Traffic accident on the Taconic State Parkway in July 2009

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The traffic accident on the Taconic State Parkway was a traffic accident that occurred on July 26, 2009 at approximately 1:30 p.m. local time on the Taconic State Parkway in New York . Eight people died in this accident. The accident was the worst fatal car accident in Westchester County, New York since July 22, 1934, which resulted in 20 deaths in a bus crash in Ossining . The accident occurred when Diane Schuler with a minivan after 2.5 km as a wrong-way driver on the expressway hit an oncoming SUVbounced. Among the dead were Schuler, her daughter, three nieces and the three occupants of the off-road vehicle.

The following investigations into the accident caused a national stir in the USA . The toxicological studies of the coroner brought to light that Schuler at the time of the accident under strong alcohol - and marijuana influence was. Daniel Schuler, Diane Schuler's husband, has always denied that Schuler was addicted to alcohol or drugs . He made numerous appearances in the media defending his wife . He also insisted on more extensive medical examinations to find possible reasons for the negligent driving behavior. Further DNA and toxicological investigations, which an independent investigator (on behalf of the Schuler family) obtained, confirmed the previous investigations.

Accident day

On July 26, 2009, around 9:30 am, 36-year-old Diane Schuler left the Hunter Lake campsite in Parksville , New York in a red Ford Windstar . Schuler's 5-year-old son, 2-year-old daughter and her brother's daughters (8, 7 and 5 years old) drove with her. Her husband Daniel Schuler left the campsite with another vehicle at the same time. According to a statement by a business owner, Schuler made a sober impression at the time.

On the way to West Babylon , New York, Schuler stopped at a fast food restaurant and gas station in Liberty, New York . During her stay at the gas station, she tried to get over-the-counter pain relievers , but the gas station did not sell pain relievers. She left Liberty just after 11 a.m. and took Route 17 / Interstate 86 and Interstate 87. She made a brief stop at the Ramapo rest stop and then headed east over the Tappan Zee Bridge. Witnesses later reported seeing an aggressively driving red minivan on Route 17 / Interstate 86 and Interstate 87 that drove too close , flashed the headlights , honked the horn and drove on two lanes. At 11:37 a.m., Schuler called her brother Warren Hance, the father of the three nieces who were in Schuler's car. She reportedly told him that she would be arriving later due to traffic conditions. According to a police report, at around 11:45 a.m., Schuler was seen standing next to a street in a posture that appeared to be vomiting. A little later she was spotted again north of the Ramapo rest stop in the same position. Around 1 p.m., Hance received another call, again from Schuler's cell phone. On the phone call, one of Schuler's nieces told her father that Schuler was having trouble seeing and speaking clearly. Schuler then spoke to Hance himself and told him that she was disoriented and could not see properly. The police assume that they stopped the car in a parking bay behind the Tappan Zee Bridge toll booth , at least for a short time during the call . According to other information, Hance had warned his sister not to drive any further and went to meet her. Later control calls from Hance went unanswered. Schuler's cell phone was later found by a driver near the toll booth.

At 1:33 p.m., two drivers called the police after Schuler drove past them towards the exit of the Taconic State Parkway. The end of the Pleasantville Road exit is signposted with two signs, “do not enter” and “one way”. In the minutes that followed, the police received four more calls from drivers. They described that there was a wrong-way driver on the parkway.

Schuler's minivan was driving 2.5 km south in the north fast lane of the parkway until the head-on collision occurred at around 1:35 p.m. Schuler's Mini Van crashed into a Chevrolet TrailBlazer , which in turn hit a Chevrolet Tracker . Schuler, her daughter and two of her nieces, as well as the inmates of the TrailBlazer, Michael Bastardi, 81 years old, his 49-year-old son Guy and their mutual friend Dan Longo, 74 years old, died at the scene of the accident. The two occupants of the Chevrolet Tracker got away with only minor injuries. The seriously injured niece Schuler and her son were taken to a hospital. Her niece died there that same day. Brian Schuler is the only inmate who survived in Diane Schuler's car. He suffered several broken bones and a serious head injury . He had to be treated in the hospital until October. A broken vodka bottle was reportedly found in the wrecked car.

Intoxication

The investigation into this accident gained national attention because Diane Schuler's family denied the opinion that Diane Schuler was intoxicated at the time of the accident. The coroner of Westchester County had in their toxicological report Schuler's blood alcohol content indicated (BAK) with 1.9 ‰. About six grams of alcohol in her stomach had not yet entered her blood. A value of 0.8 ‰ is legally permitted in the USA. The report also revealed that there was a high dose of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in her body and that she must have been smoking until about 15 minutes before the accident.

Diane Schuler's husband and attorney Dominic Barbara continually denied that she ever drank too much or that she was drunk that day. Ultimately, Daniel Schuler admitted that he and his wife had been drinking that weekend. However, he denied that Diane Schuler had had a drink the day before the accident.

