Warren and Jackie Hance's three daughters were killed in 2009 when Warren's sister, Diane Schuler, drove a minivan for miles on the wrong side of the Taconic Parkway and slammed into another SUV. Besides the Hance girls, ages 5-8, Schuler and her 2-year-old daughter died, as well as the SUV's occupants, Michael Bastardi Sr., his son, Guy, and their family friend Daniel Longo. Only Schuler's son Bryan survived. Reports found that Schuler was drunk and high, but her husband has claimed she was not an alcoholic and thinks she had a stroke. Now Danny Schuler decided to sue Warren Hance, because it was Hance's car in the fatal crash. more ›

Yesterday, the NY Post reported that a film production company had paid the family of Diane Schuler $100,000 "to exhume her body and test the remains to see whether she suffered a stroke." Naturally, there's anger over the deal, because Schuler was, according to toxicology reports, drunk and high when she was driving the wrong way on the Taconic State Parkway and ultimately crashed into another car, killing herself, her daughter, her three nieces and three passengers in another car. The son and brother of two victims in the other car said, "It's pretty pathetic that [Danny Schuler]'s cashing in on his wife -- the murderer who killed seven innocent people. It's disgraceful." more ›

The woman who killed eight people, including herself, when she drove the wrong way on the Taconic Parkway vomited twice on the side of the road before the collision. Police reports obtained by the Post reveal that just under two hours before the fatal crash — witnesses "noticed an adult female outside of the vehicle with brown hair, wearing blue, knee-length shorts, bent over with her hands on her knees, as if throwing up." more ›

The woman who killed eight people, including herself, when she drove her minivan the wrong way on the Taconic Parkway was a heavy drinker and frequent marijuana smoker, the woman's sister-in-law told investigators. Despite her husband's repeated claims that his wife wasn't an alcoholic or regular drug user, Diane Schuler's in-law revealed to police that the 36-year-old "was a hard drinker" who "used marijuana daily because of the fact that she didn't believe in doctors," according to an attorney representing the families of two men killed in the July accident. more ›

A private investigator representing the husband of Diane Schuler, the woman who drove the wrong way on the Taconic State Parkway, killing herself, her daughter, three nieces, and, in another car, three men, says that Daniel Schuler cannot afford additional toxicology reports. Schuler had hoped to disprove medical findings that showed his wife was drunk and high at the time of the crash. Thomas Ruskin said Schuler would need to take out a loan, noting that his investigation and legal fees were expensive. more ›

Last week, NBC dramatic warhorse Law & Order continued its "ripped from the headlines" mantra and filmed a crash at Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard at West 151st Street that resembled this past summer's Taconic State Parkway wrong-way crash that left eight people dead. In the Taconic incident, mother of two Diane Schuler was apparently drunk and high when she rammed her minivan—carrying her two children and three nieces—into a car carrying three adults, killing everyone, except Schuler's young son. The Post says the L&O crash features a "Chevy Astro minivan -- packed with kids -- north in the southbound lane of the boulevard, causing a fiery crash that leaves the minivan and another car burned to a crisp." more ›

The Westchester Medical Examiner's office has taken the preemptive measure of saying that the second round of test results on the body of Taconic crash driver Diane Schuler may vary from the original toxicology and autopsy findings. The original results revealed Schuler to have a blood alcohol level twice the legal limit as well as traces of marijuana in her system while driving in the crash that killed eight. A spokesman for the county's chief medical examiner said, "Due to the time period that has passed, the amount of alcohol that will show up in the samples when they are retested will be reduced and the marijuana can disappear." But Newsday talks to forensics experts who seem unclear on why such a statement was made, the toxicologists they speak to saying there's no reason the result would change much—if anything it could go up over time. The question now is whether such a defensive stance from the ME's office will only fuel the suggestions of a plot that have been hinted at by Daniel Schuler's lawyer, Dominic Barbara (pictured). But the examiner says they are simply encouraging the Schuler family quickly select a lab for the additional autopsy tests the Schulers have requested. more ›

Daniel Schuler now says that he plans to extract DNA from his wife's toothbrush in order to ensure the validity that autopsy results indicating his wife Diane was drunk and high when she caused the Taconic crash that killed eight. Sounding slightly conspiratorial, Schuler's private investigator told reporters, "That'll give us her exact makeup that is almost indisputable... we can be assured that the lab test samples - blood, urine, eye fluid - to make sure that the sample that they're about to test is Diane Schuler's." Meanwhile relatives of the two Bastardi victims who died in the crash continued to snap back at Schuler's appearance, saying they're "tired of hearing it" and wondering, "Is he out to make us feel worse than how we feel?" They took particular offense to Schuler lawyer Dominic Barbara's claim that "60 percent of America" thinks Diane Schuler wasn't drunk. Michael Bastardi's daughter Rosann Guzzo said, "Did he just go out and interview 10 people in a bar?...Read the blogs. Most of the people agree with the Bastardis and the Longos and the facts from the state police, the DA and the Medical Examiner." more ›

