck . that is ofcourse if he knew her problems .
Do you not believe in punctuation? That giant mess was one long and migraine inducing run-on sentence.
“ok people its like this no one will ever now what ever realy happened we were not there”
Nope, we’re alive. What a coincidence
“people so be fore you cast that first stone…”
And I’m done. Fuck off, Billy
LOL !!!
It wouldn’t be such a tragedy if the bastard hadn’t been so selfish. I would have kicked my husband in the balls if he even suggested I get up and get five kids ready and back home by myself so he could go fishing or whatever the fuck Danny Boy was doing. A family trip should have been the family, not Danny running off by himself leaving Diane by herself with five kids. He took the fucking dog home, but not a kid or two? He was a selfish ass, he always will be the biggest asshat in the universe, and if he had been in the van with his wife or even took a couple kids and followed her back there’s a good chance she, those poor kids, and the innocent men would all be alive. But he’s a fucktard who didn’t care until it was too late.
I’m using this tragic story to open my staff presentation on women’s alcoholism (DUI program). It’s the perfect example. No one wants to believe their wife or mother is an alcoholic. The family hides the disease more when the alcoholic is female. The stigma our society has for a woman with addiction is so sad, especially if she has children. The shame prevents many women from getting help and keeps the denial strong. I agree with the previous poster that he most likely knew she had a problem. The more I read about this story, the more I think that she was pissed off at him for the entire 4 days. He had an nice time while she did all the work. I think she flipped out and went into a drinking/drug rage after he didn’t help with the trip home. I don’t think he’s trying to clear her name as much as he’s trying to avoid taking any responsibility. Obviously, he’s not to blame, but how would you like to go camping with him? There were other problems in the marriage which is common when there is substance abuse. Mrs. R said the lawyer is a scumbag and I agree. He can go to hell with Johnny Cochran…
Mrs. D. I think you hit the nail squarely on the head.
Mrs. D, I doubt is was your intent, but do you realize that you are making excuses for her?
“The more I read about this story, the more I think that she was pissed off at him for the entire 4 days. He had an nice time while she did all the work. I think she flipped out and went into a drinking/drug rage after he didn’t help with the trip home…….obviously, he’s not to blame, but how would you like to go camping with him?”
Seriously? You are making assumptions upon which you presumably have no actual knowledge. How do you know she did all the work for the entire trip up to and including packing up for the trip home? Maybe Diane was just a selfish piece of shit drunk who thought about no one but herself and her own needs.
My mother was the same kind of selfish drunk. Didn’t give a shit who was affected by her drinking, and was happy to tell us that directly. My father did nothing to instigate her drinking. He did plenty of work around the house and was very involved with my brothers and me. He was a way better husband than she deserved.
The difference between my father and this fuck is that my father accepted that his wife was a drunk and would not allow her to jeopardize the safety of their children, or anyone else, in any way. My father NEVER would have let her pack us all in the car for a road trip, no matter what she said.
I’m not sure I agree that society stigmatizes these women and shame them into not seeking help. These women do that all on their own. My mother was in AA for years, in the 70′s. There was plenty of help available to her. She just didn’t want it.
Sorry for the rant. I don’t mean to attack you. I clearly have unresolved issues with my mother (ya think??). I could probably use some help myself.
Woman you need alot of help. By the way, is your mother still alive? As I said before my mother was addicted to booze and prescription nerve pills. She died on Christmas Day 2009 a year and a half after my younger brother who died in a car accident in may 2008. By what you have said here your relationship with your mom is the same as I had with mine. My dad is a saint also. I understand where you are coming from but like you said, your father didn’t do anything to instagate your mothers drinking and that was in your home. We don’t know what went on in they’re home behind closed doors. Maybe you should talk to someone, you sound like a very strong person. Do yourself a favor and talk to someone because a person cannot walk around with that much resentment and hate without it coming back to haunt them. Trust me I am one of them.
Hey Guys,
Please visit my website http://WWW.TACONICTRAGEDY.COM
Thanks for helping keeping this alive…
Mike Jr.
I never click links like this, assuming the poster is just a spammer. I’m glad I made an exception this time.
I’m so sorry for your loss, Mike Jr, and I’m sorry you have had to suffer the disgusting behavior of Daniel Schuler and his asshole attorney. I hope you and your family can find some peace in the memories of your loved ones.
aww shoot, the link is gone, wanted to read it
iT’S ABOUT TIME . DOMINIC AND PART OF HIS FIRM , I WILL NOT NAME NAMES ,REPRESENTED MY EX-HUSBAND AND HELPED HIM STEAL MILLIONS OF DOLLARS FROM ME AND MY SON MICHAEL . MY EX LIED TO MY FORENSIC ACCOUNTANT AND NOT ONE PERSON DID A THING . HIS SO-CALLED FIRM AND OUR FAMILY COURT ALLOWED MY EX NOT TO PAY CHILD SUPPORT FOR MY SON , MICHAEL LEE . PLEASE CHECK IT OUT AND NOTE THE ATTORNEY AND JUDGES HE APPARENTLY HAD IN HIS POCKET . DUE TO DOMINIC AND HIS FIRM MY SON WAS CHEATED OUT OF 8 FULL YEARS OF CHILD SUPPORT . HE WAS IN BED WITH MY EX , AND PROBLEY STILL IS . AS FAR AS HIS PONZI SCHEME THERE ARE MANY INVOLVED , THIS PEOPLE IS THE TRUTH . JUST CHECK MY CASE .
Ummm vodka brings down your blood sugar. I does not raise it
Q: What do you call a bunch of lawyers at the bottom of a cliff? A: A good start.
Although your article was written several months ago, I came here as I googled for an update on the Schuler woman, who murdered so many that day… and this is high on the google list. I did so because I just read something that IMHO everyone should read about this horrible crash – it’s part of the Best of Craigslist titled “I saw the crash on that crash on the Taconic last Sunday… which you can find at this link “http://www.craigslist.org/about/best/nyc/1306619502.html … written by someone who came up on the horrific scene – to me, the only people who can read that without crying would be Diane’s husband and his mob attorney Dominic Scumbag Barbarian.
She pulled out of that gas station like a bat out of hell. If a cop had been around to see that…no doubt, she would have been pulled over for that careless stunt. Exiting the gas station they way she did was an extremely dangerous driving maneuver. I wonder if she always drove like an asshole…what was her driving record like, any prior speeding fines or reckless driving citations, etc…?? Just wondering about that.
My take is that she pulled out of that gas station like she had a death wish…WHY was she so pissed off? Only the husband and her brother know for sure why she was so angry behind the wheel of that minivan. The brother and husband are so racked with guilt that they can never talk about what really took place before the crash. This way, by denying the truth it makes them feel less responsible and enables them to look at them self in the mirror every day. That is why they will never reveal what actually was said during those phone conversations. Because they KNEW! Why would the brother drive all the way to Westchester…because he had a feeling that she would either pass out on the side of the road, and the kids would be there all alone with an incapacitated Diane OR he had a feeling she would have an accident if she continued to drive in the state her brother KNEW she was in. There’s no mystery here…only family covering for family. What a tragedy.
A step further, SHE knew, and fright was motivating her to drive and not get caught (again?)
THERE’S SOMETHING WRONG WITH AUNT DIANE (July 25, 2011) revisits the mysterious tragedy of Diane Schuler, who, on July 26, 2009, drove the wrong way on the Taconic Parkway in New York for nearly two miles and then smashed into an oncoming SUV, killing herself, her daughter, her three nieces and all three people in the other car. Her autopsy revealed that Schuler had consumed the equivalent of ten shots of vodka and smoked marijuana shortly before the accident. The film investigates the circumstances behind the enduring mysteries of the incident in an effort to understand what went wrong. Directed by Liz Garbus (the Oscar(R)-nominated “The Farm: Angola, USA”; HBO’s “The Execution of Wanda Jean”).
Wow cool site! I’ll try to spread the word.