Daniel Schuler told investigators that his wife occasionally smoked marijuana and the family told People Magazine that she smoked to combat insomnia. In November, it was reported that Diane Schuler's sister-in-law made a statement to the police that Diane Schuler had used marijuana regularly.

Daniel and Dominic Barbara publicly stated that Diane Schuler's negligent driving behavior was due to health problems, such as a stroke . Diane Schuler suffered from diabetes , according to Barbara , with other sources saying Schuler had gestational diabetes , possibly a temporary condition attributed to a previous pregnancy. Dominic Barbara also mentioned that Diane Schuler suffered from suppuration of a tooth and had a lump in her leg. It could be that this was an embolism . According to a coroner's autopsy report , Diane Schuler never had a stroke or heart attack.

In September, a said forensic pathologist that a hair test would have to be made to Diane Schuler to clarify drug past. Daniel Schuler and his lawyer announced that they would exhume the body to do a hair test. According to experts, this would not provide any important new clues.

Schuler also intended to retest fluid samples taken during the autopsy. The coroners responsible for the autopsy said that after a period of time, lower alcohol and THC levels could be read. However, various experts believe that the results should be similar to the previous test if the samples are stored properly.

On November 7, Ruskin announced that the family had saved enough money to run new tests. On 10 July 2010 it was announced that Daniel Schuler an offer of USD has accepted 100,000 to Diane Schuler's exhumation take for HBO - reportage . According to the family lawyer, the money will be used to open a fund for Bryan Schuler.

The fact that Daniel Schuler continues to deny the intoxication of his wife was sharply condemned by the family members of the three TrailBlazer victims. When Daniel Schuler was on Larry King Live as a guest and claimed further testing, Longo's brother Joseph issued a statement urging Daniel Schuler to stop going to the media in order to present a positive image of his wife.

Michael Bastardi's daughter was a guest on The Today Show along with her lawyer . There they accused him of allowing his wife to use drugs and that he should take a drug test.

In July 2010, after 11 months of analysis, the New York Police announced their final report on the accident. The report confirmed the previous findings that Diane Schuler was drunk and had high levels of THC in her body at the time of the accident.

Legal proceedings

According to a coroner, the traffic accident was classified as a murder after it became known that the victims were killed because of Diane Schuler's driving style, without reference to the toxicological findings. On August 18, prosecutor Janet DiFiore announced that there would be no charge as Diane Schuler was the only culprit. On December 10, the Bastardi family filed a lawsuit against Diane Schuler and her brother Warren Hance. According to the family's lawyer, the law required Hance to be included in the lawsuit because he owned the car Diane Schuler drove.

In July 2011, Jackie Hance filed a lawsuit against her brother-in-law on the grounds that her daughters suffered terror, fear of impending death, and emotional pain. On July 26, 2011, the day after the premiere of the HBO documentary Something Wrong with Aunt Diane by Liz Garbus , Daniel Schuler was suing New York State for failing to secure the streets and his brother-in-law for making him the owner of the minivan was.

Child Passenger Protection Act

In August 2009 , as a result of the accident, New York Governor David Paterson proposed a law that would make drug driving a capital crime if anyone under the age of 16 was in the car. The Child Passenger Protection Act became law in New York on November 18, 2009 .

