Tragedy on the Taconic | The Diane Schuler Wrong-Way Crash
Nov 21, 05:00 AM
In this episode of the True Crime Society Podcast, we discuss 'Aunt Diane' and the Taconic Parkway tragedy.
Jump ahead using timestamps
(12:24) - Madeline Kingsbury Update
(13:43) - Diane Schuler
In 2009, Diane Schuler was returning to her New York home after a camping trip with five young children in the minivan she was driving - her two children and three nieces.
She took the kids to McDonalds for breakfast and witnesses said the family seemed fine and nothing was amiss. Diane made another stop at a gas station looking for a specific over-the-counter pain medication, but the store didn't carry it.
After this, Diane pulled over multiple times and was seen hunched over appearing sick outside of the vehicle. One of her nieces called their father and said, ‘There’s something wrong with Aunt Diane.’
Family members told Diane to stay where she was, but Diane continued the drive regardless. She drove the wrong way onto the busy Taconic State Parkway and struck another vehicle head-on at a high rate of speed.
The crash became known as the worst fatal motor vehicle accident in Westchester County. 8 people were killed, including Diane, her daughter and all of her nieces.
An empty bottle of vodka was found in the wreckage of the vehicle and Diane’s BAC was reported to be 0.19%. She also had high levels of THC in her system and was suspected to have smoked marijuana as recently as 15 minutes prior to the collision.
Diane’s husband remains adamant that driving under the influence is not what caused the accident and believes Diane suffered a medical emergency.
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Read our blog for this case
This episode is sponsored by:
It’s holiday season! Check out Uncommon Goods and Skylight Frames for perfect gifts for loved ones.
(12:24) - Madeline Kingsbury Update
(13:43) - Diane Schuler
In 2009, Diane Schuler was returning to her New York home after a camping trip with five young children in the minivan she was driving - her two children and three nieces.
She took the kids to McDonalds for breakfast and witnesses said the family seemed fine and nothing was amiss. Diane made another stop at a gas station looking for a specific over-the-counter pain medication, but the store didn't carry it.
After this, Diane pulled over multiple times and was seen hunched over appearing sick outside of the vehicle. One of her nieces called their father and said, ‘There’s something wrong with Aunt Diane.’
Family members told Diane to stay where she was, but Diane continued the drive regardless. She drove the wrong way onto the busy Taconic State Parkway and struck another vehicle head-on at a high rate of speed.
The crash became known as the worst fatal motor vehicle accident in Westchester County. 8 people were killed, including Diane, her daughter and all of her nieces.
An empty bottle of vodka was found in the wreckage of the vehicle and Diane’s BAC was reported to be 0.19%. She also had high levels of THC in her system and was suspected to have smoked marijuana as recently as 15 minutes prior to the collision.
Diane’s husband remains adamant that driving under the influence is not what caused the accident and believes Diane suffered a medical emergency.
Join us on Patreon for exclusive, ad-free content.
Read our blog for this case
This episode is sponsored by:
It’s holiday season! Check out Uncommon Goods and Skylight Frames for perfect gifts for loved ones.
- Uncommon Goods - To get 15% off your next gift, go to UncommonGoods.com/tcs. Don’t miss out on this limited time offer! Uncommon Goods. We’re all out of the ordinary.
- Skylight Frame - Get twenty dollars off your purchase of a Skylight Frame when you go to SkylightFrame.com/SOCIETY