Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Reports: Taconic Crash Driver Was Drunk
By
Jen Chung
Published Aug 4, 2009
Modified Aug 4, 2009
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Chung
Published Aug 4, 2009
Modified Aug 4, 2009
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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.
Now state police, based on witnesses' reports, say a driver matching Schuler's description was driving "in an aggressive, erratic manner"—the minivan "was weaving in and out of traffic and straddling two lanes, with the driver honking her horn and flashing high beams on Route 17 and the New York State Thruway." Newsday adds, "At one point, the woman drove the minivan into the Ramapo service area and swerved across a grassy median. Another witness said she tried to pass him on the highway shoulder." While an initial autopsy revealed that Schuler appeared healthy, she did tell her brother, in a cellphone conversation 30 minutes before the crash, that she wasn't feeling well and was having trouble seeing.
Update: WCBS 2 apparently has details from a toxicology report: "The unreleased toxicology report apparently reveals that 36-year-old Diane Schuler had a blood alcohol content of .19, and traces of THC, the main substance found in marijuana, sources say. The legal limit for blood alcohol content is .08." The Journal-News says the findings were released with the victims' families but "State police Lt. Dominick L. Chiumento said he could neither confirm nor deny the reports."
Update, 5:45 p.m.: Some more details:
- City Room: State police confirmed that Schuler's blood alcohol was 0.19; also, "a 1.75-liter bottle of Absolut vodka was found in the minivan."
- Cops say that Schuler had about 10 drinks and she still had 6 grams of alcohol in her stomach when she was killed. It's unclear if she drank before or during the drive. (Also: Wikipedia's blood alcohol content chart)
- 1010 WINS: "Tests also found she smoked marijuana up to an hour before the wreck."
- Newsday: The deaths of the seven other victims are being investigated as homicides: The victims are "Schuler's 2-year-old daughter, Erin; her three nieces, Emma Hance, 8, Alyson Hance, 7, and Kate Hance, 5; and three Yonkers men in the SUV, Guy Bastardi, 49, and his father, Michael Bastardi, 81, and their friend, Daniel Longo, 73."
Tagged
diane schuler
fatal crash
Taconic State parkway
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
Published Sep 28, 2026 at 4:15 p.m. ET
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
The Garden State now requires that corn masa dough and flour made and sold in the state be fortified with folic acid.
By
Arya Sundaram
News
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
The Garden State now requires that corn masa dough and flour made and sold in the state be fortified with folic acid.
By
Arya Sundaram
A Brooklyn jail cell filled with smoke. The emergency button failed, a lawyer said.
By
Samantha Max
Crews launch tunnel machines to dig first new Hudson River rail tunnels since 1910
By
Michael Sol Warren
NYC nor’easter dries up after weather service reports minor flooding
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .