There is something wrong with Aunt Diane - Drunk Driving

This morning I watched an interesting but disturbing documentary on the Public Broadcasting System, called "There is something wrong with Aunt Diane". 

Diane Schuler

Diane Schuler, age 36, died on July 26, 2009, in a horrific car crash in New York State. 

She was driving the wrong way, against traffic, on a busy freeway, returning from a holiday weekend with her husband, who went home in another vehicle with the family dog. 

She crashed headlong into an oncoming vehicle and killed herself and her daughter and 3 nieces and the 3 men in the oncoming car. Eight people died over this traffic accident.

The dead were Diane Schuler age 36, her 2-year-old daughter, Erin; her three nieces, Emma Hance, 8, Alyson Hance, 7, and Kate Hance, 5; and three men: Guy Bastardi, 49, and his father, Michael Bastardi, 81, and their friend, Daniel Longo, 74. The 5-year-old son of Schuler, Bryan, survived the accident.

Raphael, Archangel, pray for
all who died in this car crash.
Ask God to take them all to heaven. 

Toxicology reports stated that Diane had consumed marijuana and the equivalent of 10 shots of vodka before the crash. She hadn't done alcohol or drugs before she got in the car, but apparently she did during the trip.

This woman was fully employed and made a very good salary. She was a good mother to her children. She always looked after her kids and had a busy schedule. Her husband, Danny, worked a different shift and she came home from her job and did what she had to do - feed the kids, bathe the kids, read them stories, etc. She even did scrapbooks for her relatives of the kids and family activities. She was busy. 

She had occasional alcoholic drinks and occasional tokes of grass. She was not a heavy drinker, nor an alcoholic nor a druggie. Everyone connected to this case admits this. You know if your family member is a party girl. Diane wasn't. 

Diane had a history of dental meltdowns and problems with her teeth and she was unhappy with root canals. It is presumed that she had a dental problem the day of the car crash. She went into a convenience store in an attempt to buy a painkiller but they didn't have the brand she wanted, so she left. 

She apparently decided while on the car trip to drink vodka and smoke some grass to alleviate the pain she was feeling. In the end she was highly impaired. She may have been in a huge amount of pain. Dental pain can be horrendous, especially if a tooth is abscessed. 

Only God knows what happened with Diane Schuler. It is sad that this lack of judgement ended in so many deaths. 

Pray for Diane Schuler; Erin Schuler, Emma Hance, Alyson Hance, Kate Hance, Guy Bastardi, Michael Bastardi and Daniel Longo. Pray that they are in heaven. 

Pray for Bryan Schuler, the surviving son, that he is okay. 

In the end, it is all about taking drugs and alcohol and then driving a vehicle. A vehicle can be a lethal weapon at the best of times. It is more deadly while under the influence of any alcohol or drug. 

Pray that people will get educated and stop drinking and driving. Amen.

Click here for a link to this HBO documentary

Click here for a link to Mothers Against Drunk Driving