Did anyone watch the HBO documentary 'There's something wrong with Aunt Diane'?

[of the seas]

Yea, I watched it. the Dad needs to accept that he didn't know her as well as he thought, try to move on, let the law suits go and try to heal-if not for him than for his boy. That poor boy needs to try to have a normal life.

 

[NikitaZee]

She pulled over on the side of the road at that bridge. She could have stayed there and called for help. She could have gone to an ER. Anything would have been better.

I wonder what was going on with her when it came to her childhood friends. They seemed rather secretive when it came to the details of Diane no longer being close to them. Could it be drug use or something about her husband?

Looking into the family defending Diane that she could not have been drinking, maybe I am looking too much into this, but did anyone catch the part where the blonde woman left that building and as she smoked, she said nobody knew she smoked? I mean, if she was keeping her smoking habit a secret, did she not think Diane could be a closet alcoholic?

This documentary was meant to uphold Diane's reputation, but instead, all the unanswed questions and gaps in the story just made her look more guilty.

Yep, I caught that too, and thought the same thing. In one of the articles I read today it stated Diane's best friend didn't know of her marijuana use. Also the police report stated that her brother and sister-in-law, whose girls died - said they were not aware of her marijuana use. So IMO she could easily have hid a drinking problem. Her husband doesn't seem like the most observant or intuitive guy, and he worked nights - so I imagine she could have done any number of things he wouldn't have known about. Or even been interested in. I don't know why, but this story haunts me.

 

[Mickey Fliers]

The Hance family is suing Daniel Schuler.

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/girls_terror_on_taconic_ZJvmLEbSqdviz6liKRyFuJ#ixzz1TJvr3eXJ

 

[cassandrap83]

Yep, I caught that too, and thought the same thing. In one of the articles I read today it stated Diane's best friend didn't know of her marijuana use. Also the police report stated that her brother and sister-in-law, whose girls died - said they were not aware of her marijuana use. So IMO she could easily have hid a drinking problem. Her husband doesn't seem like the most observant or intuitive guy, and he worked nights - so I imagine she could have done any number of things he wouldn't have known about. Or even been interested in. I don't know why, but this story haunts me.

People hide marijuana use because it is ILLEGAL, not because they are 'addicted'. It's not exactly something you bring up in casual conversation -- or even with close friends. I equate the comparison of alcoholism to maijuana smoking to comparing apples to oranges.

I think that for her to do something as crazy as she did, it had to have been something crazier than marijuana or alcohol -- maybe salvia or another psychadellic drug -- or, she was just having a mental breakdown.

 

[sparklynails23]

People hide marijuana use because it is ILLEGAL, not because they are 'addicted'. It's not exactly something you bring up in casual conversation -- or even with close friends. I equate the comparison of alcoholism to maijuana smoking to comparing apples to oranges.

I think that for her to do something as crazy as she did, it had to have been something crazier than marijuana or alcohol -- maybe salvia or another psychadellic drug -- or, she was just having a mental breakdown.

Nah. Her blood alcohol level, .19, was pretty darn high, and if her THC levels were high, too, she was plenty intoxicated to act that way. I'm not sure what other drugs they ran toxicology tests for, but the pot could have been laced with something. That's the risk you take when you consume illegal/unregulated substances, and those kids never agreed to take those risks. There's no reason for an adult to be buying weed on the street and getting high every night, anyway. That's college crap. If she was immature enough to do that, she wasn't the perfect, responsible mom that she portrayed.

 

[ncmickeyluvr]

She pulled over on the side of the road at that bridge. She could have stayed there and called for help. She could have gone to an ER. Anything would have been better.

I wonder what was going on with her when it came to her childhood friends. They seemed rather secretive when it came to the details of Diane no longer being close to them. Could it be drug use or something about her husband?

Looking into the family defending Diane that she could not have been drinking, maybe I am looking too much into this, but did anyone catch the part where the blonde woman left that building and as she smoked, she said nobody knew she smoked? I mean, if she was keeping her smoking habit a secret, did she not think Diane could be a closet alcoholic?
This documentary was meant to uphold Diane's reputation, but instead, all the unanswed questions and gaps in the story just made her look more guilty.

That was my thought EXACTLY !

 

[krcit]

People hide marijuana use because it is ILLEGAL, not because they are 'addicted'. It's not exactly something you bring up in casual conversation -- or even with close friends. I equate the comparison of alcoholism to maijuana smoking to comparing apples to oranges.

I think that for her to do something as crazy as she did, it had to have been something crazier than marijuana or alcohol -- maybe salvia or another psychadellic drug -- or, she was just having a mental breakdown.

I get what you're saying. A lot of people wouldn't admit to smoking pot because it's illegal but most wouldn't admit being an alcoholic either. I had a friend that was a highly functioning alcoholic. I swear I had no idea but then again I wasn't living with her either. It wasn't until she had a major crisis that the truth about her drinking came out. This accident is just so sad and leaves so many unanswered questions. I think the idiot husband knows more than he has ever let on.

 

[jwfla422]

I never heard of this accident until I was flipping through the channels last night and stumbled upon this documentary. I was totally taken back by the whole thing, just trying to reason out why?? SO so, sad for those kids, for one family to lose their whole family, 3 daughters?? The family of the men that were killed in the crash...Heart wrenching! I couldn't fathom what these families are going through.

Amazing she went that far in the wrong direction until she hit anyone. All those people phoning 911 getting missed by her, having dodge the bullet?? Intoxicated, how can there be any question, and signage issues?? C'mon, who in their "right" mind can't tell the cars are coming towards you while driving on the highway?? If she had any sanity at the time, she would have pulled over as quickly as she could, she seemed to be in another place mentally for sure. To gamble and take so many innocent lives like that?

It haunts me as well and really makes me to be even more aware of what's going on way ahead of me while driving on the highway. It almost scares me to get on the highway at all! You just never know what someone else is capable of...

 

[johnsontrio]

This thread piqued my interest and DH and I just finished watching this On Demand. My DH, who is not the most observant person regarding certain things, immediately identified that there is an improper relationship between Dan Schuler and the SIL. So he is in agreement with some of the prior posters on this matter.

We both have a couple questions regarding the incident because we didn't follow it at the time. When do the investigative authorities think Diane smoked the pot? Do they think she got out of the car to smoke it? Did they ever get confirmation from the family that she had it in her possession during the weekend? Either she had it or stopped and got it, correct? Dan stated that the Absolute bottle came from the camper, but was that confirmed during the investigation? Seems strange that she could drink out of an alcohol bottle and smoke pot in front of the older children and them not think anything about it. You would think that the older child, when she made the phone call, might say something about her behavior, especially considering how noxious pot smoking smells.

The other confusion is that the documentary doesn't really lay out the timeline very well. Exactly how much time is unaccounted for considering the stops at McDonald's, the gas station and the bridge? Do they have any theory about what happened during any unaccounted for time?

Also, the phone call from the private investigator Tom to the SIL. Is it implied that the attorney and the husband had those results all along but were telling everyone else that the PI was not releasing them? I thought he implied that but really didn't come right out and state that Dan knows this but is in denial. He keeps asking her "where do you think you go from here?" almost like a therapist would. I got the impression that he is fed up with the family because they aren't accepting of the facts.

Seems incredibly far reaching that the family wants to implicate a tooth that has been troublesome since 2005, 4 years prior. And the husbands comment that he has no time to himself makes me sick. The interview was somewhere between 6months and 1. 5 years after this event. What on earth would he need alone time for when the only thing he has in the world left is his son? What's he wanna do with that alone time? And as his SIL stated, he has all day while his child is at school.

 

[surfergirl602]

If the first episode airs again, will someone let me know by posting it here? I missed it, and I can't find it in the listings on cable.

 

[Aisling]

What do you all suspect really happened that caused this tragedy? Why'd she do it? Accident? Deliberate? Poor highway signs? Defective vehicle? I know we're all just speculating, but I'm curious about your opinions.

 

[MinnieTink]

When this first occurred two years ago I could noteven bear to watch the news coverage. I did not want to have to think about what it would be like to have all three of your children wiped out so tragically and violently. Days later I found out that I actually went to high school with the three girls' mother. (I didn't realize it previously, they did not use her maiden name) Since then I have said even more prayers for this family, especially Jackie, in the hopes that she will someday feel some sort of peace, a lift of the torture it is for a mother to ever have to endure something like this.

There is an article in a recent Ladies Home Journal about Jackie Hance. You can also see info about the Hance foundation online and see the good that they do in the wake of this unimaginable tragedy.

If you can please say a prayer for the families who will be forever changed by this. Thanks.

 

[livie1205]

I watched this and it made me SICK!! Trying to explain away the empty vodca bottle and how yeh she smoked pot but not THAT weekend? yeh right! I think he wants to blame on someone else so he can sue and continue to sit on his butt all day!Those poor babies I dont buy for one minute she had a "health issue" that made it look like she was drinking...give me a break,did she have a "health issue"that made it look like she smoked pot that day? They didnt even try to dispute THAT test result.

