arielilane
Justice for Liz Barraza
You are correct! 7 killed + 1 drunk driver killed = 8 people killed
8 Die in Crash on Taconic State Parkway #2
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arielilane
Justice for Liz Barraza
He fails to mention; he was going on another trip to go fishing with his dog separate from his family
he was not heading home.
KING: All right, let's go back to Sunday, July 26th. You're wrapping up a few days vacation with the family at a campground.
And what sort of mood was everyone in that morning?
DANIEL SCHULER: Very good. Very nice. We were looking forward to getting -- going home, to beat the traffic. Everybody was happy and doing good.
KING: You left in separate vehicles, right?
You -- she had several children with her.
Why separate cars?
DANIEL SCHULER: Everybody wouldn't fit in -- in my truck. So we had to take another car.
KING: Who went with you?
DANIEL SCHULER: My dog.
KING: Did you have any concerns about them at all?
DANIEL SCHULER: Absolutely not. They were with my wife. They were in safe hands.
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0909/01/lkl.01.html
KING: All right, let's go back to Sunday, July 26th. You're wrapping up a few days vacation with the family at a campground.
And what sort of mood was everyone in that morning?
DANIEL SCHULER: Very good. Very nice. We were looking forward to getting -- going home, to beat the traffic. Everybody was happy and doing good.
KING: You left in separate vehicles, right?
You -- she had several children with her.
Why separate cars?
DANIEL SCHULER: Everybody wouldn't fit in -- in my truck. So we had to take another car.
KING: Who went with you?
DANIEL SCHULER: My dog.
KING: Did you have any concerns about them at all?
DANIEL SCHULER: Absolutely not. They were with my wife. They were in safe hands.
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0909/01/lkl.01.html
arielilane
Justice for Liz Barraza
The attorney is a joke
the last sentence is almost hysterical
good grief!
DOMINIC BARBARA, SCHULER FAMILY ATTORNEY: Well, the four phone calls that are made, the first phone call and the second phone call are fine. By the third phone call, from what we understand, she sounds as if she's had some sort of a psychiatric or a stroke type issue. She is unable to see clearly. And she is saying words in a very strange -- not in an alcoholic fashion. And I think, if I may, Larry, just to digress for one moment so we all know where we're heading, the chief medical examiner, Dr. Highland, tells us -- and I've never had this happen in 40 years -- says: "She has no signs of alcoholism, chronic alcoholism. Her liver, pancreas and every other part of her body, including the esophagus, shows no alcohol abuse."
So when he leaves the campground, we know she's fine. They have decided not to prosecute my client because they believe, clearly, that he had no knowledge of anything that would make him think she was not going to drive safely and carefully. You know why they choose her as the driver, because she's never had a traffic ticket.
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0909/01/lkl.01.html
DOMINIC BARBARA, SCHULER FAMILY ATTORNEY: Well, the four phone calls that are made, the first phone call and the second phone call are fine. By the third phone call, from what we understand, she sounds as if she's had some sort of a psychiatric or a stroke type issue. She is unable to see clearly. And she is saying words in a very strange -- not in an alcoholic fashion. And I think, if I may, Larry, just to digress for one moment so we all know where we're heading, the chief medical examiner, Dr. Highland, tells us -- and I've never had this happen in 40 years -- says: "She has no signs of alcoholism, chronic alcoholism. Her liver, pancreas and every other part of her body, including the esophagus, shows no alcohol abuse."
So when he leaves the campground, we know she's fine. They have decided not to prosecute my client because they believe, clearly, that he had no knowledge of anything that would make him think she was not going to drive safely and carefully. You know why they choose her as the driver, because she's never had a traffic ticket.
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0909/01/lkl.01.html
arielilane
Justice for Liz Barraza
They cant seem to get the story straight if she was a drinker or not a drinker.
KING: Daniel, how do you explain the vodka?
DANIEL SCHULER: Usually we keep it in our camper throughout the whole season, one bottle.
KING: Why?
Why?
JAY SCHULER: You know, you have pina coladas. You...
DANIEL SCHULER: Sitting by a campfire, cooking marshmallows. :waitasec:
JAY SCHULER: Right. With a campfire. This is...
BARBARA: Larry, I don't want you to think that they're talking about having a new bottle every week or day. They have one bottle for the season.
JAY SCHULER: This bottle would last from May until October because that...
KING: OK.
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0909/01/lkl.01.html
KING: Now, you know the New York City police are not lying.
BARBARA: Well, first, it's the state police, number one, Larry. But number two, I can assure you that if it ever occurs -- and it probably will never -- that if I cross-examine that expert, you're not going to ever hear that there was marijuana smoke -- smoked within that short period of time.
However, what is most difficult, frightening, most difficult to understand is here's a woman who never drank. Here's a woman who -- who loved these...
KING: No, she drank occasionally, he said.
BARBARA: Oh, Larry, you're talking two pina coladas a year. Without making a joke, I would think some of the newspaper people drink that much in a night.
KING: Daniel, how do you explain the vodka?
DANIEL SCHULER: Usually we keep it in our camper throughout the whole season, one bottle.
KING: Why?
Why?
JAY SCHULER: You know, you have pina coladas. You...
DANIEL SCHULER: Sitting by a campfire, cooking marshmallows. :waitasec:
JAY SCHULER: Right. With a campfire. This is...
BARBARA: Larry, I don't want you to think that they're talking about having a new bottle every week or day. They have one bottle for the season.
JAY SCHULER: This bottle would last from May until October because that...
KING: OK.
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0909/01/lkl.01.html
KING: Now, you know the New York City police are not lying.