Five days after autopsy results gave additional confirmation that Diane Schuler's blood alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit with further indication that she had been smoking marijuana before the Taconic car wreck that killed eight, her husband Daniel and lawyer Dominic Barbara took to the airwaves on last night, saying they would once again challenge those results. more ›

The Westchester District Attorney's office announced that no charges will be filed against the husband of the woman who, while apparently drunk and high, crashed her minivan while driving the wrong way on the Taconic State Parkway, killing eight people. Westchester DA Janet Fiore said, "Diane Schuler died... and the charges died with her." more ›

Daniel Schuler spoke to state police yesterday for the first time since toxicology reports revealed that his wife Diane was drunk and high when she drove the wrong way in the Taconic crash that killed eight. Mr. Schuler, lawyer Dominic Barbara and a private investigator met with authorities in Westchester County still trying to nail down a timeline of Mrs. Schuler's drive. Police showed them a video of Mrs. Schuler at a Sunoco station, appearing coherent and looking for painkillers a little over an hour before she would call her brother, Warren Hance, sounding disoriented. A friend of Hance's told the Times, “His first impression was..it might be some diabetic condition...or she was having a stroke. There was no ‘Oh my God, could she be drunk?’ ” An official at the meeting with Mr. Schuler said, "No new areas were covered." The family's PI said, “The Diane that they know does not drink and would never smoke marijuana in a car with kids.” In a recent interview, Daniel Schuler's brother said that the family was aware that Mrs. Schuler used marijuana to sometimes help her sleep. more ›

Governor Paterson introduced new legislation yesterday that would stiffen penalties for drunk drivers who get behind the wheel with children in the car. First-time offenders would be required to install devices to prevent their cars from starting and any drunk drivers who kill a child under 17 would face up to 25 years in prison. The bill proposes creating a new drunken driving charge, aggravated vehicular homicide, increasing the penalties for drivers who kill someone while drunk or on drugs. more ›

Throughout the aftermath of the Taconic crash that killed eight, one major party has remained silent—Warren and Jackie Hance, parents of the three girls who died inside the car driven by their aunt, Diane Schuler. And while the couple remains mum to the media, their actions are beginning to do the talking for them, with word that they have reached out to the Bastardi family to meet and exchange condolences. A lawyer for the Hances has also revealed that the couple plan to give any money from a memorial fund for their daughters over to the Bastardis. The Post is even going so far as publishing speculation from the Bastardis' lawyer that "[the Hance family lawyer] told me they would prefer not to be in touch with or connected to the Schuler family" and were particularly upset with bloviating, publicity-hungry lawyer Dominic Barbara, who was hired by Daniel Schuler and quickly launched a public defense following Diane Schuler's toxicology results. Meanwhile police continue to nail down a timeline of the fateful drive, now revealing that video of Diane Schuler at a McDonald's at 10:30 a.m. showed her "acting normally" two hours before her disoriented call to her brother. more ›

The two Westchester sisters who lost both a father and a brother in the deadly Taconic crash were interviewed for the first time this morning on . The daughters of Michael Bastardi, sisters of Guy, spoke about learning of the tragic accident and their feelings on the revelations that Diane Schuler was drunk and high. Rosemary Guzzo told Matt Lauer, "This didn't have to happen. She had a choice and she made a choice." more ›

Exactly two weeks after Diane Schuler's fateful wrong way drive and crash on the Taconic left eight people dead, a woman was pulled over after driving across the Tappan Zee Bridge in the wrong direction. The 75-year-old woman from Irvington made it two miles across the bridge to the Rockland County side before being stopped by state troopers. She told that them that she was aware that she had been driving the wrong way, but kept going because she thought there would be a place to make a U-turn. The woman had even gone through the tolls in the wrong direction—the TZ toll lanes have no arm to block her. She ended up driving in the wrong direction from the Westchester side after she accidentally entered the off-ramp from the highway, missing her exit to get on the Major Deegan Expressway. Police ticketed her for improperly entering a highway, driving in the wrong direction and reckless driving. The incident took place ominously close to where Schuler's deadly drive went haywire, accidentally getting on the Saw Mill Parkway in Tarrytown before heading back toward the Taconic. more ›

