Verkehrsunfall auf dem Taconic State Parkway im Juli 2009

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Diane Schuler, undated photo

Diane E. Hance Schuler (1973-July 26, 2009) was a West Babylon, New York resident who caused a fatal traffic collision on the Taconic State Parkway on July 26, 2009. Eight people died in the collision, including Schuler, Schuler's daughter and three nieces, and three men in another car. The accident was considered the worst road accident in Westchester County in 75 years.

Background on Diane Schuler

Schuler was born in Floral Park, New York and attended Floral Park Memorial High School and Nassau Community College. She was married to Daniel Schuler, an officer in the Public Security Unit of the Nassau County Police Department. They had one son, Bryan, age 5, and one daughter, Erin, age 2. Schuler worked as the director of billing and credit card collections at Cablevision Systems in Bethpage, New York.

Timeline of accident

At approximately 9:30 AM, Diane Schuler left the Hunter Lake Campground in Parksville, New York with her two children and her brother's daughters, 8-year-old Emma Hance, 7-year-old Alyson Hance, and 5-year-old Kate Hance. Diane was driving the children in a red 2003 Ford Windstar and planned to stop at McDonald's on the way home to West Babylon. Daniel Schuler left the campground at the same time in a separate vehicle, intending to drive straight home. A co-owner of the campground later reported that Diane appeared to be sober as she departed.

She stopped at a McDonald's restaurant located off Route 17 in Liberty, New York, and later pumped gas at a nearby Sunoco . While at the gas station, she tried to buy Tylenol or Advil Liqui-Gels OTC pain-relief medication, but the store did not sell any.

Schuler left Liberty, New York just after 11am travelling along Route 17 and Interstate 87, entering the Ramapo service area , and crossing the Tappen Zee Bridge heading east. Witnesses later reported seeing a red minivan driving aggressively on Route 17 and Interstate 87, including aggressively tailgating, flashing headlights, honking the horn, and straddling two lanes.

At 11:37 AM, a call was made from Schuler's cell phone to Warren Hance, Diane Schuler's brother and the father of the three nieces in her car. Schuler reportedly told Hance that they were being delayed by traffic.

At 12:08 PM, Schuler's cell phone received a call from a person who has not been identified.

At 12:58 PM, another call was made to Hance from Schuler's cell phone. During the call, Emma Hance reportedly told her father that Schuler was having trouble seeing and speaking clearly. The call was dropped after three minutes, after which Hance called back and stayed on the line for nine minutes. According to state police, Schuler told her brother that she felt disoriented and couldn't see clearly. Asking where she was, Emma Hance reportedly told her father she saw signs for Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow. Hance reportedly told Schuler to stay off the road while he came to meet them; follow-up calls from Hance to Schuler were not answered. A passing motorist later found her cell phone by the side of the road near the toll lanes of the Tappen Zee Bridge.

At 1:33pm, two drivers called 911 after noticing Schuler's van edging onto the northbound exit ramp of the Taconic State Parkway near Briarcliff Manor, NY. Police have not yet determined Schuler's exact route between the Tappen Zee Bridge and the parkway's exit ramp. The end of the exit ramp, at the intersection with Pleasantville Road , is marked with two signs Do Not Enter signs and two One Way signs. The exit ramp itself is unmarked. Within the next minute, four more 911 calls were placed by motorists who reported a car travelling the wrong way down the parkway.

Schuler's van traveled south for 1.7 miles in the parkway's northbound passing lane before colliding head-on, at approximately 1:37 PM, with a 2004 Chevrolet Trailblazer killing its driver Guy Bastardi, 49, of Yonkers, and his two passengers; his father Michael Bastardi, 81, and friend Daniel Longo, 74. In a secondary collision, the Trailblazer struck a 2002 Chevrolet Tracker; its passengers Dean and Angela Tallarico suffered minor injuries.

Diane Schuler's son Bryan Schuler and her niece Alyson Hance were the sole survivors inside Schuler's Windstar. Alyson was taken to Phelps Memorial Hospital Center, where she was pronounced dead later that day. Bryan was taken to Westchester Medical Center and survived his injuries.

At 1:42pm, Warren Hance--reportedly unaware of the crash minutes before--placed a call to the New York State Police while en route to find his sister's car in Tarrytown.

Investigation

An autopsy of Diane Schuler, conducted by Westchester County Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Millard Hyland, ruled out heart attack, stroke, and aneurysm. The toxicology report conducted by the county's chief toxicologist Betsy Spratt found Schuler had a 0.19% blood alcohol content (BAC), 6 grams of undigested alcohol in her stomach, and 113 nanograms/ml of THC in her system. . A broken bottle of vodka was also found in her minivan.

The accident has been ruled a homicide, and the case referred to the Westchester District Attorney for further investigation.

Daniel Schuler has disputed the medical examiner's findings and has sought an independent autopsy to pursue his original claim that his wife suffered an illness. Schuler has claimed that his wife was not a habitual drinker or a drug user. On August 7, 2009, Suffolk County Child Protective Services began a formal investigation into Daniel Schuler's possible knowledge of Diane Schuler's drinking and marijuana use.

External links

• Anatomy of a Tragic Accident Overhead photos of the crash scene, and route map (NY Times).
• Wrong-way turn onto Taconic puzzles many Video of driving condition, and signage at the Pleasantville Rd exit of the Taconic (The Journal News).
• Map of accident Road map of accident location (maps.google.com).