BARBARA: Well, first, it's the state police, number one, Larry. But number two, I can assure you that if it ever occurs -- and it probably will never -- that if I cross-examine that expert, you're not going to ever hear that there was marijuana smoke -- smoked within that short period of time.
However, what is most difficult, frightening, most difficult to understand is here's a woman who never drank. Here's a woman who -- who loved these...
KING: No, she drank occasionally, he said.
BARBARA: Oh, Larry, you're talking two pina coladas a year. Without making a joke, I would think some of the newspaper people drink that much in a night.
southcitymom
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Thanks for posting this, cloudajo - I do not recall looking at it previously, so if it was posted, it slipped past me.
Diane Shuler was truly torn apart and stood no chance of survival. Upon reading this, I note that no mention was made of burning to her body - perhaps I am missing references to burning due to my lack of knowledge concerning medical terms. I recall witnesses saying she was on fire and I would think that would be worth noting. Probably I just overlooked it.
Thanks also for the information you have posted concerning exhumation, further BAC, etc....
arielilane
Justice for Liz Barraza
The way he answered that question disturbed me. He was disrespectful of those that lost their lives and to their families.
southcitymom
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I don't find this confusing. As I posted earlier, my sister has maybe 2-3 drinks/year. If someone asked me if my sister was a drinker, I would say no. 2-3 maybe drinks a year doesn't register with me as a drinker.
arielilane
Justice for Liz Barraza
Bottom line.........
It just seems to me if it was a medical issue DS would have stayed put after talking with her brother. Her getting into the vehicle clearly speaks volumes to me that she was under the influence. That is what a drunk would have done. :twocents:
It just seems to me if it was a medical issue DS would have stayed put after talking with her brother. Her getting into the vehicle clearly speaks volumes to me that she was under the influence. That is what a drunk would have done. :twocents:
arielilane
Justice for Liz Barraza
People cannot possibly keep track of how many drinks they consume (same as food) unless you write it down daily and are honest about it.
Intermezzo
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SCM, while reading the autopsy, I was trying to find mention of charred skin..I would think the ME upon visual inspection would report charred or burned skin?
I don't know? I will have to read it again.
UPDATE
http://www.lohud.com/assets/pdf/BH14176392.PDF
Page 5
External Description there is mention of torn clothes but not burned clothes.
Page 9 of autopsy report
"There right knee and the right leg have parched yellow gray skin. There is charring of the left anterior thigh muscles exposed by laceration."
also the mid lateral shin has gray yellow parched like skin changes.
Trino
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Snipped...
Is there a quote somewhere from the chief medical examiner, Dr. Highland, or is this just an attorney statement? If it's true, it certainly is interesting.
SuziQ
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Yes, thank you cloudajo. I missed this as well.
There are a few references to parching of the skin and thermal changes. But not to the extent I would have expected.
Intermezzo
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BBM
Perhaps they were not killed by an alcoholic as DS states, but according to the tox. report They Were killed by a Drunk Driver.
southcitymom
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I might look at it again later - too much medical jargon makes my brain tired! - tell me if you find it though!
southcitymom
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Thanks, Suzi. I did not see that. Possibly she was extinguished very quickly and the burning was, thank God, short-lived. Certainly her other injuries were so extensive it doesn't really matter - I was just curious.
Intermezzo
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Found something and I've updated my previous post
southcitymom
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Absolutely, everything we know tells us she was intoxicated. Her husband has not come anywhere close to accepting that. I wonder if a second autopsy and/or BAC will help him accept the evidence or confuse him even more.
If he is convinced his Wife could not possibly have had a drinking problem, only three reasonable lines of thought are available to him - A) the BAC was wrong or B) she underwent a medical/psychological event that caused her to use an extreme amount of alcohol and pot while driving a car with 5 children in it or C) someone drugged her with these substances against her will and/or knowledge.
I think we all know B) and C) are HIGHLY unbelievable and, thus far, no independent physical evidence supports them as being possible. A) would really be the only thing that could support his beliefs.
southcitymom
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southcitymom
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I thought about that also, Trino, but here's the thing. Barbara could have ASKED (and that's a lot different than the chief medical examiner just offering it up as amazing!) Dr. Highland "Did Diane Shuler's autopsy reveal that she had any sign of alcoholism/chronic alcoholism or alcohol abuse?" and Highland could have said, "Nope."
That "Nope" doesn't mean anything except there was no sign of it in her autopsy. But this is not proof that she wasn't alcoholic. First of all, she might have only been drinking abusively for a short period of time - alcoholism is a progressive disease - hers could have been in the beginning stages (which is when folks start having consequences from their drinking).
Secondly, as others have discussed here, sometimes (more often than you would think) long-term, hardcore drinkers do NOT have the internal physical damage one would expect.
Now Barbara, being in the role that he is in and having a client who doesn't believe his wife could have possibly had a drinking problem, is of course going to seize onto and rattle off anything that supports that contention.
But the "her body shows she's not an alcoholic" position is nonsense, and it's probably taken out of context as well. IMHO.
Still - Barbara makes it sound good, plausible, almost-believable because that is his job. But until a bunch of doctors come forward and say "Yep, we can prove that she wasn't an alcoholic by looking at her body after death - that's accepted medical fact," I'm not buying it for a second.
Intermezzo
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BBM
I agree and what I see him focusing on is fighting back against the accusations that she was an alcoholic..IMO what I interpret Daniel S to be saying is that only alcoholics drive drunk...so since she's not an alcoholic she wasn't drunk and so it must be medical. :bang:
IMO The main issue to me is, regardless if she was an alcoholic or not, on that particular day, she was operating a motor vehicle while impaired, according to the tox. reports.
:twocents:
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