Prosecutors today said that criminal charges are unlikely for Daniel Schuler for any indirect involvement in the Taconic crash which killed 8 and was caused by his wife Diane. Prosecutors do not believe that Mr. Schuler was aware that his wife was intoxicated when she left the campground they were staying at began the fatal trip home. That still begs the question why Schuler has been publicly disputing the findings of the autopsy this past week. An attorney suggested to WCBS 2 that it was an early defense against any civil charges and said, "For obvious reasons, the family wants to rehabilitate this lady's reputation. She's not the most popular person out there. To most people, she committed a murder." The News talks to a recovering alcoholic and longtime addiction counselor who says that Mr. Schuler's denials that he had never seen his wife drunk combined with evidence that she was a closet drinker hits close to home for her. She tells the paper, "I could not control the drinking, and I could not admit it to myself or anyone else. It's a lot of loneliness and shame. You're living a double life." more ›

The family of Diane Schuler continued their media push, in an attempt to dispute findings that she was drunk and high when she crashed a minivan carrying five children into an SUV carrying three adults on the Taconic State Parkway while driving from a Sullivan County campground back to Long Island two weeks ago. She killed herself, her daughter, three nieces, and the SUV's driver and passengers. Her husband Danny said, "She is not an alcoholic and my heart is rested every night when I go to bed." And today, his lawyer, sister-in-law and a private investigator appeared on the Today show: Lawyer Dominic Barbara said, "We all have to accept certain facts. When she left the campground, she was absolutely sober," while Danny Schuler's sister said, "We just can't explain what happened to Diane," and emphasized her sister-in-law did not drink heavily, only socially. more ›

The husband of the woman who, while allegedly drunk and high, drove a minivan on the wrong side of the Taconic State Parkway, killing herself, four relatives, and three men in an SUV, says that his wife was only a social drinker. Danny Schuler told the press, "I never saw her drunk since the day I met her. She was not an alcoholic. Something medically must have happened. She was a perfect wife, an outstanding mother, a hard worker, a reliable person. I would marry her again tomorrow." more ›

With news that Diane Schuler was intoxicated while driving a minivan on the wrong side of the Taconic State Parkway and crashed into an SUV, killing its three passengers, relatives of the SUV's driver and a passengers are planning to file a civil suit against Schuler's family. Attorney Irving Anolik, representing the family of Guy Bastardi and his father Michael Bastardi, said that there's a "strong fragrance of criminality" and said anyone who knew of Diane Schuler's impaired condition may "possibly be an accomplice... Any person who was aware that she was drinking is an accomplice... It's hard for me to believe that the family did not know that this woman had an alcohol problem or a drug problem." more ›

Yesterday, the NY State Police confirmed media reports that Diane Schuler, the 36-year-old woman who had driven on the wrong side of the Taconic State Parkway—killing herself, her 2-year-old daughter, and three young nieces as well as three men in an SUV—was drunk and high. The NY Times explained the details of the toxicology report, "She had a blood-alcohol level of 0.19 percent, and even more alcohol still in her stomach, so fresh that it had yet to be metabolized. There were high levels of a chemical found in marijuana, enough to pinpoint her last use at 15 minutes to an hour before her death in the worst traffic accident in Westchester County in 75 years." more ›

The state police are continuing to investigate the tragic July 26 crash on the Taconic Parkway that killed 8 people. Police have been retracing the route Diane Schuler took before somehow ending up on the wrong side of the parkway and crashing into a SUV, killing its three passengers. Schuler, her daughter and three nieces were also killed; the crash's only survivor was her five-year-old son. Update below: A toxicology report apparently indicates Schuler had a high blood alcohol content and traces of pot in her system. more ›

A wake was held on Long Island today for five victims of Sunday's deadly crash on the Taconic Parkway. Diana Schuler was driving the wrong way before crashing into an SUV; Schuler, her daughter and three nieces died while three people inside the SUV were also killed. Autopsy results yesterday ruled out any signs of alcohol, drugs or a medical condition such as a stroke or an aneurysm, or even just sleepiness for 36-year-old Schuler. But today police say that during the phone call to her brother 30 minutes before the crash—when Schuler said she wasn't feeling well—she revealed that she was disoriented and was having trouble seeing. Schuler's family, who held a wake for their loved ones, issued a statement, "We extend our condolences to the Bastardi and Longo families [of the SUV victims] and regret the grief this tragic accident has caused." They also said that 5-year-old Bryan Schuler, the only survivor of the crash, is expected to make a full recovery. Police now await the results of further blood and toxicology tests, available in 4-6 weeks, saying, "We made sure that they’re going to test for everything because we don’t have an answer.” more ›