HBO is showing a documentary on this case on July 25th at 9pm. Its called somethings wrong with aunt Diane. This is the movie that Daniel Schuler is getting 100,000 dollars for. I know that she was drunk and high, I have no doubt of that. But was it a murder suicide? Some things point to yes, some dont add up. The biggest thing is the cell phone left on the median. I read the police report too and from the reports, only one person said that she had a look of panic on her face. The others say that she was “expertly” weaving in and out of traffic in a straight line, not avoiding any other cars though. Also in the police report, Daniel said that she smoked pot to relieve the stress of her job and THE KIDS.. I found that to be very telling. If she did this on purpose, what a selfish evil thing to do. I also think she was so wasted that maybe she thought she was going the right way and everyone else was wrong….hence the honking, flashing her lights. I dont know. I wish we could find out the real reason.
This whole thing is sad all around. Whether she got drunk on purpose, accidently, or something within her mentally snapped, it’s tragic. I hate to break this to you all on this site, there is no hell and there heaven. When your dead, your dead. There will be no justice in the afterlife, because there is no afterlife. Just like like there is no god. Come on people, get over it!!!! I find so humorous that people want to call the boy a miracle. As if god decided that he was going to survive and the other 8 people were still going to die violently. If there was an all-loving god and that god was in fact all-powerful, he would have stopped it. But reality says otherwise. There is god, no allah, zeus, thor, rah, mithras, etc……These people died tragically, and now they fade to black.
Nice try, troll boy, but we’re not biting.
Jeesh, what an amateur – I guess this asshole thinks we’re a bunch of religious people.
Just finished watching the HBO documentary regarding this horrible tragedy, which was really years in the making. It infuriated me to watch Dan Schuler ignore the obvious scientific findings that quite simply, his wife was way above the legal limit of intoxication as well as with significant amounts of THC in her system. But I will admit that with all of the generally positive character references of her friends and family, most likely they overlooked and ignored a woman who was in need of severe and urgent help. The “mommy issue” she held was reason enough right there. And if Mr. Schuler is that oblivious to the fact that the bottle of vodka found in the minivan was probably consumed during that fateful car ride which extinguished so many lives, then shame on him. Unlike a lot of the other people profiled on here who definitely deserve a special level in hell for what they’ve done on their own, I think a lot of people will have to answer for this sin beyond Mrs. Schuler herself.
There is a such thing as secret drinking/ drug use. It’s possible nobody had any clue what she was doing, so they are maintaining her innocence just because they can’t wrap their heads around it. To them she seemed like a great person, and they want that to be what she is remembered for. In actuality, she was a woman with a lot of secrets and problems, and everyone found out when it was too late to ask her any questions. Nobody really knows anybody.
And just to clarify, I know that it is common knowledge at this point that she smoked weed. Her family claimed it was after the day was done, and when she wanted to put her feet up and relax. If that is as far as they know, it’s still plausible they thought she was a good person. (Afterall, there’s really nothing wrong with weed by itself, as long as you’re responsible with it just like alcohol.) What they didn’t know is that addiction is a deceptive and manipulative disease. It can be kept under-wraps if the person really chooses to and doesn’t loose themselves in the undertow of it all. I know the husband isn’t a prince, but sweet looking women have an advantage. People look at them and “addict” s
…sorry got cut off. People look at them and “addict” doesnt come to mind. It’s possible she was just a very manipulative woman. It could be as simple as that.
Especially since he worked nights and she worked days and they never saw each other.
Yes excatly. They barely saw each other.
Low blood sugar can cause a person’s behavior to become erratic and some medication can mask the early ‘drop’ feeling. When that happens, not only does the person not realize they’re having problems, it can become almost impossible to get them to drink juice or eat sugar. I’ve seen a diabetic insist he needed another shot of insulin rather than glucose and saw a roommate try to eat feces from the cat’s litter box.
So, I can ‘possibly’ see a disoriented and erratic diabetic with a very sudden low blood sugar looking in the back of the van for juice or soda in the leftover camping food. If she was disoriented enough, she could have consumed the vodka without having any idea what she was doing.
That said, I can’t by any stretch of the imagination figure out how anybody having a diabetic induced low sugar incident would begin smoking marijuana.
I didn’t see it mentioned: was marijuana remains or paraphernalia found in the wreckage?
It does seem odd that people who came in contact with her early in the day said she appeared sober, but the toxicology reports indicate she HAD to have consumed the alcohol and smoked in the van, while driving, in front of 5 kids. She may have been a secret drinker/users but with so many people saying they never saw any sign of it before, it raises the question: what could have made a person act so out of character?
Perhaps having her exhumed and doing more investigations would be a good idea. It’s obvious that her husband does not believe the full details have been found, but his new lawsuits are despicable.
MTM
I think this is more of a case of people believing she was acting out of character, when in fact she wasn’t and her Husband was helping to hide her drug abuse. NO ONE is ‘wonder woman’, there’s no way she was the perfect wife and mother that the Schulers are trying to pain her. It’s just not possible, especially when you look at the result.
I think her Husband was pressuring her to keep up the ‘perfect’ image because he felt his ego needed it. I think perfection is expected of people in his community/social circle – she seems like a Stepford wife. The more I read, the more I believe that she caught him cheating. That would explain why he arrived and left the family vacation separately from her. It would explain why she would be so suicidal – after all of that effort towards perfection, he cheated on her. It wouldn’t surprise me to find out that that’s the case.
Her husband is fighting facts. He’s twisting words and creating ridiculous alternate scenarios. He’s apparently never heard of Occam’s Razor. Luckily, many of the rest of us have.
THC, the active component in Marijuana, was found in her blood stream in large quantities. There isn’t always paraphernalia to find after you smoke pot – if it was a joint, she probably chucked the roach out of her window. It also could very easily have burned up in the crash.
THC was IN her, and they’re able to get a good idea of how long it was in her system based on what they know of marijuana and the body’s ability to purge it, and the average length of time that that purging takes. From what I’ve read, she had to have been smoking pot in the car before the crash. It’s the only plausible explanation for her to have that much THC in her bloodstream at the time of her death.
I would feel no less disgusted with her if I didn’t believe she smoked pot in front of her kids while driving – I’d rather they saw that and lived, than died even without seeing it. When you look at it, what’s the big deal about exposing them to a potentially harmful drug when she’s about to kill them anyway?
Diane was not a diabetic. She had gestational diabetes only, which resolved after her baby was born. She would not have a blood sugar low enough to cause her bizarre behaviour.
Nor could she have had a stroke caused by a clot breaking off the lump on her leg; if that were the case, the clot would have gone to her lung and stopped there. The only way it could have gotten to her brain was if she had what is called a patent foramen oval or hole between the upper chambers of the heart, allowing the clot to cross over to the left side of the heart where it could be pumped to the brain, but she did not have a POF.
Consider this theory:
1. At first, DS said the vodka stayed in the camper. Then he said they carried it back and forth, and one bottle lasted a year. Then he said she refilled it. First she didn’t drink, then she had strawberry daquiris,which are made with rum, but no booze the night before the accident. He didn’t know where it was Sunday morning.
2. All of this denial of alcohol ingestion is to avoid liability, because I think he knew she was impaired when she left that morning. If she had been drinking late in the night, her blood alcohol could still have been elevated when she got up early Sunday.
3. Diane had a hangover and a splitting headache. Instead of feeding the kids at the campsite, she took them to mcdonalds, where she bought a large orange juice.
4. According to Diane’s after-work drinking buddy, her drink was screwdrivers, which are made with guess what-vodka and orange juice. She had put the vodka in the front and made a whopper of a screwdriver and chugged it. But it wasn’t working fast enough, the sun was bright and hurt her eyes, it was hot and the kids were noisy, and now she’s nauseated to boot. Well what could a little marijuana hurt, it’s good for nausea and pain. But now she’s messed up, because they potentiated each other, and she’s disoriented and lost. She thinks she called Danny but she accidentally called Warren, who gave her what for for driving drunk in his car with his kids. Now she’s pissed at him, wants to beat him home, drop off the kids, and lock herself in her house until the whole thing blows over.
there were reports of people seeing her puke a couple of times,,, soooo, she would have to have consumed after those incidents to ” still have 6 or so ounces left in her stomach” as the toxocologist report states, least thats what I would think.
