Some might say that this investigation and documentary are a waste. They might say there is no point in searching for answers when the evidence is so clear. In the eyes of the Schuler family, this evidence was a complete lie.
Directed by Liz Garbus,
There's Something Wrong with Aunt Diane, follows the life of Diane Schuler, and her family's hardship in further investigating her involvement in the
Taconic State Parkway crash of 2009.
Diane Schuler was placed with the responsibility of driving all the children home from a family camping trip in upstate NY. It was something she was no stranger to. Diane was a dedicated mother and homemaker. She was beloved by everyone she knew. In a completely unexpected turn of events, Diane's mini van was seen traveling down the wrong side of the Taconic State Parkway. After 1.7 miles, a head-on collision ended the journey, killing Schumer, her 3 nieces,
her 2 year-old daughter, and 3 men in the other vehicle. The only survivor of the crash was her then 5 year-old son, who could only attest that his mother had trouble seeing and didn't feel well.
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| The Schuler family mini van after the crash in 2009 |
Finding high levels of alcohol and marijuana in Diane's system, her family is still in disbelief that the Diane they knew could endanger so many lives. It is a truly heartbreaking story. Diane Schuler's husband and sister-in-law continue to fight for her reputation. It is hard not to feel sympathy for Diane, with the information later given to us. The film begins with the press conference footage of her tearful husband insisting that the toxicology reports must be wrong.
This is a case filled with controversy. The victim's families are frustrated. They feel that the Schuler's insistence on clearing Diane's name as a closet drunk is a slap in the face for the victim's justice. How
can you dispute the hard evidence? Could there have been a mix-up in the lab? Could there be some kind of medical issue to cause such results that we are unaware of?
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| Video surveillance from the gas station Diane stopped in soon before the crash appearing sober, but asking for pain relievers |
Paced very well,
There's Something Wrong, covers Schuler's history, interviews old friends, as well as witnesses of the accident, interspersed with a linear timeline of the incident from when she left the camp site, to the crash itself. It comes together in pieces; after we learn a new facet of Schuler's life, we get sucked back to the infamous day, seeing her inch closer to the incident. By the time you get to the moment of impact, we know Schuler's medical history, her personal life, and her family. It makes the moment that much more intense. The end is clear as soon as the film begins, but the culminating moment is so charged with suspense and tragedy, that I could not help but cry. The events plainly stated are undoubtedly horrific, but
There's Something Wrong takes you on that fateful ride till it sinks into you.
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| Diane and Daniel Schuler |
At first the documentary appears to side with the Schulers - aside from a few interviews with the victims families and witnesses of the crash. However, Garbus does not hesitate to show the meetings and desperate phone conversations where investigators and doctors double check the damning test results, only to find once again they were accurate. Even with all the pieces laid out there is an incomplete puzzle. The Schuler's testimony on Diane's life only make it harder to complete.
Something doesn't sit right with me. Why couldn't she see. I wonder if some neighborhood kids knew they had the alcohol in the trailer(kept outside I'm sure), broke in and drank it then put rubbing alcohol in its place. This sounds like something a dumb teen might try. Diane drinks it the night before, sleeps with it in her system and then wakes up with what she thinks is a hangover. She starts the drive and as her body begins to metabolize more of it and it poisons her. She can't get gelcaps for this pounding headache that she thinks is just a hangover so she smokes one joint. The THC does the rest and before she knows it she's caused that awful accident.
ReplyDeleteI agree. Did they test her blood for diabetes or other factors. Diabetic Shock can cause some strange things to occur in your brain. IF she had a drinking problem, someone would have picked up on it earlier. If someone has had a few drinks, I can smell it on them or it emits from their pores. Her co-workers would have known something, her family would have seen certain behaviors prior to this. Instead, she was a successful women, worker, mom and wife. She kept to a schedule, she had to. I definitely think there is another reason (medically ie: stroke, clot, sugar levels something that triggered her behavior that day). As a mom, we all put off going to the Doctor or put off having a test run. She gained weight, there is a real good chance she WAS diabetic and had a diabetic stroke or sugar level the caused this. It's so easy for the police to jump to conclusions or rule one way & stop researching WHY, just because they find a bottle of vodka in the van. Many people smoke pot just before going to bed to relax them. I know in my heart there is another reason for her behavior that day. The kids tell their parents on the phone Aunt Diane is acting strange & not talking right. This was a definite sign that something happened all of a sudden. Danny, Jay and the people who want closure need to keep trying to get more tests done on her or have other experts review all the blood levels, brain scans etc. My heart goes out to all the people and families affected by this horrific accident. However, this 69 yr old female adult with diabetes (who had 2 alcoholic brothers) feels there is definitely more to this story from a medical research point of view. And, as far as picking apart her "Abandonment Issues" from her mother leaving, LEAVE IT ALONE, many of us have a parent who left us & our siblings, and we turned out just fine. She was a very good Mom, was very organized (she had to be), and took charge of situations. Good for her. She was a good person and SOMEONE OR SOME GROUP needs to step up and help research what medically could have caused her to react this way. It's Sept 2018 and I just saw the documentary. I thought is gave a good assessment of who Diane was. I don't believe she is the monster some people are painting her out to be. I said many prayers that night for all of them. Prior to the accident, her brother and sister-in-law trusted her enough to take their 3 girls for a get away up to the Catskills. That has to mean something of how they felt about her. SOMETHING MEDICALLY TRIGGERED THIS, she didn't just decide to do this.
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