Boston Injury Lawyer Blog
Our Boston Injury Lawyer Blog occasionally covers accidents and lawsuits that occurred outside the state of Massachusetts. In this post, we bring the latest on a tragic accident that made national headlines two years ago:
Daniel Schuler, the husband of Diane Schuler, is suing the state of New York and his brother-in-law for wrongful death. Diane, 36, and seven others, including their 2-year-old daughter Erin and her three nieces, were killed in 2009 after she drove her minivan the wrong way on the Taconic State Parkway and collided in a head-on crash with another vehicle on July 26, 2009. Now, Daniel is seeking compensation for Erin and her brother Bryan, 5, who survived the collision with serious, permanent, serious injuries.
Toxicologists later said that Diane was drunk and high that day. Test results indicate that she had marijuana and the equivalent of 10 shots of vodka in her system. Daniel, however, believes the findings are a mistake. In his wrongful death complaint against NY State, he says that the highway is inadequately designed and had poor signage.
Daniel is also suing his brother-in-law Warren Hance, who owned the minivan that Schuler was driving, on the grounds of vicarious liability. Hance is the father of Emma, 8, Alyson, 7, and Kate, 5, who were in the minivan with Diane that day. Meantime, Hance’s wife, Jackie, is suing Diane Schuler’s estate for her daughters’ wrongful deaths.
Also killed in the 2009 wrong-way driving accident were the three people in the vehicle that the minivan collided with: Michael Bastardi, 81, his son Guy Bastardi, 49, and Daniel Long, 74. The Bastardi family is suing Schuler’s estate. They are also suing Hance because he is owner of the vehicle that Diane was driving.
Car Accident Cases
As evidenced by the details above, obtaining personal injury recovery for injuries sustained in a car crash can be tough-especially when there are multiple parties involved with conflicting claims. This is just one of the many reasons why, in Massachusetts, that you need to be represented by a Boston injury lawyer that can fight for your right to recovery.
Husband of Wrong-Way Taconic Driver Sues State, In-Law, NBC, July 26, 2011
Wrong-way driver’s husband sues state, others over crash, USA Today, July 27, 2011
Wrong-way family feud, NY Post, July 26, 2011
Another Claim in Wrong-Way Deaths of 8, Courthouse News, July 29, 2011
Related Web Resource:
Diane Schuler, NY Daily News
HBO: There’s Something Wrong with Aunt Diane
More Blog Posts:
Boston Wrong-Way Accident on Mass Pike Kills One Man and Seriously Injures His Friend, Boston Injury Lawyer, December 29, 2009
Drunk Driver Causes Fatal Accident on Interstate 95, Boston Car Accident Lawyer, May 16, 2011
Breathalyzer Test Records Not Considered Testimony In Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court for Convicted Drunk Drivers, Boston Car Accident Lawyer, May 25, 2011