She probably poured the vodka as the kids were playing in the playpark area of the McDonald’s. Earlier, she very likely spiked her coffee with vodka even before she hit the road. This woman had a tolerance so it’s quite possible no one she encountered in the first hour or so detected she’d been drinking — alcoholics have been known to walk a straight line before crossing that line into total inebriation.
Very possible. What about the night before? How much did she drink then? What time did her and her husband turn in for the night? Did they even turn in? They were camping. Sitting round a fire, having drinks, laughin, carrying on. ( Maybe smokin pot) What if she was still drunk from the night before? She started drivin the next day, hot day, started getting a hangover, stopped looking for something for a headache. It’s possible. Why don’t they do a hair-strain test? That would tell all, wouldn’t it?
As per the toxicology report, must have she smoked the marijuana within 15 minutes of the accident. The THC in her blood was extremely high.
This is not a case in which Diane Schuler had smoked pot two weeks prior to the fatal crash and a residual THC was discovered in her body. It’s definite that she was under the influence of pot as well as alcohol when she was driving that vehicle.
One possibility that was not mentioned that could have caused the vision problem in Diane Schuler is adult-onset classical migraine. Bryan, her son, the only survivor of the horrific accident, says ‘Mommy’s head hurt, she couldn’t see.’ This is in no way meant to excuse any of her actions. Anyone having problems with their sight has no business attempting to pilot a vehicle of any sort, much less a van full of children. The thought that so many people could have died as a result of a woman self-medicating for a migraine headache is terrifying.
Reading possibilities…I suffer from migraine “attacks” and feel strongly that this was NOT the case because we all have a sufficient warning span in which to take action or NOT take action since the actual attack and pain, excrutiating pain comes after a series of warnings with vision distractions, flickers of light, waves or lines and even if these symptoms differ or end more quickly, there is time to react or ‘take cover’ and cannot imagine this instinct less powerful with little innocent ones in the back seat. Unimaginable is usually untrue. Everybody who witnessed her driving just before the accident commented on the straight line – steady and unswerving – non-expressionless face or what was possible to see inside the car as it passed at 70 – 75 mph ? but isn’t it possible that she was comatose or even dead as she entered the parkway going the wrong direction? Still does not explain what came before or if the perfectionist went way out of control in her decision to drink and risk those lives, but could explain what looked like suicide and instead was an incoherent or blind driver, unswerving and full weight on gas pedal.
We don’t “all” have sufficient warning; not every migraine sufferer has auras. I don’t. But then, I don’t drive, either.
Are you seriously asking if she was already dead while driving the car?
Zombies should also not drive cars.
I think she may have had a stroke.I think that’s why her head hurt and she couldn’t see. She probably mentally couldn’t figure out how to get help.
Then why did her brain show no signs of a stroke during autopsy? Sorry Beth, but it was drugs and alcohol that cause this crash.
I suffer migraines as well, have for years BUT I am sure not attempting to drive if I have one, it’s called “pull over and wait or call someone to come get me” never would I drive.
Disturbing and powerful HBO documentary and until last few minutes without ideas or gut feelings about what happened. But that progression of photographs of Diane..after she rolled from the passenger side (as described by the 1st people at the horrible scene), a fat and bruised portion of her arm, half-naked then lifeless and crude, and I am almost ashamed to admit that I would label based of such a grotesque vision and also invasion … but the sight of that huge body and the fact that only person in control of what happened (a ‘perfectionist’ who turned into a self-centered and miserably suicidal stoic ?) was the 1st to exit the burning wreck and before those innocent little ones in the back, more of whom may have still lived had they been attended to before her–the control freak who’d been portrayed as wearing the pants in the family, bringing home the bacon that she later cooked–made me bitter and hateful – but I don’t want to be. A few grotesque photos and gross in itself for being taken and used in this program should not provoke anything BUT sympathy, and I want to be wrong. Would someone comment on their gut feelings about the photos or Diane or the fact that something from nothing in her blood or DNA ‘impersonated’ alcohol or ‘thc’ and that she was already dead or comotose when entering the wrong side of the parkway … ? Please give me thoughts – thanks
Most were likely killed on impact. Diane didn’t “exit” the vehicle first under her own power – her neck and back were broken and her aorta torn. She likely died instantly.
You keep talking about the size of her body and her “huge”ness. I do not understand what her size has to do with anything to the extent it makes you hate her more.
Ummm…I think you make an excellent point, and her large size revolted me a way that I do not like admitting, but, it showed what a total wreck she was in every way and maybe other fat people take that personally. Its not personal to anyone except Diane, the perpetrator of this mass murder.
Or, maybe her weight has absolutely nothing to do with anything. It’s just completely irrelevant. It wouldn’t matter if she were a supermodel; the important part is making the choice to drink, toke and drive, and because of that choice, murder 7 people.
It’s just bizarre to me that anyone would harp on her weight in such a weird way. It makes it rather clear who is oddly sensitive to weight, and it doesn’t seem to be who you think it is.
what I heard was that she rolled out when they opened the sliding door, she didn’t choose her position, she just happend to be right there at the door.
I think these weight comments stem from an original post about the photos of Diane’s corpse. I don’t see how anyone who saw the show and those unexpected, shocking images did not immediately notice her size. It may have been made worse by the torn, mangled clothes and perhaps the extensive internal injuries to her torso. Bottom line is, fat or fit, she unnecessarily killed innocent people. And her husband is utterly despicable.
Ive watched the story about this on hbo. This is horible. I do not think she is hell tho. Heres why. Something was wrong. One of the kids told their dad I believe she cant see and didnt feel good. As caring a person as she was by all accounts. I really dont thinkshe set out to do this. It seems to me from problems she had with oral issues and pain she used alcohol to try to help. Many people use pot to help with pain. I feel bad for her family because they just dont want to accept what happened. I think she was in alot of pain. Thinking if she drank a little it would help. It didnt aand she stopped and smoked pot to try to help. I have a family member with a very bad back. Ive seen what severe pain can do to someone. It can make that person become someone they arent. She wasnt thinking clearly due to teeth problems. Im not trying to make excuses for her. This was a horribler thing that happpened and she did it. I just think she never would have done this but when your in pain people dont think straight. Its like their mind changes and takes over and all it wants is to stop the pain. It doesnt seem they had a bad marriage. People hide addictions all the time. I think she drank more and did pot more than they thought she did. I dont think she was some drunk drug addict who didnt care for anyone else. I wish people would think . I dont condone what happened at all. What I dont agree with is she was a uncaring person who just did this to do it like some drug addicted person who just wants to get high! Either way I hope all families find peace. When your writing on this board remember. Her surviving son might read this. He loved his mother. THINK before you write! Calling her names or her family names. They didnt do this. She did. Attacking her or the family wont do a thing! THINK!!!Yes it was a horrible thing and yes she is at fault! Is she in helll for this. I dont think so!
There was no evidence of tooth pain. The stuff mentioned in the documentary sounded more like TMJ than the mystical abscess the family keeps mentioning (she rubbed her jaw, and moved it from side to side. I do that too, to try and loosen it up or click it in a way that releases the pain and stiffness.)
TMJ pain isn’t generally drinking and pot pain. And there’s no way any amount of pain would lessen her responsibility for being behind the wheel while drinking and toking up.
Finally, there’s nothing in any of the video taken of her that day that indicates pain. If you’ve seen severe spinal pain, then you know it changes posture and gait, severe pain changes the way people hold their bodies.
She didn’t exhibit any of that.
The pain defense is a red herring. She was simply an alcoholic who left incredible damage in her wake and whose toxic family system is still perpetuating the lies, secrets and denials that come with an alcoholic family.
