Crimehub: A True Crime Podcast · Crimehub Studios

The Taconic State Parkway Tragedy

·52 min·2 clips

It was 12:58 when Warren Hance got a call from his eight-year-old daughter saying her mother couldn't drive

This episode details the 2009 Taconic State Parkway crash, where Diane Schuler drove the wrong way, causing a head-on collision that killed eight people. Hosts of Crimehub narrate this meticulously researched tragedy, focusing on the victims and the unresolved mystery of Diane's actions. The story centers on Diane, a 36-year-old mother and executive, her brother Warren Hance, and the three families devastated by the event. On July 26, Diane left a campground driving five children, including her son and three nieces, back to Long Island. She called her brother Warren at 11:37 a.m., sounding normal, but later called him from her eight-year-old niece Emma's phone, slurring her words and saying she couldn't see. Witnesses reported her minivan driving erratically and stopping on the shoulder of the New York State Thruway. Diane ignored Warren's pleas to stop, entered the Taconic State Parkway via an exit ramp, and drove nearly two miles south in the northbound lanes at about 85 mph. Her minivan collided head-on with a Chevrolet Trailblazer carrying Michael Bastardi, Guy Bastardi, and Daniel Longo. The crash killed Diane, her daughter Erin, her nieces Emma and Kate, and the three men in the Trailblazer; her niece Allison died hours later. Her five-year-old son Brian was the sole survivor from the minivan. The toxicology report revealed Diane's blood alcohol content was 0.19%, more than double New York's legal limit, and she had THC in her system. A broken 1.75-liter bottle of Absolut Vodka was found in the wreckage. Diane's husband, Danny Schuler, publicly denied she had a drinking problem, suggesting a medical emergency like a stroke from a tooth abscess or a leg embolism. The official investigation ruled the crash a homicide caused by impairment, but filed no criminal charges as Diane was deceased. This led to civil lawsuits between the families, including Danny suing the state and his brother-in-law Warren, who owned the minivan. A compelling insight is the stark contrast between witness accounts of Diane appearing lucid at a McDonald's and gas station that morning and her severely impaired state just hours later. The episode highlights the haunting detail that Diane drove past multiple "Do Not Enter" signs with an unnerving calm, as described by witness Corey Lowe. The narrative explores the theory of a double life, citing a sister-in-law's claim that Diane drank heavily and used cannabis daily, contrary to her "supermom" image. Private investigator Thomas Ruskin, hired by Danny, later questioned if the crash was an intentional suicide, though no evidence supports this. The tone is narrative and investigative, blending a detailed chronological recount with forensic analysis and emotional testimony from family members. The style is somber and gripping, presenting facts while grappling with the profound lack of closure for the families. True crime listeners fascinated by complex, real-life tragedies with conflicting evidence and moral ambiguity will find this episode engrossing. Those sensitive to stories involving child fatalities or frustrated by unresolved mysteries might choose to skip it.

As heard by us

A devastating road tragedy told with patience, grief, and no easy answer.

This episode follows the call from Diane Schuler's sister's phone through the crash and its aftermath, staying close to the children's fear in the car and Warren Hance's shock at Diane's slurred, disoriented speech.

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Why you'd press play

Press play for a crash story that opens on a terrified child on the phone.

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