 

[NikitaZee]

This thread piqued my interest and DH and I just finished watching this On Demand. My DH, who is not the most observant person regarding certain things, immediately identified that there is an improper relationship between Dan Schuler and the SIL. So he is in agreement with some of the prior posters on this matter.

We both have a couple questions regarding the incident because we didn't follow it at the time. When do the investigative authorities think Diane smoked the pot? Do they think she got out of the car to smoke it? Did they ever get confirmation from the family that she had it in her possession during the weekend? Either she had it or stopped and got it, correct? Dan stated that the Absolute bottle came from the camper, but was that confirmed during the investigation? Seems strange that she could drink out of an alcohol bottle and smoke pot in front of the older children and them not think anything about it. You would think that the older child, when she made the phone call, might say something about her behavior, especially considering how noxious pot smoking smells.

The other confusion is that the documentary doesn't really lay out the timeline very well. Exactly how much time is unaccounted for considering the stops at McDonald's, the gas station and the bridge? Do they have any theory about what happened during any unaccounted for time?

Also, the phone call from the private investigator Tom to the SIL. Is it implied that the attorney and the husband had those results all along but were telling everyone else that the PI was not releasing them? I thought he implied that but really didn't come right out and state that Dan knows this but is in denial. He keeps asking her "where do you think you go from here?" almost like a therapist would. I got the impression that he is fed up with the family because they aren't accepting of the facts.

Seems incredibly far reaching that the family wants to implicate a tooth that has been troublesome since 2005, 4 years prior. And the husbands comment that he has no time to himself makes me sick. The interview was somewhere between 6months and 1. 5 years after this event. What on earth would he need alone time for when the only thing he has in the world left is his son? What's he wanna do with that alone time? And as his SIL stated, he has all day while his child is at school.

I have thought about all the things you mention. The husband doesn't look like he is 'built for' what is left of his life. I get the impression his dead wife did everything, and he had very little responsibility in the marriage at all. He struck me as one of those people who move through life disconnected from everything.
As far as the timeline, there is definitely lost time there. The trip from the campground to their home on LI would be 2 hours max. The crash happened 4 hours after they left the campground - including a 45 min stop at McDonald's and 2 stops at rest stops. Traffic, maybe? I don't know, but there is definitely lost time there. The pot I can't explain at all - unless she sent the girls to the rest room and smoked then. The vodka is presumed to have come from a bottle they carried back and forth on their camping trips with them. The husband said he thought it was in the camper, but I'm assuming she took it out and brought it in the car with her. At their stop at McDonald's, news reported that she ordered an iced coffee and an orange juice. I would think she poured the vodka into the juice and drank it like that.
I don't think the PI released the info until the sister-in-law called him during the documentary. He seems like a real sleaze-ball who was holding out for more money. He wanted $25,000 to participate in the documentary for cripe's sake.

If the first episode airs again, will someone let me know by posting it here? I missed it, and I can't find it in the listings on cable.

HBO schedule says it's airing 7/30 at 3:45 pm and again on 7/30 at 6:45 pm. Then on 8/2 at 6 pm.

What do you all suspect really happened that caused this tragedy? Why'd she do it? Accident? Deliberate? Poor highway signs? Defective vehicle? I know we're all just speculating, but I'm curious about your opinions.

I think a couple of things. First, I think she may have been in pain with her tooth, and just swished alcohol around her mouth to get rid of the pain. Then when it didn't work, she smoked some pot, and drank more alcohol until she was absolutely blotto. My second thought is that she was a closet drinker, who went the weekend without drinking, and as soon as she waved her husband off she opened up the bottle and just kept drinking. She probably smoked pot regularly. That's part of what haunts me about this - no one will ever know what she was thinking, and why she did what she did.

When this first occurred two years ago I could noteven bear to watch the news coverage. I did not want to have to think about what it would be like to have all three of your children wiped out so tragically and violently. Days later I found out that I actually went to high school with the three girls' mother. (I didn't realize it previously, they did not use her maiden name) Since then I have said even more prayers for this family, especially Jackie, in the hopes that she will someday feel some sort of peace, a lift of the torture it is for a mother to ever have to endure something like this.

There is an article in a recent Ladies Home Journal about Jackie Hance. You can also see info about the Hance foundation online and see the good that they do in the wake of this unimaginable tragedy.

If you can please say a prayer for the families who will be forever changed by this. Thanks.