The Hance Family Foundation

Jackie and Warren Hance founded the Hance Family Foundation in memory of their three daughters. The aim of the foundation is to help young girls gain self-confidence and help other people.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Louise Snedeker: Wrong Way Tragedy: Supporting First Responders ( English ) The Rivertowns Daily Voice. Retrieved July 2, 2002.
  2. ↑ Robert Michelin: Wrong Way Tragedy: First Responders Look Back ( English ) The Briarcliff Daily Voice. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
  3. ^ Ali, A., "4 Kids, 4 Adults Die on Taconic ," The Journal News (Lower Hudson), July 26, 2009.
  4. ↑ Bus Owners Ask Change in Venue ( English ) Archived from the original on 16 September 2009. Retrieved on 13 September, 2009.
  5. ^ Tien-Shun Lee: Wrong Way Tragedy: Shock, Mystery Still Linger ( English ) The Briarcliff Daily Voice. Retrieved July 2, 2002.
  6. ↑ "Interview with Tom Ruskin"
  7. ↑ "Crash Mom What Fully 'Loaded'" , New York Post , July 5, in 2009.
  8. ↑ February 1119932.html NY Police: Woman Was OK at Restaurant Before Crash , WCBS, August 7, 2009.
  9. ^ A b c Fitz-Gibbon J, Bandler J., "A Week after the Crash, Questions Remain ," The Journal News (Lower Hudson), August 3, 2009.
  10. ↑ Gendar, A., Chapman, B., Goldsmith, S., Driver in deadly Taconic crash Diane Schuler was drunk, had marijuana in system , New York Daily News, Aug. 4, 2009.
  11. ↑ "Taconic-Crash Mom Drunk, High, Tests Reveal ," Times Herald-Record , August 5, 2009.
  12. ^ "Private Eye: Wrong-Way Driver Stopped at NY Store ," Associated Press , Aug. 14, 2009.
  13. ^ Lam, C., Schuler's husband meets again with State Police , New York Newsday, Aug. 14, 2009.
  14. ↑ a b Baker, A., and Kovaleski, S., "Alcohol and Phone-Call Details in Wrong-Way Crash ," The New York Times , August 8, 2009.
  15. ↑ Kieran Crowley: "Taconic ma twice car sick." ( English ) New York Post . November 9, 2009. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
  16. ↑ Cohen S, and Bandler J, “Driver Spoke on Phone with Brother 25 Minutes Before Fatal Crash ( Memento of the original from August 17, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , “ The Journal News (Lower Hudson), July 30, 2009. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / lohud.com
  17. ^ Baker, A., "Investigators Reconstruct a Route That Led to 8 Deaths ," The New York Times , Aug. 2, 2009.
  18. ↑ Foderado, LW, Schweber, N., "Bad Omens, a Fateful Turn, and 8 Lives Lost ," The New York Times , July 28, 2009.
  19. ↑ Gorman, S., “Child's Helpless Eyes Haunt Ossining Firefighter ( Memento of the original from August 13, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , “ The Journal News (Lower Hudson), August 10, 2009. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / lohud.com
  20. ↑ Lysiak, Matthew and Gaskell, Stephanie. "Sole Survivor of Taconic Parkway Crash, 5-year-old Bryan Schuler, is Home from Hospital ." New York Daily News , Oct. 8, 2009
  21. ↑ Oprah.com; Investigating the Diane Schuler Tragedy ( English ) Retrieved on March 15, 2014.
  22. ↑ Ferran, Lee. "Diane Schuler, Wrong-Way Highway Driver Who Killed 8, Had 10 Drinks, What High ." ABC News , August 4th 2009, access September 16, 2009 Archived ( Memento of 18 September 2009 to Webcite 18) September 2009
  23. ↑ Welch, William M. "All Reported Normal Before Woman's Fatal Wrong-Way Drive ." USA Today , August 13, 2009
  24. ^ A b Fitz-Gibbon, Jorge and Shawn Cohen. "Husband: Wrong-way Driver Didn't Drink." USA Today , August 6, 2009
  25. ↑ Amon, Michael. "ME: Schuler retests will show lower alcohol content." Newsday , September 8, 2009
  26. ↑ Ali, Aman. "Victims' Families Express revulsion at Schuler's TV appearance ." The Journal News (Lower Hudson), September 3rd 2009, access September 16, 2009 Archived ( Memento of 18 September 2009 to Webcite ) September 18, 2009
  27. ↑ Amon, Michael. “Authorities: Autopsy Offers No Explanation for Crash .” Newsday , July 28, 2009
  28. ↑ a b Celizic, Mike. “Family of Wrong-Way Driver's Victims Fires Back .” MSNBC , Sep. 4, 2009
  29. ↑ Redmond Zmudzien: Bastardi Jr. Says HBO Documentary was a "Farce" ( English ) The Tarrytown Daily Voice. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
  30. ↑ Lysiak, Matthew, et al. "Families Fight over Planned HBO Film of Taconic Death Driver Diane Schuler on Anniversary of Tragedy ." New York Daily News , July 27, 2010
  31. ↑ Redmond Zmudzien: Bastardi Jr. Says HBO Documentary was a "Farce" ( English ) The Tarrytown Daily Voice. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
  32. ↑ Ferrete, Candice. "Taconic Tragedy: Schuler Was Going 85 MPH in Wrong Direction, Final Police Report Says ." The Journal News (Lower Hudson), June 29, 2010
  33. ↑ "No Charges in Fatal Wrong-way Crash." CBS News , Aug. 18, 2009
  34. ↑ Zraick, Karen. “Suit Filed in Wrong-Way Crash That Killed 8 on Taconic .” The New York Times , December 10, 2009
  35. ↑ Robert Michelin: Mother of Girls in Taconic Accident Files Suit ( English ) The Tarrytown Daily Voice. Accessed July 2012.
  36. ^ Robert Michelin: Husband of Wrong Way Driver Sues State, In-Laws ( English ) The Briarcliff Daily Voice. Retrieved July 2, 2002.
  37. ↑ Blain, Glenn. "GOP Senator Fuschillo Demands Action, Tougher Laws for Drunken Driving: 'Leandra's Law ." "New York Daily News, October 31, 2009
  38. ↑ Robinson, Cheryl. “New York Toughen's Drunken Driving Law .” CNN, Nov. 19, 2009
  39. ↑ http://www.hancefamilyfoundation.org/

Coordinates: 41 ° 7 ′ 11 "  N , 73 ° 48 ′ 25.4"  W.