Evidence is mounting that someone had to have known Diane was a danger. The McDonalds employees and the camp ground owner also swear that Diane wasnt drunk when they saw and interacted with them that morning. She probably wanted med for a tension headache, but ended up resorting to vodka and pot. Terms and Policies I was surprised to learn that Diane has taken all of her nieces camping with just her, her husband, and her kidsthe parents of the girls did not go with them. If we accept the case that she is an alcoholic (I think the alcoholism is moot at this point), then you're trying to tell me that a seasoned alcoholic who has presumably been drinking heavily for years, gets this messed up after some vodka and weed? Traces of THC in her body suggested that she had smoked marijuana as recently as 15 minutes before the crash. He didnt realize it until the police told him. I have no idea. As one of the worst motor-vehicle accidents in New York State history, the tragedy quickly became national news. Depression and mental health can cause a person to do insane things. I think something happen on that camping trip, like she found out her waste of space of a husband was having an affair and lost her shit. It wouldn't be black out drunk for a heavy drinker. Do I need to lecture you on how fucking stupid you are being? Other excuses for her: she was having a stroke, she was having a seizure, she had diabetes, she had a tooth abscess, she had a cyst on her leg that may be induced a blood clot. Also: none of the kids were in car seats or had seat belts on and all of them were just crammed next to each other on the seats in the backseat. With her were five young children: her son, her daughter, and three nieces. I think the most aggravating thing (not the most devastating thing, as that would be the death of innocent children) about this case is that we will simply never know what in the hell really happened to cause her to behave the way she did. And then ignored her children's screams of terrors and pleas to pull over as traffic was coming head on. The exchange was reportedly coherent, and Jackie did not indicate anything seemed amiss with Schuler. Your contribution will allow us to purchase equipment and cover our annual website hosting costs. Or maybe not in secret; it wouldn't have been hard to hide her alcoholism from that clueless family. Revisiting the accident that occurred on July 26, 2009, when Diane Schuler drove the wrong way on New York's Taconic State Parkway and collided with . She had a demanding job, a no good husband and two children she was totally responsible for. R21 does make sense. Not 100% anyway. Audience Score 250+ Ratings. Hello and thank you for being a DL contributor. Anyway, the way they were trying to absolve her of responsibility for killing eight people was sickening. reveals a complex and complicated case as opposed to one solved by simple or reductive analysis. We are still being dodged by all the questions that we wanted answered.". Whatever, It's a really good episode. Worth the watch. She was a selfish pig either way. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. He was not worth putting up with. And it was entirely her own fault. She was quick tempered and impulsive. Daniel Schuler and his in-laws, Warren and Jackie Hance, later sued each other over the crash. Please click here to get full access and no ads for $1.99 or less per month. I think he survived but the woman driving the car he crashed into didn't. An exploration of the mystery surrounding the tragic 2009 wrong-way crash that killed a mother and seven others on NY's Taconic Parkway. Anyone can read what you share. Daniel cried but once during a press conference that drained onlookers emotions. I do.). I was thrown a little that they showed Diane's corpse at the accident scene. I can understand her being consumed with grief but it feels like she's holding back and it makes it more tragic. From all the various testimonials about her (like her friends that she cut off because apparently they didn't like Danny), you just see that that woman was a loving mom, but also full of so much rage. I was surprised she wouldnt have a car seat at least. Meanwhile, her husband, Daniel Schuler, was in another vehicle. Also: early on, she called her sister-in-law to say that there was a lot of traffic and that was delaying her getting back with her nieces. (although obvs. Clearly, Diane had a lot of responsibility on her shoulders in that family. Otherwise, you'll just have to find some other site They don't call 911 or the police because they don't want her to get arrested for a DUI. At least two of the calls were to her brother, Warren Hance, the father of three girls who lost their lives. hbo Poisoned Apple Donate to Common Sense $1496 $2000 Contributed Our Goal The accident made national headlines: a suburban mother drove the wrong way on the Taconic Parkway in New York and crashed head-on into an SUV, killing herself and seven others. Thats my theory as to why the brother wont talk about their conversation. The 2 kept insisting that if Diane had had alcohol problems, they would have know about it. Not sarcastic: what's your IQ? I know everyone is suing everyone, the Hances had a baby and there were two books written by family members of those killed. This contrasts with the aftermath of her actions. You don't have enough exposure. Because it would reveal far too much, R27. R40, I didn't know about Diane's mother abandoning her at 9 years old. But when toxicology reports revealed Schuler was heavily intoxicated at the time of the crash, it seemed like an open and closed case of drunk driving. If you drink and smoke weed WHILE driving in the morning, you