8 Die in Crash on Taconic State Parkway

[Native New Yorker]

That first call, the one who they will not tell who it was from.....I think that is the trigger that made her go overboard with her on the road drinking.....

 

[VCDaedalus]

An accident of this magnitude that involves wrong-way driving, DWI and death almost ALWAYS winds up with suits filed in civil court against, for all intense purposes, the insurance companies.

I'm sure you meant to write "for all intents and purposes." Dang that voice-recognition software!

 

[grace60]

I was on the inside looking out. In my situation I was not even close to my sibling. Our family wanted to reach out to the victims family and were advised against it. There was nothing to sue for and the auto insurance paid a small settlement to all the victims or surviving family members. I believe Mr Schuler was thrust in front of the media by a buffoon of a lawyer. My advice to anyone involved in causing an accident or surviving family members is to keep your mouth shut. No matter how good of a person that person was no one cares or wants to hear about. This is how this person and family members will be remembered for ever. I don't want to offend anyone but from personal experience Mr Schuler is lucky his wife died. It will take a long time but he will be able to move on with what is left of his life. He will never get over it. If he stays in the same area no matter where he goes or what he does people will give him the look, point and whisper. I got that 20 years later when I went back to our old home town and the accident didn't even happen there. I don't believe for one second he would have let her drive if he even thought she may drink and drive. This man is totally numb right now. His face and comments (some probably flat out lies) are plastered all over front pages of newspapers and the internet with ugly headlines and thousands of ugly comments. I know what that feels like from one smaller area newspaper. Trust me you have no idea what he is going through and even I have no idea how he is able to hold himself up these days. When all this settles down most of us will move on to reading the next horror story in the headlines but he will still be walking around numb. I see comments by people every place I read saying if it was my spouse I would...bla bla bla. I hope and pray something like this never happens to one of those people but I'd love to be a fly on the wall if it ever did to see exactly how you would feel or react. (no matter what the cime is) This man obviously loved his wife and believed in her and I give him credit for that. After reading SCM's comments I believe she did have a drinking problem he may not have known about. The deafening silence from friends and coworkers speaks volumes to me. For Schuler to lose his family and know she caused the deaths of so many innocent people and have the deaths blamed on him and try to accept the fact she was an alcoholic is something no human should ever have to go through. This man is living a bad lifetime movie that will never have an ending.

 

[VCDaedalus]

Grace, you have many valuable insights and I hope you'll continue to use your experience to help us understand this one. Your counsel was right to keep your family quiet for the duration. Schuler seems to be enlarging upon the "diabetic" claim and allowing the false idea that she was an active diabetic and was having some sort of insulin or hyperglycemic crisis. Barbara is using the word "diabetic" much too freely, and I feel he's doing it quite deliberately. There is nothing in the news reports that mentions anything other than gestational diabetes that resolved after birth two years ago (perhaps it was here that someone said gestational diabetes was more common in alcoholics). Yet on the USAToday website, the debate is almost entirely about "what a diabetic would REALLY do in such a situation." Barbara and Schuler have successfully inserted that false bit of info into the public stream.

 

[grace60]

Thats why I called the lawyer a buffoon. And after reading SCM's post I have to wonder why his insurance company did not send someone to represent him. That presser would never have happened.

 

[southcitymom]

I'm sure you meant to write "for all intents and purposes." Dang that voice-recognition software!

LOL - you are absolutely right! I try to let down my English major mask a bit when I post....I will also admit, I have always like how "for all intents and purposes" and "for all intense purposes" both make good sense, even though the first is the correct useage of the expression!

 

[grace60]

Grace, you have many valuable insights and I hope you'll continue to use your experience to help us understand this one. Your counsel was right to keep your family quiet for the duration. Schuler seems to be enlarging upon the "diabetic" claim and allowing the false idea that she was an active diabetic and was having some sort of insulin or hyperglycemic crisis. Barbara is using the word "diabetic" much too freely, and I feel he's doing it quite deliberately. There is nothing in the news reports that mentions anything other than gestational diabetes that resolved after birth two years ago (perhaps it was here that someone said gestational diabetes was more common in alcoholics). Yet on the USAToday website, the debate is almost entirely about "what a diabetic would REALLY do in such a situation." Barbara and Schuler have successfully inserted that false bit of info into the public stream.

I found the article and look at some of the moronic comments from people who have no idea, "even a binger wouldn't be drinking that early in the morning."
http://content.usatoday.com/community/comments.aspx?id=35859224.story&p=1 Obviously made by someone who has no clue.

 

[southcitymom]

Thats why I called the lawyer a buffoon. And after reading SCM's post I have to wonder why his insurance company did not send someone to represent him. That presser would never have happened.

I never try to second guess a lawyer's strategy...for all we know, that presser may have been exactly what all the behind the scenes players wanted!

 

[VCDaedalus]

Many people are criticizing the Coleman family for not "reaching out" to the Weisses or attending any of the many community events surrounding the murders (q.v. on this forum). But I think the truth is that the Colemans' lawyers have given them strict instructions to stay out of the situation and not address anything that occurs around it.

