Westchester County officials are at a loss to explain the actions of the Long Island Mother that got behind the wheel of her mini-van while drunk on vodka and high on marijuana. The deadly combination attributed to her driving the wrong-way down a Westchester highway and killing herself and seven others, including her own daughter.
The Westchester County Medical Examiner released toxicology reports conducted on 36-year-old Diane Schuler following the deadly July 26th crash along the Taconic State Parkway in Briarcliff Manor. The report noted that Schuler's blood-alcohol level was .19%. The legal limit in New York is .08%. Although no criminal charges are anticipated in light of Schuler's death, the Westchester County District Attorney, Janet DiFiore, indicated that her office, accompanied by the New York State Police, will continue to investigate the facts surrounding the collision that caused eight deaths. DiFiore justified the continued investigation noting that she wanted the public and the families of the victims to "understand what lead to this horrific crash".
Among the victims of Schuler's actions were her 2-year-old daughter and three nieces. According to initial reports, Schuler, her daughter and her three nieces were returning home to West Babylon, Long Island, from a camping trip in upstate New York when she traveled nearly two miles against oncoming traffic before colliding head-on with a Chevrolet Trail Blazer driven by Guy Bastardi.
Bastardi was traveling with his father, Michael, and family friend, Daniel Longo. All three men were killed by the head-on collision.
The only survivor of the accident was Schuler's 5-year-old son, Bryan. Bryan is listed in stable condition at Westchester Medical Center, where he continues to receive medical care.