You know the saying, alcoholics don’t have relationships, they take hostages. Well, Diane killed some of hers.
“When your writing on this board remember. Her surviving son might read this. He loved his mother. THINK before you write!”
If Daniel and Jay don’t care about allowing photos of the surviving sons mangled mother’s dead body to be shown, in all of it’s graphic, juicy glory, to the entire world in such a degrading way on HBO… do you see where I’m going with this?
Nope?
K, lemme put it another way – in what way would anything we have to say here, possibly hurt the boy more than what his own father said about him and his deceased family on a documentary that he willingly participated in? Do you recall the part about how Daniel said he never wanted kids, they were supposed to be Diane’s responsibility and about how his only surviving son is such a burden to him because he hates to have to do the chores associated with raising his mentally scarred son?
No?
What about the part where he’s suing and blaming everyone and everything for what happened, except for the murderess herself? Or the fact that his stated reasons for suing the Hances, (who lost family in Diane’s vehicular suicide and should be allowed closure so that they can properly mourn and somehow find a way to move on) is that it was their car Diane was driving and it must have been in poor condition so they are somehow vicariously responsible for the death of his family? He’s suing his wife’s victims?
No?
What about the part where he tossed out some ridiculous theories about diabetes (hence the alcohol in her blood stream because she never drank) or after being forced to admit the truth he already knew, the tooth abscess (she was ‘self-medicating’ her ‘excruciating, blinding pain’ with alcohol and pot) or the laughable idea that it’s possible that the sugar in her blood was turned into alcohol from the heat of the crash? Now THAT, my silly Matthew, is a Superpower. Sugar to alcohol when it’s already in the bloodstream, by the introduction of heat? Jesus would be jealous.
No?
Will you even consider the fact that his own mother sees him as a stupid, selfish child who viewed his wife as a foster mother and meal ticket instead of as a partner in all things, and she practically said as much in the documentary?
As far as thinking before you write, you seem to have the market cornered on that one. Yep.
OH, I forgot the part about the mysterious leg lump that is somehow responsible. I’m sure you understand my having overlooked it, in the face of so many other bits of bullshit, it’s easy to lose track of a single, tiny chunk.
Is there anything else I’ve forgotten? I’m sure the list will grow. Daniel Schuler may be the biggest piece of shit I’ve ever heard of, but he has a first-class imagination.
The fact that his father sued the Hances and so effectively cut yet another part of the little boy’s family out of his life for the foreseeable future?
If tooth pain alone caused people to behave like that the streets would be full of people rampaging around holding their cheeks while they commit mayhem.
she ran from it , she knew she was caught..thats why her cell was purposely left
I just viewed the HBO documentary, SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH AUNT DIANE. Either their denial mechanism is so strong or Diane Shuler’s behavior was way out of character. Both husband and sister cannot get over that Shuler made a series of bad choices that resulted in this hideous bloodbath. Maybe they are seeking absolution to asuage their feelings of guilt. Some of the mysteries related to the alcohol could be examined; but the pot thing removes all reasonable doubt that Shuler was full of the same determination witnesses observed on that 1.7 miled drive on the Taconic Parkway.
Saw the documentary tonight and was struck by some things in it:
Danny boy’s real life mommie said Diane behaved as if he(Daniel) were her(Diane’s) eldest son and doted on him the way she had. She seemed absolutely delighted abt that observation. That almost said it all to me in regards to why he’s such a big loser/father to his son Brian now. Almost an incestuous remark by her and it became clear he depended upon her completely and is now furious he has to deal w/life on his own. Completely self absorbed and oblivious of anyone elses needs but his own. He is what is known as the ‘enabler’ of the alkie/addict, and fits the description. Typically immature, childish, angry, passive aggressive, dependent, weak and petulant personalities.
Sister-in-law needs to get back to her own life and move on-like yesterday. But she said 2 really very revealing things: 1. during the interview she was smoking a cigarette, and after she took a drag on it, looks at the camera and says: no one in my family knows I do this(smokes). Well this also said it all: secrets being kept from family members. Toxic secrets/dishonesty is a generational issue. But here the sis-in-law has lied to her family abt smoking, and imo Diane was a closet drunk/addict as well and hiding it. Why do they think they even need to keep secrets? Normal ppl see a problem and deal.
The enabler typically knows the secrets and can push the addicts’ buttons at vulnerable times. Can be passive aggressive bullies when they don’t get their way, can be extremely manipulative. Daniel strikes me being stuck at 5 yrs old psychologically.
Last point: the real victim now is the child Brian. Sis in law, and I could not believe my ears when she said it, for him to see in a few years–revealed the truth abt his father and her really. She said Daniel essentially was p.o.’d that Diane died, that he never wanted kids, she did and now she’s not here and he “didn’t sign up for this” and he doesn’t like it. Just un********believable! Can’t believe the sis in law said this-and oh so casually, b/c news flash s-i-l: it’s going to scar this child even more when he sees you spouting on abt how dear old dad dislikes him.
Hmmmmm….what could possibly be wrong w/this family…uhm—like Daniel being a spoiled rotten brat who only saw what he felt like seeing, hearing what he felt like and have a large woman service his large self 24/7 for 13 years. The END folks. Your typical twisted sick American family in denial working/living for soulless boring meaningless money/facades/marriages/families til you die.
It’s disgustingly clear these ppl are selfish greedy, narcissistic types who don’t think abt this child or his needs whatsoever. Heck, good old daddy dearest didn’t think his small, severely traumatized boy, dealing w/the loss of mommie and sister, a single thing, no therapy, no friends, no church, etc… nothing else in sight during the filming of the movie. It was reported Daddy Dearest spoke angrily, impatiently, selfishly, insensitively and thoughtlessly(ad infinitum) to the boy routinely, adding insult to injury.
The ending said it all, heck the Old Man reluctantly offered his hand to the boy while walking, and Brian didn’t take it, actually slapped it away. Remember Danny Boy 20 years from now when your poor son treats you the way he WILL and society will inherit what you refuse to deal with. Thanks you selfish ********** *** **** ***** ***** ************** *********etc.
To any responsible family member of this child reading here: Please intervene, please do something, anything. Brian needs much much more help and this documentary reveals the problems. The father gets paid and the boy lives through what is likely to be the worst thing ever for him and he’s told to simply ‘get over it’. Unbelievable.
IMO this child is the collateral damage of two extraordinarily immature, weak and angry parents. Please pray for him.
When watching the documentary I almost thought Jay the sister-in-law was making a case to get custody of the little boy. I really think if she had him he would have a chance of turning out.
I just finished watching the HBO documentary for the second time. I just can’t believe that any person could be so selfish and reckless…especially a mother! After having read many of the posts and doing a bit of online research, here’s what I’m curious about:
-Where was Dan Thursday night? He was detected going through the toll booth on Friday morning, but he supposedly left for the campsite Thursday.
-What was the dialog between Diane and her brother Warren during that cell phone call that ended with her leaving her cell phone on the wall and left her virtually untraceable?
-Why did it take her 4 hours to get to that point? I thought I read that it was a 45 min. ride. I know she made a couple of stops but it shouldn’t have taken that long.
-If she was that impaired, why wouldn’t she just pull over and wait for help?
Anybody have any input/insight on any of these questions?
I thought it was supposed to be a 2 1/2 hour drive
If no one in her family knew that she drank, especially her immediate family like her brother, then she would do anything to hide it, especially if she was already under the influence because that means she was not thinking correctly.
Keep right on believing that bucko.
Who the hell are we to judge. This husband,father,uncle also lost his family. There are people who have blacked out while driving,walking riding a bike etc. I have had migraines many times and also anxiety attacks. I usually get a pre-warning with the lines across my eyes before a migraine but everyone is different. Ii feel for both families and do not know how I would feel if it happened to me.All I know is that everyone out here reading this and writing a comment should put themselves in the husbands position. Dont you think he has a heart and feels for everyone who lost their lives? He didnt ask for this either. My thoughts,prayers and love go out to each family. God Bless
We can judge a person’s actions just fine, and Diane’s actions created this tragedy, while Daniel’s actions exacerbate it and prevent the others suffering from finding peace.
I feel immense sympathy for little Bryan (having a serious brain injury myself, I know his road won’t be easy even if the brain injury was all he had to worth through). I feel deep sympathy for the Hances, the Longos, and the Bastardis. I find Diane’s death simply tragic and would have sympathy for her if not for the fact her choices and her choices alone ended the lives of 4 children and 3 innocent men and left her little boy adrift, injured, and motherless.
I pray for all involved too. I pray Daniel has an epiphany that allows him to end his pathological denials and harmful behavior towards the others involved in this. I pray all the families can find peace. I pray the families of the victims, who are victims of this tragic crime themselves, can reach out to each other in love, sympathy and understanding.
Stop carrie – stop now or you’re going to make me angry.
You wouldn’t like me when I’m angry….
ARRRR ……MAX SMASH! DESTROY ALL STUPID PEOPLE!….ARRRRRRR!
I’m guessing the husband drank also…had a dui. I think most reasonable people would agree that the husband probably knew she drank but didn’t know she would drink and drive. I don’t believe he was responsible for the accident. However, he is responsible for his actions after the accident. He strikes me as very selfish and childlike. Who would waste everyone’s time by asserting the ridiculous notion that the toxicology reports were mistaken? And then sue his brother in law who lost 3 children at the hands of his wife? A selfish and childlike idiot, that’s who.
I agree I said it before. Not only did he loose his wife and children but he is left to deal with the aftermath of this horrible tradegy. I feel for every family involved may all the deceased Rest In Peace. But give the guy a break. Leave him to pick up the pieces of his life and raise his boy.
I am still watching the Doc. but I have to say that it is possible he didnt know she drank. My spouse gave up drinking for a year so I thought. Then I discovered he started drinking rootbeer snaps and would cover it by always having a rootbeer barrel candy in his mouth. Finally about 2 weeks ago I found empty nips in his trash can. So yes it is possible he didnt know, I didnt
Ignorance is bliss aint it?
Hehe. Hi Mulch! Welcome back! :)
Look how long they were married. That is MORE than enough time to come to some kind of realization that she was drinking.
Lord….when will this story be OVER?!? Yes it’s a damn tragedy what this bitch did but DAMN. What’s the point in beating a dead horse? I mean what she did was wrong…she’s dead. Unfortunately plenty more are dead because of her. My point is WHY KEEP BEATING THIS INTO THE GROUND?
Because the story isn’t getting through to the politicians who need to change the laws or the drunks who keep killing people.
Max, can you check her for sock puppetry?
Wondering about puppetry myself. It’s just mind-blowing, some of these cold, callous, inhumane, blase’ attitudes. I can’t believe they’re different people. If they are different people, I might cry. As a rule, I don’t cry. Not because it’s a sign of weakness, but because it’s a form of manipulation. In many cases, anyway. And from women, mostly. Tears are a very powerful feminine weapon! ;)
In this case however I’d have to make an exception, and just out of sheer frustration with the human race.
For me, I guess I keep revisiting the tragedy because it’s like a puzzle.
There are missing pieces that I keep hoping will be revealed. I feel horrible for everyone involved and just want to understand what really happened. It just doesn’t add up. There’s got to be more to the story that hasn’t come out. I was hoping that the HBO documentary would lend some clarity to the situation…very disappointing. So, many transparent smoke screens; what an insult to the intelligence of the viewing public. I was actually embarrassed for Jay and Daniel…do they actually believe their own lies? Jay clearly is enjoying the 15 minutes of fame opportunity and perhaps her share in the $100,000 paycheck offered by HBO. Why else would anyone make a complete ass of themselves in front of millions? Stunad!!
I totally agree! The biggest questions for me are:
1. Mothers kill their children and themselves – unfortunately it happens – However, the three nieces just don’t add up? Why not just go home that day and if you’re determined to do this, wait until it’s just you and yours…it seems like she had a great relationship with her brother and sister in law. Just makes no sense! Has anyone else heard of a Mom that did this to their own and another’s child?
2. I felt from the documentary that Daniel and Jay don’t really believe what they are saying – it felt like it was more for attention and sympathy – it seems that they are bringing this up again and again because it makes the public pay attention to them…
3. Lastly, they throw out so often that Diane smoked to go to sleep. Buying marijuana is obviously illegal! Who sold it to her? Why would the police not investigate this? A housewife would stand out! Daniel swears she hardly drank, smoked some and was a terrific mom, however, all of the testimony from co-workers and friends point to many opposite conclusions!
The entire vibe I got from the documentary is that there are some serious secrets – Daniel and Jay are strange, the friends acted wierd, etc. The people who truly deserve to know the truth are the Bastardis! It’s disrespectful that once the police found out she was drunk and high it was a cut a dry case…should be more investigating…
A housewife, which Diane was not, would not really stand out to a pot dealer.
My mom is a fiftymumble year old Jewish mother who wears embellished sweatshirts with cats on them and mixes Yiddish in with her English and goes off on rambling rants when I dye my hair.
She sells pot.
I giggled. Perhaps it was inappropriate, but the description of your typical mom, and the sentence ‘she sells pot’ at the end really got me going.
You can’t judge a book by it’s cover. There are so many more people who smoke pot than most non-smokers, or even most smokers, realize.
A friend of mine, who works retail in a mall, said she was helping a really old woman with some shoes. The woman couldn’t have been younger than 90, and she smelled really strongly of the green. She turned to my friend, unprompted, and said “If I couldn’t sit and hotbox my car before coming in to shop, I’d never be able to leave my house because of the pain.” Just like that. Imagining this skinny, wrinkled granny in her little shmata dress with the violet flowers, her sparse, curly white hair, her hunchback, her therapeutic shoes and her thick glasses and support hose… hotboxing her old caddy in the parking garage… ROFL!!! Oh, mercy.
I am such a square – realizing how common pot is is pretty new for me. I was jaw-dropping shocked to find out about my mom. (My stepmom, the one who raised us.)
One of my sisters mentioned it one day when I was rolling my eyes at my ex asking if I knew anyone who had any.
After I picked my jaw up off the floor I cracked up laughing. Life is… very weird.
It was after that I realized a lot of people use pot pretty much the same way you’d use a nightcap to relax or something. And a beloved friend who is HIV positive uses it to counteract the severe nausea from the meds. And another yet with fibromyalgia uses it because it is the only thing they’ve found to make them function in manageable pain.
I have bad lungs and other medical issues, so I don’t partake, but I don’t really care if someone else does. Impaired people shouldn’t be driving, which is where the subject of this article really screwed up. I couldn’t care less if she had a toke in the evening so she could sleep.
I have just heard that it can help fibromyalgia, which I have. But I don’t think I could ever smoke pot.
I can’t, really, because I have asthma. I don’t see it as any different from alcohol though. Some people can have one nightcap or one glass of red wine with dinner – most people can manage that, even. There are always some out there who abuse either chemical.
I drink coffee because it is helpful for brain injury, and because I greatly fear dementia (greater risk due to the brain injury). There’s a lot of common chemicals out there that can be used to help health (or harm it if misused).
I’m an ACOA, though, and it’s difficult for me to give up the level of control that regular drinking or pot use would impact. But I don’t have a problem with other people responsibly imbibing, which most do.
I don’t believe it would be different either. I’m sorry to hear about your illness. I have no problem with others smoking pot either, as long as they don’t try to push it on me ya know what I mean
Pushers are jerks, be it drugs or religion. ;) Personal choice is part of freedom. I don’t like straight-edge people who try to preach their thoughts any more than I like obsessive potheads. 3 of my bandmates smoke pot, one doesn’t. He doesn’t care, he just doesn’t indulge. We never even hint that he should smoke with us because he chose not to and it’s not that big of a deal to us. It’s a non-topic.