aren't just a heavy drinker or a functional alcoholic- you REALLY can't cope without substances if you take that big of a risk. On that bright sunny Sunday 10 years ago, July 26, 2009, families were shattered. For nearly two miles, Schuler was driving the wrong way on the Taconic State Parkway. I just hope her son grows up relatively okay. I would like to remain anonymous. But did she leave it there on purpose, or was she so fucked up she set it down and forgot it? TOP CRITIC. This documentary explores the depth behind the case of a woman whose vehicle collision killed numerous people, including herself. Of course anything is possible in a drunken blackout, but the question is why a closet alcoholic would drink herself into a drunken blackout with those kids in the car when she'd be home so soon & her family was expecting her. Was she a habitual drinker, and if so, did her husband and other family members know? Its unclear why Schuler did not call her husband, Daniel, who was supposed to be driving home in his truck at the same time Diane took the kids. She's concentrating on just driving straight and staying in one lane. But she packages it well in a film thats like a more meticulous and dignified version of one of those network television prime-time crime compendiums a 48 Hours Mystery with more heart and brain. Maybe it was Ambien? no she did not. She drives up the Taconic the wrong way and doesn't even realize it. The film, however, raised more questions than it answered. He even admits he never wanted kids and is now stuck with the guy. Maintaining cookie cutters lives is not worth the price. the Terms and Policies, and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes. "I'm watching this now (for the 4th or 5th time) -- where do you see that she was "full of rage?". Maybe her husband told her he wanted a divorce or that he never wanted kids. By continuing, you agree to the Privacy Policy and All Critics. She was pulling over to puke, ffs. But was she the monster the public made her out to be? Schulers fatal crash contributed to the passing of the Child Passenger Protection Act. No doubt she needed to take the edge off frequently and did it by drinking and smoking pot. Diane and her husband drank and smoked pot all weekend. Kind of like a perfect storm. Schuler's son, Bryan, who was 5 at the time, was the only survivor. [quote] One rumor was that she suspected her husband was having an affair with her sister-in-law. God will deal with the rest. I agree with most of your points except that I don't think the goal of the documentary filmmakers was to find a medical reason for what she did. Shortly after noon, Schuler had a phone conversation with her sister-in-law, Jackie Hance. Available on iTunes, HBO Max. Stay up-to-date on all the latest Rotten Tomatoes news! I totally agree. The book by the mother who lost the three girls was very softball. For example, when her husband's mother freely admits that Diane's husband acted more like her "oldest child" than a husband; when Jay lets it slip that the Diane's husband didn't really want to have kids and that he resents having to be a single parent now; when Diane's friends talk about her perfectionism; and when her own mother in law admits she doesn't understand how Diane found the time to work full time and take care of the children and household chores (because your son--Diane's husband--was useless, duh). Maybe it was Ambien?". Medical examiners also foundtraces of THCin her system. Michael Bastardi, 81, and his 49-year-old son Guy Bastardi were killed, along with family friend Daniel Longo, 74. Her first stop was McDonalds where she drank a little more and smoked a little more pot. There's Something Wrong with Aunt Diane is a 2011 documentary television film directed by Liz Garbus about the 2009 Taconic State Parkway crash. (If you are a man, you will have difficulty achieving or maintaining an erection.) You'd think she had no anger at all. Your AMC Ticket Confirmation# can be found in your order confirmation email. Yeah, Diane's brother not calling the police right away is the tip off for me that they all knew she was drunk. In the L&O episode the Diane character was threatening to whistle blow on the uselessness of an expensive cancer drug her company was promoting, so a co-worker silenced her by covertly getting her drunk and high. Become a contributor - post when you want with no ads. ", I agree that she was drunk and high, btw. Sonny arrives at his restaurant and gives Dex, who is there, the night off. This mysterious and shattering tragedy draws the public in, feeling a need to find out what really happened to Aunt Diane. Why blow her cover by getting that wasted? Michael Bastardi Jr., who wrote a book about the experience, remains convinced that the Schuler and Hance families can provide some details to shed light on the events of that day. I'm not going to speculate on any specific molestation etc. WTF? The July 26, 2009, crash was one of Westchester County's most horrific. Not all alcoholics develop liver damage (and those who do usually develop it between 40-50), so the lack of liver disease in her autopsy doesnt tell us much. Money will out eventually. Edit: Some people have pointed out other instances of drunk drivers driving on the wrong side of the highway, which is fair. When he found out she was driving a van with children he desperately tried calling both her and 911 but it was too late. Personal experience and the description below from St. John's University would suggest that she would be coherent enough to know what she was doing, even if a bit drunk. Interesting suggestion. I do have to go to sleep right away cuz it makes me ravingly hungry. The