I have been praying for them. I keep thinking of my own children - esp my oldest - and how they would have felt in that situation. It makes me sick to think about. Here is a link to the article in LHJ. It is heartbreaking to read. http://www.lhj.com/relationships/family/raising-kids/life-after-the-death-of-my-children/?page=1

 

[gregokdisney]

I thought the documentary made the happenings even less clear. I believed that she was hyper-responsible, and although she was a closet drinker and pot smoker, she had never previously let this affect her enough that anyone in her life noticed. I wonder if she had a migraine, or if the abcessed tooth had spread infection to her brain enough to make her have a stroke. Her son said she couldn't see, she apparently needed painkillers, she apparently got sick on the side of the road and at the rest stop. All of that points to a brain malfunction.

Clearly she did drink the vodka and smoke pot, but I just can't wrap my head around when. She must have pulled over again at some point. The witnesses all said that he never swerved or veered and none of them believed she was driving drunk. The one couple who she honked at at the rest stop thought she was an overly agressive driver, but the lady said she saw her get out of the car to vomit, so I assume she was trying to pull over before she got sick. Even at that point she was coherent enough to reponsibly pull over before throwing up.

I know we'll never know what happened but I still think she was in enough pain or somehow disoriented enough to not even realize that she was doing. Or maybe, as the addiction counselor said, she had a fever, which heightened the effects of the drugs and alcohol into a delirium. Maybe she had been able to handle that amount of drugs and alcohol before but something hppened this time to make her completely have a psychotic break. It's just so weird that she drove so purposefully, without swerving or reacting to anything.

I could almost buy that she committed suicide and even decided to kill her own children so they wouldn't have to live without her, but to tke her three nieces too? Also, I don't know what type of relationship the husband and the SIL have, but she is doing the best she can to be there for that poor little boy.

It was a terribly disturbing show, and I hope and pray that everyone involved finds some peace.

 

[allison443]

What do you all suspect really happened that caused this tragedy? Why'd she do it? Accident? Deliberate? Poor highway signs? Defective vehicle? I know we're all just speculating, but I'm curious about your opinions.

I can't believe "poor highway signs" would even be mentioned as a consideration. This lady drove two miles the wrong way on the Taconic Parkway. TWO MILES. I don't care if there are wrong signs, or no signs, the vehicles coming towards you at 50 mph or more would be a clear indication you're going the wrong way, wouldn't they?

 

[crashbb]

I can't believe "poor highway signs" would even be mentioned as a consideration. This lady drove two miles the wrong way on the Taconic Parkway. TWO MILES. I don't care if there are wrong signs, or no signs, the vehicles coming towards you at 50 mph or more would be a clear indication you're going the wrong way, wouldn't they?

Nor can I buy that "defective vehicle" could possibly be an explanation.

 

[Imzadi]

I can't believe "poor highway signs" would even be mentioned as a consideration. This lady drove two miles the wrong way on the Taconic Parkway. TWO MILES. I don't care if there are wrong signs, or no signs, the vehicles coming towards you at 50 mph or more would be a clear indication you're going the wrong way, wouldn't they?

Exactly! "Poor highway signs" is the most ridiculous excuse ever. I've accidentally turned the wrong way onto a one way street. It doesn't take long to notice ALL the lanes have headlights aimed at you. The traffic comes to a dead stop in front of you, or a few people beep at you as they gingerly pass by.

 

[AlwaysMoving]

I wonder if she had a migraine, or if the abcessed tooth had spread infection to her brain enough to make her have a stroke. Her son said she couldn't see, she apparently needed painkillers, she apparently got sick on the side of the road and at the rest stop. All of that points to a brain malfunction.

I was wondering about the stroke thing as the husband kept insisting, but wouldn't a stroke show up on an autopsy? Even if no stroke, wouldn't an infection show up on the autopsy, especially one that had been working in her system a while? I have had migraines my whole life. I know they can impair sight. There have been times when I was driving and pulled over so my husband could drive. If I was alone, I just pulled over and waited until I could see. I don't buy pain as an excuse. I have been in an amount of pain in the ER that had me begging the doctors to let me die. Never would I do drugs and alcohol and get behind the wheel of a car. Pain doesn't stop a person from having the ability to make those sort of decisions. They mentioned she was looking for painkillers in the convenience store, but I know I have never gone in a convenience store and they NOT have painkillers. Oh, and what about that convenience store stop? She stopped a at the pumps, but never got gas. What normal person does that?

If the little boy said mom couldn't see, then how was she able to stay in her lane and avoid swerving right up to the point of impact? Not many roads are straight as an arrow. I think the little boy may have meant mom did not see the car when she hit it. The dad and aunt are taking the words of a little boy too literally.

I can't stop thinking about the title of this documentary. I hear a little voice so frantic.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

I have no idea who this person is or what her story was.