I know some people who will not be friends with anyone who doesn’t smoke pot. They say it makes them feel as if those people are judging them. If they feel so guilty about it, why are they doing it? Because they think it makes them look cool. That’s the epitome of stupid. Nothing that you put into your body makes you cool. It’s the thoughts and actions that come out of your body that matter!
You’re so right! I guess instead of housewife I should have said Mom! I have an uncle who grows/sells pot and if he told me he sold to someone like Diane – I guess I would be pretty shocked!
By the way – you said you’ve been following this for a long time – I’d love to know your thoughts/theories on the nieces being in the car – that is just such a puzzle to me! I can understand her killing herself and her own children but the nieces are a mystery…
Also do you think that because she was high/drunk the police kind of let the whole incident go? I feel that with such a huge loss of life that it would be important to find out what happened in the “lost time” and where she bought her marijuana? What do you think?
I think that maybe the phone call with her brother Warren may be critical. I don’t think she initially set out to commit suicide that morning. I read somewhere that the original plan for the weekend was that Daniel was to leave Thursday to do some “fishing” and that Diane was to meet him Friday with the all of the children at the campsite. However, the toll booth records indicate that he actually didn’t hit the camping area until Friday morning. Sooo…where was Daniel Thursday night? A girlfriend, gambling problem, etc. Whatever it was, I think she confronted him about it at some point over the weekend and didn’t like the answer. She was emotionally distraught and started drinking earlier than usual that day. Don’t think she meant to get that drunk…think it hit her all at once…right about the time when the niece called her father. When Warren called Diane, after the cry for help from his daughter, he could clearly tell she was drunk and told her to sit tight….not sure what else was said but that would be interesting to find out because that seems to be when it all fell apart. I think that he may have threatened her with calling the police, etc., etc. Rather than sit and wait for help and potentially run the risk of a dui and perhaps losing her children, she flees and leaves her phone on the wall which renders her untraceable. Now here’s what I don’t get…why didn’t she disappear for a couple of hours and sober up or did she think there would be an APB out on her? Why would she kill all of the kids? Why didn’t she just stay put and face the music and kill herself later if it was too much to bear? Could it be that this was revenge against her cheating husband and angry brother Warren? What was the motivation for taking all of the kids down with her? I just don’t get it!
The pathology of Jay and Daniel is breathtaking. Not sure any of us can really understand this fully, but certain it means they know an awful lot they wish was not true. Both must have histories of getting out of stuff by deflecting blame elsewhere.
Daniel and Diane practically never saw each other during the week, except perhaps at a time of day when she might not yet be drunk, around 6 or 7 a.m. On the weekend, it probably didn’t matter as much because everyone was indulging. And, screwdrivers are easily hidden as oj. Vodka is one of the “tasteless, odorless” alcohols.
I think that once Diane got as enraged as she did about whatever happened over that weekend – which of course Daniel knows – exacerbating everything happening in her life accumulating to that point, she could definitely have taken everyone else with her as a small detail of ending her own pain. That much alcohol causes you to take liberties without considering consequences.
Just my two cents.
I am SOOOO Glad someone in a post above, pointed out about JAY stating on camera about her smoking a Cigarette, that “Oops, no one in my family knows I smoke”…..How IRONIC !!! I think Diane was the same way about her drinking….she kept it hidden also….a turning point and eye opener for me in this documentary. Very telling…….Daniel is a man-child and he totally pisses me off when confronted with her being drunk and high, shakes his head and states “That’s NOT TRue!”…….blood tests do not lie, idiot. The denial thing is really OLD NOW….face it, but like a lot of you said, he’s also trying to not be found liable as well, so somehow he feels denying the OBVIOUS, will eventually make it not so…? Really Danny? Grow up . God Bless the children who died, the men in the other vehicle and help little Brian. Senseless tragedy.
You people are sick. Leave her family alone. What she did has nothing to do with them. You shouldn’t blame them for not wanting to believe that she would do something so horrible. Would you wanna believe that someone you loved did something like this?
Think of her son. He survived by a miracle & now he has to grow up with people taunting him & his family for something that this little boy had nothing to do with! You think he isn’t going to have enough to deal with without people blaming him & his father for things they had no control over? You people are sick. Really, really sick. You should be ashamed of yourselves. I’m sure God is.
Jennifer, from the bottom of my heart…. shut the fuck up, you ignorant, pompous, presumptuous, dumbass bitch.
You’re welcome.
I suppose you haven’t matured yet either. She’s right. The way we treat one another makes me sick, and I’m embarassed. You probably will be too, when you get called on the carpet for your behavior here. Take a good hard look at yourself, turn around and become some one your son or daughter would be glad to be seen with.
Look in a mirror and say these words to yourself:
“Take a good hard look at yourself, turn around and become some one your son or daughter would be glad to be seen with.”
You don’t know what you’re talking about. You haven’t bothered to try.
No one is taunting that child. We are all concerned about him. Do you know what it means to be self-righteous vs righteous, Jennifer?
Jenny,
There’s a plank in your eye. IT seems to be obscuring your vision. Perhaps you should remove it before you consider continuing.
Thanks,
Jason
Really, Jen? And how is it that you have such great insight into The Almighty’s psyche?
Personally, I think God agrees with us, and, wait a minute, what’s this? It’s a letter here, addressed to you Jennifer, care of me, Max The Cat, from God Almighty Himself. Well, I think I should open this a read it right away, don’t you Jennifer?
OK, here I go….Wow, have you ever noticed that God has the most beautiful penmanship?
OK, OK, here’s the letter.
Well I guess that settles it Jennifer. God is on our side, and you suck.
Max… I love you. ;) “Me-damn headache.” is gold!
If I was God, I’d be really angry at people who presume to speak for me when they don’t even understand my best-selling book, and when I know that over half of them have never read it themselves. I’d be insulted if someone put words in my mouth. I’d be more disgusted with the false Christian than I would be with the Atheist, because at least the Atheist isn’t lying about who they are, and posing as one of my followers to spread false information. I’d implement a rewards program for my true followers… wait.. Heaven. Duh!
Is it just me, or are there far more false Christians than true ones in this world? I’m neither, but I really am disgusted by how many people will twist the word of their own God to meet their selfish ends. Such hypocrisy, and they don’t even see it! If God does exist, I hope he’s building a class-action lawsuit against the false Christians. He would need to represent himself – A MAN who represents himself in court has a fool for a client. That doesn’t apply to a GOD.
Jennifer, how is that I in my Humanism/Atheism seem to understand more about the God you say you love and believe in, than you seem to yourself? And who should be ashamed? Hmm?
Max–LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!
A “Me-damn” headache!! LOL!!!!!
Jennifer, find one comment on this site where ANYONE has taunted little Bryan or blamed him for the accident in any way. You can’t do it, dumbass.
Jennifer – I agree these people are sick, many are outright bullies. Why are people so angry at the surviving relatives? Just because they are fighting to clear the name of their loved one? Doesn’t make sense to me. Daniel and Jay lost loved ones also and at the same time they have the right to fight to clear Diane’s name, it doesn’t make the ones dead any more dead. No matter if it is true or not they can’t comprehend Diane risking so many innocent lives. From all accounts Diane was a good person and per the private investigator there is no evidence that Diane was a secret alcoholic. All the things that don’t add up seem to make it more difficult for Daniel and Jay to move on. Sometimes people grieving don’t make sense. Look at the Bastardi’s they insisted someone should be held responsible for their father and brother’s death, but obviously the person responsible already paid, Diane was dead. This was enough so they tried to put the blame on the grieving husband, saying he was a co conspirator??? They filed a lawsuit against the brother also.
What an interesting post. I’m sure I will take this to heart. Thank you so much.
It’s probably just me, but this post smells like socks.