movie offers a few plausible explanations as to what might have been wrong with Diane Schuler, but ultimately it tests her family's, and its audience's, ability to accept without understanding. She also tested positive for marijuana use. Would it have killed you to have at least posted a picture or link OP? We are changing the login scheme for contributors for simpler login and to better support using multiple devices. On Sunday, July 26, 2009, Diane Schuler left the campgrounds in upstate New York where she was vacationing with her family and set off towards home on Long Island. And she tried to hide all this anger by smoking pot and drinking in secret. There's Something Wrong With Aunt Diane (2011) From the movie's offset, we know that something terrible has happened. Four lawsuits have been settled from a 2009 crash that killed eight after a drunk and high West Babylon woman drove the wrong way on the Taconic State Parkway, according to court documents and attorneys handling two of the cases. -, Press J to jump to the feed. Eight people were killed in the fatal accident. The debate of the go-to bagel spot in Rockville is storied and complicated. Or maybe one of them said something to her which set her off, because she saw that the pattern was repeating. Five years after a violent wrong-way collision on the Taconic State Parkway killed eight people including four young children a flurry of civil lawsuits stemming from the crash have been dropped or quietly settled, with the terms sealed by a state judge. Dua Lipa, 27, confirms her romance with Rita Ora's ex Romain Gavras, 41, as they leave Saint Laurent's Paris Fashion Week show Advertisement 'Please say there's going to be a sequel!': Here is a link to a pretty decent article written on the 10th anniversary of the crash that has a really detailed/comprehensive timeline of the whole day and even shows the exact place that Diane left the phone on the side of the road after a wrong number had been dialed three times. By Joe Reid Jul 30, 2018. She was pissed and angry, and wanted to ease her tension by drinking and smoking pot. Senior Emma Song is a managing editor in her third year on Common Sense. She leaves her phone on the barrier on the side of the road. There was one interesting scene where, when asked if the family was going to pay to exhume the body and do more testing, sister in law Jay said something to the effect of, "well we can't do that because we don't have Diane's salary coming in anymore." That does make the marriage was was in major trouble thing make sense. I think she did it only after being set off by some event during the camping trip and because drinking and being high gave her the "courage" and decreased her judgement. I've said this from the beginning & just felt like a big ol' pessimist who has no faith in people, lol. And I could see the stop at McDonald's to let the kids play as being a "last hoorah" of sorts for them (which is so fucking sad). [quote] I just find it hard to believe this woman was an alcoholic and no one thought that she should not drive the kids around. I'm a parent, and can understand how a person could drive in that condition. Why not just drink enough to take the edge off & get home safely? There are two contradictory sets of questions in the case, depending on who is asking, and Ms. Garbus pursues them all. By what name was There's Something Wrong with Aunt Diane (2011) officially released in Canada in English? But the egregious nature of the accident is highly unique. Currently you are able to watch "There's Something Wrong with Aunt Diane" streaming on HBO Max, HBO Max Amazon Channel. Schuler's son, Bryan, who was 5 at the time, was the only survivor. Do you think we mischaracterized a critic's review. The documentary opens with several harried calls to 911, describing a . As mentioned by the source, Diane was driving a red 2003 Ford Windstar that belonged to her brother. Im just wondering at what point exactly she started what seems to have been a binge? She then asked the SIL for tickets for her and her husband and one of their kids to see one of the nieces in a play at church that she was starring in. Take a damn uber. Thats insane. This was a mentally unstable woman who did a great job of hiding it, had problems in her marriage, had reached a tipping point, and wanted to keep "control" by making sure her children didn't grow up without her. Essentially, some people said they could buy that the weed + booze = her being so out of her mind disoriented the crash was an "accident" (in quotes there cuz obviously she could have abstained from both and voila, no accident at all). She drank and smoked to give herself courage/numb the pain, and she 100% got on the highway on the wrong side intentionally to kill herself and her kids. This case fascinates me in a gruesome way. Its really bizarre and I admit I dont understand this case in that way. Tap "Sign me up" below to receive our weekly newsletter Psychotic break? "We just didn't get the answers we needed," said Bastardi, 55. Directed by Liz Garbus; produced by Ms. Garbus and Julie Gaither; edited by M. Watanabe Milmore; director of photography, Michael Tucker; music by Jonathan Zalban. The HBO documentary There's Something Wrong With Aunt Diane tracked Daniel's journey to clear his wife's name. R39, I just saw the documentary. Just look at the way she pulled out like a bat out of hell from that gas station. There's Something Wrong with Aunt Diane TV-MA | original | 1 HR 40 MIN | 2011 WATCH NOW Watch on HBO The accident made national headlines: a suburban mother drove the wrong way on the Taconic Parkway in New York and crashed head-on into an SUV, killing herself and seven others.