Disclaimer: The article contains mentions of death. Reader discretion is advised.
The HBO documentary There’s Something Wrong with Aunt Diane explores the tragic car accident that killed eight people. A woman named Diane Schuler crashed her minivan into a sports utility vehicle while returning from a camping trip in July 2009. Reports indicate that the accident killed eight people, including Schuler, her nieces, one of her children, and three men in the other car. The only person to survive the catastrophic car crash was Schuler’s five-year-old son, Bryan.
The New York Times noted that people called him a “miracle child” after surviving such a catastrophic car crash. During the funeral of the victims, Bryan’s uncle told the attendees that Bryan was in a stable condition and getting stronger with each passing day. He said, “There is a miracle child in all of this our dear nephew, Bryan, who is getting better and stronger by the day.” According to the New York Post, Bryan sustained several injuries in the accident and spent months in the hospital. The publication mentioned that he suffered a broken leg, two broken arms, and serious head injuries.
At the time, Schuler’s family investigator told the New York Post that Bryan was in “good spirits” after coming out of the hospital. He said, “He’s in very good spirits, he loves going outside. He loves playing ball with his dad.” However, he didn’t shy away from saying how dearly Bryan misses his mother and sister. Subsequently, the publication mentioned that he wore a patch over his left eye to give it some rest after the treatment. Additionally, he received home-schooling to make therapy easier for him.
What did Diane Schuler’s autopsy reveal?
Reports indicate that Diane Schuler was driving home from a camping trip when the accident occurred. A few moments later, Schuler began driving in the opposite direction on the Taconic Parkway in Westchester County. The New York Times mentioned Schuler wasn’t alone in the car and was accompanied by her children and three nieces when the accident occurred. After the accident, authorities sent her body for an autopsy to get more details. On the other hand, the investigators examined Schuler’s phone to determine who she had contacted just before the accident.
The toxicology results of Diane Schuler’s autopsy revealed that the driver had a blood-alcohol level of 0.19 percent. Citing the toxicology report, The New York Times indicated that Schuler had nearly six grams of alcohol in her system. Moreover, the report mentioned elevated levels of marijuana-related substances in her body. Later, the report confirmed that the medical examiner found 113 nanograms per milliliter of tetrahydrocannabinol in her body.
Furthermore, the report made it clear that Diane Schuler had no issues with her heart or brain. However, NBC New York noted that the medical examiner found liquor in her urine and brain. A lot of questions arose after the autopsy report, but the investigators believed that alcohol might be the reason behind Schuler’s misjudgment. A forensic expert told The New York Times, “She would have had difficulty with her perception, with her judgment, with her memory. Around that level of alcohol, you also start to get what’s called tunnel vision, where your perception is changed so you can’t see peripherally all the time.”
The New York Times also reported that the investigators found a broken bottle of vodka in Diane Schuler’s minivan. However, they clarified that they discovered the bottle only when the accident reconstruction guys removed the seats. The investigators said, “It wasn’t discovered at the time of the accident. We couldn’t really see it. But it was found when the accident reconstruction guys were removing the seats.”
Following the release of the autopsy results, police declared that they were now treating the Taconic State Parkway case as a homicide investigation.
Police filed no criminal charges in the case
As soon as the police announced that they were further investigating the case, Diane Schuler’s husband, Daniel, hired a private investigator to examine the toxicology report. Per NBC New York, the autopsy didn’t show any sign of cirrhosis. Additionally, the private investigator asserted that no signs of cirrhosis meant Schuler was not an alcoholic. On the other hand, her family and loved ones also refuted claims of substance abuse.
The attorney of the men killed in the accident slammed Diane Schuler’s family for not accepting the reality. The lawyer also made it clear that facts will not change even if they deny all the claims. He said, “The lengths these people are taking to deny reality are just astounding and painful to my clients. Diane Schuler was drunk and high when she killed all these people and the facts aren’t going to change.”
Even though the police initiated a criminal investigation, they didn’t file any criminal charges in the case. As per The New York Times, the authorities would have criminally charged Diane Schuler if she was alive. The investigators said, “Diane Schuler, as you know, died in the crash, and the charges died with her.”
There’s Something Wrong with Aunt Diane is available to stream on HBO Max.