From all accounts, Diane seemed like a good person? That’s not the impression I got from watching the documentary and reading interviews with her friends. She sounded like a controlling, pushy nag who was hell-bent on doing things her way at all costs.
What ever you are smoking I seriously need some! Reality sucks and like you I need out of it. How do you clear a guilty persons name? The cunt murdered children. Because she was sad. Bitch please put down yer bong and walk away slowly
Who are you? Chris Crocker? Are you gonna make us a youtue video of you crying with mascara running down your cheeks, screaming “It’s Diane, bitches!!! Please, Please, Please, Please, Please, Please, Please, Please, Please, Please, Please, Please, You bastards, Leave Diane Alone!!!!!”
Why do you have such a problem with us voicing our opinions? Hello, twatsicle, freedom of speech? Get a frigging life, you pussy ass cry baby creampuff.
RIGHT ON i’M SICK OF FOLKS DOING STUPID THINGS LIKE KILLING INNOCENT KIDS!!! yup,,,,, that’s how sick I am
Dawn and Jennifer,
I don’t think that anyone here is uncaring. Rather, I think it’s our caring nature that brings us to this site. I think that people are angry at the “ignorance is bliss” attitude of the family before the accident and the denial of Diane’s drug and alcohol abuse, which caused the tragedy. You see, if the family knew that she was prone to binge drinking and toking, they could be viewed as negligent in having let her drive…not only endangering the children, but anyone else on the road. After the accident, when the toxicology reports came out, they wasted everyone’s time in their flat refusal of the results. And further, Daniel has law suits against his brother in law, who lost three children, at the hands of Diane, for the minivan he let them borrow for the weekend outing. On what planet is that appropriate? I think the public would have had an easier time with Daniel if he came clean and said…we had an argument over the weekend, she was upset, and must have started drinking in the morning…I had no idea she would ever do something like this. And Jay just needs to shut up and get lost.
curious1 and Mulch, you talk as if you know all the answers that is supposedly a mystery. Maybe they didn’t have a fight, maybe the husband truly can’t comprehend what happened… I don’t know, because I didn’t know these people, I’m sure you didn’t either. All I have to go by is the documentary. Daniel’s actions are certainly mystifying also and inappropriate towards Diane’s brother. People aren’t all evil and all good.
Navy cop, your the type of bully i’m talking about. You are bullying people with different opinions… Freedom of speech goes both ways.
Kat, the documentary says several times that by all accounts she was a good person and a good mother. That doesn’t make her perfect, but it does make it a far cry from murder. Which from what her family said is why they feel something is missing. All that is of course hear say…
This is not a logical statement. She drunk, she smoked marijuana, and then she murdered her passengers and the three adults in the car that was obeying the law.
You are a drunk driving apologist. Your kind are one of the reasons we keep having these sorts of deaths.
How does the opinion that she was a good person vindicate her of this murder? You can’t be serious. I’m whit Jason – your statement is illogical and really very silly. You’re an enabler.
Dawn, good people don’t get drunk and smoke dope while driving around with a van full of young children, flawed people do. Seven innocent people, now dead because Diane Schuler made the decision to drink and drive that morning, are the proof that I speak the truth. No matter what you try, you can’t argue your way past that fact.
Free speech is one of our most important civil rights, maybe THE most important, but that doesn’t mean a damn fool like you should exercise your right to free speech when intelligent people are discussing important issues. Stick to commenting on topics more in line with the level of your IQ, like, for instance, who will be the next American Idol.
For some reason Dawn, you comment made me think of Frank Zappa’s song “Flakes”.
Ah Frankie, we hardly knew you….
Stop using “Freedom of Speech” this way. This is not what that sacred right means.
It doesn’t mean we have to listen to you. It doesn’t mean you can go to a privately owned website and say whatever you want, whenever you want. It doesn’t mean your opinion is in any way valid or respectable just because you have it.
It means the government will not keep you from speaking truth on public property. It means the government will not bust up your own personal blog. It means the government will not tell you what you have to say and when.
It does not mean we have to give one blue fuck about your precious “opinion”. It doesn’t mean we don’t get to ridicule you for being a pompous idiot. It doesn’t mean you get some free pass to respect you have not earned.
It does not “go both ways”.
FFS, stop using that term if you have no idea what it means. Navycop may try to shut you up any nonviolent way she chooses – she is not the government, and you are not entitled to her listening ear.
Or mine.
Nope, I am not the kind of bully you are talking about. I typically combat stupidity with facts, but on occasion, the stupidity overwhelms my capability to gently and kindly guide the dumbass to the light.
So when someone decides that people are bullies for being rightfully enraged about something this terrible, it would fall into the latter category. Felony Stupidity, people, it makes me incoherent and resort to becoming a bloody savage :)
Diane Schuler must be the most popular person at PYSIH besides Lori Drew. I first heard of PYSIH because of Lori Drew. I looked at previous entries and there are a total of 7 for Schuler, while Drew has 9. However, in terms of comments, there are way more for Schuler than Drew. In fact two of Schuler entries have over 700 and the one about HBO documentary got a lot in a short time.
Also, if you Google Diane Schuler, it also gets “Diane Schuler psyih”.
I really don’t see why her family is still trying to prove that she was drinking and smoking weed…. They need to except that fact even tho it might hurt… Well the truth hurts… YOu have to live with that.
I just watched the documentary..I believe the Schuler family..I feel sorry that innocent people lost their lives.But her husband was telling the truth and he would have known if she was a drunk or a dug addict…Prayers for eveyone
“But her husband was telling the truth”
Daniel “IQ of a lamp post” Schuler is smarter than the medical examiner, apparently.
Also we can not judge someone and tell them they are going to hell.We will leave that to the man above.God Bless the Schuler family and the other family that lost people they love…
What’s this “we” crap, lady? Most of us aren’t sanctimonious Bible literalist, and some of us don’t believe in Hell, making this a philosophical exercise for us.
Do not presume to preach to me. You are not learned, interesting, nor deep enough to do so.
BTW, two other families lost people that day, not one. And another couple people were injured. Uncounted numbers of witnesses were horribly traumatized, or did you not see the grown man whose heart was shattering in front of us talking about trying to rescue those babies?
I wish nothing but love and healing to Bryan. Daniel has hurt too many people – your own Bible tells us to forgive those who ask for it, and he has not.
You’re also NOT to push your beliefs onto other people.
ForlornW….I’ve been wanting to say, for awhile, about the other people that helped at the scene as well. Those poor people will be scared for life over this too. It’s bad enough firemen have to see this but many are used to it where someone else wouldn’t be. My heart goes out to them as well as the others.
Yeah, me too. I cried at that part in the documentary. Their pain and trauma was clear.
I honestly did too. I just couldn’t hold it in. I really tried to put myself in his shoes and I just can’t imagine what he went through seeing all those children and him asking God (or praying?) to make the little girl wake up and then he tried his best to get out the words, But she wouldn’t wake up. I definitely couldn’t hold back any tears then. : (
ps. Kathi marie, I “can” say anything I want! It’s up to ME what path I take and the repercussions that come to me, with whatever I decide, “I” will deal with. It’s no one elses problem. So don’t Preach when you don’t know what you’re talking about.
“I” think a lot of these people are just sick and tired of ALL the lame bull-shit that goes on in this CRAZY world we live in today!
Screw off, Kathi. You’re the kind of ‘believer’ that pushes people away from religion. Ignorance and arrogance. What a great combination.
Becky I believe very strongly in God. But I learned a long time ago to discuss but not push. I don’t preach as I feel no need to. Free will. I don’t want to mess with people’s thoughts. Again no need. Most people understand the difference between rigth and wrong. It’s very easy I think.
The bible talks about Adam and Eve. God gave them the choice between eating an apple and getting booted or not eating it and staying in the garden. Free will. Should you choose not to believe you will never hear anything from me about it as I know you are a good person going toe to toe with shitheads here as well as in real life. So fuck it all! Enjoy life making the decisions you feel are right.
