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Wednesday, August 5, 2009
N.Y. Auto Accident Kills Eight
On July 26, 2009, one Diane Schuler was heading home from a campground she had visited many times before. She had her two-year-old daughter, five-year-old son, and her brother's three young daughters in her Ford minivan.
As she drove on various roads, she straddled the center line, veered from one lane to another, tailgated, flashed her headlights, honked repeatedly, and tried to pass one vehicle by using the highway shoulder area. During this period, six drivers called 9-1-1 to report the dangerous driving.
On the Taconic Parkway, driving on the wrong side of the road, she crashed head-on into a SUV. The three men in that SUV were killed, as were Schuler and all but one of her young passengers. Only her little son survived.
Alcohol and Marijuana
Police investigating the car accident spoke to Schuler's husband who had been camping with her and their children. He had left the campground separately to go on a fishing trip. He said that his wife had appeared fine when she left that morning at about 9:30 a.m. Police also spoke to Schuler's brother, who said that she had called him about 30 minutes before the auto accident to say that she felt unwell and disoriented. Her cell phone was later found at a rest stop.
When Schuler's body was examined her blood alcohol level was found to be 0.19, which is twice the legal limit of 0.08. A large broken vodka bottle was found in the wreckage and the Westchester County Medical Examiner found six grams of undigested alcohol in her stomach. In addition, blood tests showed that she had smoked marijuana somewhere between 15 minutes to an hour before the car crash.
This incident illustrates again the fact that though we call such events "accidents," they are not random or unpredictable. There is always some type of cause that could have been removed if anyone had been there to do it. In this case, six people called 9-1-1 but any follow-up that occurred from that was evidently not prompt enough.
If you have been badly injured by another person's reckless driving, or if you have lost a loved one that way, please contact our office today. We will be glad to schedule a free case evaluation for you.
As she drove on various roads, she straddled the center line, veered from one lane to another, tailgated, flashed her headlights, honked repeatedly, and tried to pass one vehicle by using the highway shoulder area. During this period, six drivers called 9-1-1 to report the dangerous driving.
On the Taconic Parkway, driving on the wrong side of the road, she crashed head-on into a SUV. The three men in that SUV were killed, as were Schuler and all but one of her young passengers. Only her little son survived.
Alcohol and Marijuana
Police investigating the car accident spoke to Schuler's husband who had been camping with her and their children. He had left the campground separately to go on a fishing trip. He said that his wife had appeared fine when she left that morning at about 9:30 a.m. Police also spoke to Schuler's brother, who said that she had called him about 30 minutes before the auto accident to say that she felt unwell and disoriented. Her cell phone was later found at a rest stop.
When Schuler's body was examined her blood alcohol level was found to be 0.19, which is twice the legal limit of 0.08. A large broken vodka bottle was found in the wreckage and the Westchester County Medical Examiner found six grams of undigested alcohol in her stomach. In addition, blood tests showed that she had smoked marijuana somewhere between 15 minutes to an hour before the car crash.
This incident illustrates again the fact that though we call such events "accidents," they are not random or unpredictable. There is always some type of cause that could have been removed if anyone had been there to do it. In this case, six people called 9-1-1 but any follow-up that occurred from that was evidently not prompt enough.
If you have been badly injured by another person's reckless driving, or if you have lost a loved one that way, please contact our office today. We will be glad to schedule a free case evaluation for you.
posted by Benjamin A. Irwin at 12:51 PM
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