You sooooooo funnny! you very funnnnnny girl! Will you blow me? Seriously I never got a blow job from a funny lady.
Everyone is debating whether or not Diane was an alcoholic, when it really doesn’t matter. In fact, it makes more sense for her to be a light drinker (we know she drank some): She might have misjudged how quickly the vodka would affect her, and that weed would potentiate it. It also makes me think she was upset when she packed, because she made sure she had the vodka and weed in the car with her. Perhaps she discovered hubby was having an affair or wanted a divorce–that would have, among the obvious problems, kicked up her abandonment issues. Maybe she discovered he wasn’t at the campground Thursday night, and there was a blowup. As for Daniel, he made his own trouble. He contradicted everything he said until nothing he says is believable. Watch the full press conference video shortly after the accident on the biggest screen you can find. When asked how he felt about the death of his daughter, he is completely inarticulate, ducks his head and rubs his eye, but he couldn’t squeeze out a single tear.
Nobody can even begin to imagine or determine what actually occured that day without the facts for display.
Fact: Diane Schuler knowingly consumed a large quantity of alcohol, more than three times the legal limit.
Fact: Diane Schuler knowingly has THC in her system and it was proven to have been a ” recent Consumption”
Fact: Diane Schuler knowingly drove a motor vehicle while impaired
Fact: Diane Schuler NOT only drove a motor vehicle while impaired, but drove with her two children, and her brothers three children in that vehicle with her.
Fact: In comsuming both legal and ilegal substances, DID knowingly driving while heavily intoxicated, DID cause the loss of life of three other men who had the misfortune of running head on into her vehicle.
Fact: Diane Schuler in her heavily intoxicated and drug enduced state, DID kill herself and eight other people that day, as determined NOT ONCE but TWICE, by two seperate autopsies performed, as well as a tird determination which was read by a third coroner.
Fact: If Diane Schuler had of lived she would most certainly have been spending the rest of her days behind bars for the poor and reckless choices she made that day and would have found little sympathy from the naysayers who find the truth just a little to ugly to accept as being TRUTH.
Fact: Diane Schulers boorish and selfish behavior, has now left her son with a man who does not want him and begrudges his existence. A man who wanted NO children to begin with, and who now is burdoned with raising this child and the memories and survivors guilt that child will suffer all the days of his life.
Fact: Diane Schuler changed the lives of her brother and wife forever. She did infact MURDER thier three daughters in cold blood by knowingly driving while heavily intoxicated and high on marijuana.
Fact: Diane Schuler is responsible for all the events that occured that day. Rather than picking up her phone and calling or asking for help, made the choice to continue her heavily inebriated trip home, thereby causing the fatalities therein.
Fact: Guilty As Charged.
Did they not say she was diabetic? What did her blood sugar show? Was she in the process of being in an insulin reaction, leading to diabetic coma? IF SHE IS DIABETIC, she would not have known what she was doing. She could have downed anything and had no clue. Have you ever seen some one in the process of diabetic coma? It is plain eerie. They are combative, takes several men to hold down a woman, they have strength beyond belief. They remember nothing after coming out. And, she did call some one, at the Tapenzee bridge, where they found the phone she left. The time line shows she actually could have been dropping out. She was fine until about 12:30pm, when she pulled over to the rest stop to get sick. I really think this whole thing should be ruled out as a possibility, before we blast her as a closet alcoholic murderer. Sorry, I just feel everyone deserves their day in court. Not in the court of public opinion. Until this diabetic possibility is explored, she won’t get that. Now, if it turns out she was knowingly drunk/stoned, and not in the throes of a diabetic reaction, she has an eternity to pay for that. Sadly, she has deeply scored the hearts of many families and people envolved. I shake my head. You all have my deepest sympathy. Really.
The diabetic angle has been exhausted. She wasn’t in insulin shock.
And hey, way to prove you have little idea what a diabetic coma actually is.
She had a full, comprehensive autopsy and more. It wasn’t diabetes, it wasn’t some sort of poisoning she was not aware of – it was alcohol, and she was fully responsible.
Stop being a murderer’s apologist.
She was fine until about 12:30pm, when she pulled over to the rest stop to get sick. I really think this whole thing should be ruled out as a possibility, before we blast her as a closet alcoholic murderer.
It was ruled out when a second toxicology report was done. Diane smoked weed and drank herself into a stupor, not a diabetic coma. She’s not the first drunk to do this, she won’t be the last as long as people like you keep apologizing for them. Get it through your skull (you can borrow a drill from me if you really need to, but I don’t own a bit longer than 3 feet, so I hope it’s enough), Diane drank a lot, smoked a lot and killed babies. Diane did it more egregiously than most people who do this sort of thing, but this sort of thing has been happening since before people were driving cars.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/nationnow/2012/01/oral-roberts-son-former-university-president-arrested-for-dui.html
He didn’t kill anyone. (This may seem much, but THANK GOD)
He’s not even the first preacher kid to drink up, drive fast in a sports car and get pulled for a DUI. Diane did kill people. This is the distinction that for the moment is separating these two. In my mind, Junior is just an attempted murder-suicide. Meanwhile Diane is a murder-suicide. Can you understand these details or do we start getting a well head and an old style boppin’ betty to break through the last 40 feet of crust between your heart and mind?
The documentary did not show the entire gas station tape. She was driving in what I consider an unacceptable manner. She whipped out of the parking lot and onto the street making a quick left turn. As someone noted, she came close to causing an accident then.
After seeing that, I believe it is very likely she started drinking at McDonald’s if not before. I noticed Daniel said they drank a cup of coffee. Two cups of coffe that morning. It is odd to me that he is telling us how much coffee they drank as if we care (and trust. I know about grief and shock). Did Diane’s coffee contain some vodka?
Another thing, people KEPT saying “if Diane was mad, you’d know it.” Why would multiple people hammer at that point? Also, if Diane is angry at Daniel and he has sashayed out of screaming range, confronting him isn’t possible.
Was D&D’s home phone perhaps forwarded to her brother’s house? Has anyone ever looked at exactly what numbers were dialed versus who picked up?
When the rescuers opened the passenger door to the van and Diane fell out, dead, does this mean she had not been belted in? Because if she wasn’t, this sounds as if she wasn’t really trying to get home but to cause as much injury as possible to herself.
I think the reason everyone keeps going over this is there were chances to stop this. even after Diane started drinking, there was a chance to stop this without anyone dying. If people can learn from this case, maybe they can apply to some future case. Maybe some woman like Diane will realize where she is headed and pull off to a safe place. Even if it means gettinng into trouble. Or not being “perfect.”
Some of Diane’s “super mom” routine is explainable. Dry cleaners and laundries will iron clothes, for example. I used to have my clothes laundered. Since I took them, presorted, and picked them up the next day it wasn’t even expensive. I didn’t pay to have them ironed, but they were always very neatly done. So, if some people are trying to say she was too busy to drink/smoke… maybe not.
Finally, little Bryan probably needs to be told to NEVER google his mother. She has done something that ruined lives. He will have to get kind words about her from his family. That is sad, but everyone else has a right to be upset over her selfish and destructive actions.
The Van hit so hard from the front that belted or not she and the drivers seat were catapaulted to that immediate position from the photos of the front of her van it would have broken the seat belt studs that held the belt, though she became disconnect from the seat and belts, to roll out.
Been a while since this sicko invaded my nightmares again. I drive by the memorial to the men she killed regularly and I get a vile taste in my mouth still. Nothing to add.
Mike Jr. says:
April 14, 2013 at 5:25 pm
This message is from Mike Bastardi Jr., son and brother of the victims Diane Schuler murdered…please read my book it is now available on e-book at amazon.com…The Taconic Tragedy A Son’s Search for the Truth…the HBO doc was a complete one sided bizzare story. I truly appreciate it. Thank You all for your continued support. Mike Jr.
Reply
Mike, still sorry for your loss. I see your memorial on a regular basis. I wondered why this murderer crept into my mind a few days ago, then she is all over the news today.