 

[southcitymom]

Grace, you have many valuable insights and I hope you'll continue to use your experience to help us understand this one. Your counsel was right to keep your family quiet for the duration. Schuler seems to be enlarging upon the "diabetic" claim and allowing the false idea that she was an active diabetic and was having some sort of insulin or hyperglycemic crisis. Barbara is using the word "diabetic" much too freely, and I feel he's doing it quite deliberately. There is nothing in the news reports that mentions anything other than gestational diabetes that resolved after birth two years ago (perhaps it was here that someone said gestational diabetes was more common in alcoholics). Yet on the USAToday website, the debate is almost entirely about "what a diabetic would REALLY do in such a situation." Barbara and Schuler have successfully inserted that false bit of info into the public stream.

I agree that everything Barbara is doing right now is calculated and deliberate. That's just one of his jobs.

 

[Kat]

I have a few questions please? What type of practice does Barbara have, anyone know? What's his reputation in that town? TIA for insight. Anyone know if he's pro bono or has he been retained?

When I see lawyers that are representing family members of someone that may have commited a crime...and if I see those lawyers come charging out of the barn door with arguments and etc...

I always have to wonder why~ what's the big picture. In this case, I'm not sure it's to protect the client from possible charges (I dont' know) but possibly to preempt in case of a civil lawsuit from the nonfamilial victims.

Just a thought rambling through my head today.

 

[Kat]

I agree that everything Barbara is doing right now is calculated and deliberate. That's just one of his jobs.

LOL I see you were typing this as I was posting questions about him.

Sorry OT carry on all!

 

[zippitydoda]

Google his name.

I suspect those that live in the Tri-state area (NY, NJ & CT) and are of a certain age, will remember him from the many biziare and media-circus like cases he represented in the 80's & 90's. Joey Buttafucco is probably the most famous. He is/was also a Howard Stern Show regular.

Some article I've seen state that his speciality is Divorce.

For me, his involvement is a reason I may look a bit cynical at the pressers. There must be thousand attorneys in this area, and Mr. Barbara, to me, is a odd choice. I would suggest that Mr. Barbara is working pro bono. He is also well versed at working the media, but I've not heard his name in a long time. I would not use words like subtle or reserved, words like flamboyant, theatrical, media craving come to mind.

 

[VCDaedalus]

Upside-downside for Barbara. If he succeeds (odds against), then every drunk-driver will want to prove that they had a sudden, previously undiagnosed diabetic crisis. Kind of like the ones who claim they committed their crimes and had no idea they were bipolar! It's a real medication condition! I'm a victim of my brain chemistry! You can't put me in jail!

And in cases where a drunk just passes out at the wheel, it could work.

If he loses, well, there's always Howard Stern and the chance to rail against the injustice of someone being "tried in the public's mind." I don't think losing is even a problem from Barbara's point of view.

 

[southcitymom]

LOL I see you were typing this as I was posting questions about him.

Sorry OT carry on all!

You were completely on-topic and correct in your thoughts, Kat!

 

[southcitymom]

Google his name.

I suspect those that live in the Tri-state area (NY, NJ & CT) and are of a certain age, will remember him from the many biziare and media-circus like cases he represented in the 80's & 90's. Joey Buttafucco is probably the most famous. He was also a Howard Stern Show regular.

Some article I've seen state that his speciality is Divorce.

For me, his involvement is a reason I may look a bit cynical at the pressers. There must be thousand attorneys in this area, and Mr. Barbara, to me, is a odd choice. I would suggest that Mr. Barbara is working pro bono. He is also well versed at working the media, but I've not heard his name in a long time. I would not use words like subtle or reserved, words like flamboyant, theatrical, media craving come to mind.

Litigation absolutely attracts theatrical personalities....large-scale, high profile litigation, even moreso!

 

[southcitymom]

Upside-downside for Barbara. If he succeeds (odds against), then every drunk-driver will want to prove that they had a sudden, previously undiagnosed diabetic crisis. Kind of like the ones who claim they committed their crimes and had no idea they were bipolar! It's a real medication condition! I'm a victim of my brain chemistry! You can't put me in jail!

And in cases where a drunk just passes out at the wheel, it could work.

If he loses, well, there's always Howard Stern and the chance to rail against the injustice of someone being "tried in the public's mind." I don't think losing is even a problem from Barbara's point of view.

These are my thoughts. I'm not an attorney, of course, but have some experience working closely with them in big lit cases. I think Barbara IS trying to put alternate "theories" into the public consciousness, hoping that some of that will filter down to any potential jury pool. (I do not believe this case will go to trial UNLESS the families feel like there is not enough insurance money to go around - ie, eventually, the insurance companies are going to offer their policy limits b/4 a trial). Still, any doubt he plants is a good thing.

I also, if I were a betting woman, think Barbara has told the family to NOT have another autopsy done. I can't see an attorney wanting that in this case unless he KNEW the results would be different from the results obtained by police professionals in a state of the art lab. When their private test came back as "LOADED," that couldn't be kept a secret. Again, it's better to plant the idea in the public's mind that the test might be faulty - and let that idea simmer and stew - than to actually have the darned thing done again and reinforce the first result.

Many things trial attorneys in high-profile cases do are subtle - and they are often juggling multiple, and sometime conflicting, interests.

 

[Kat]

I'm not so sure that his quest is to prove that the Woman was diabetic (it might be I don't know). It's still in the early days...and he came out like gangbusters IMHO. But I went back and reread his choice of words, he didn't say she had it...point blank. He did a lot of suggesting ~ planting of thoughts and possible arguments~ but stopped short of saying anything concrete.(JMHO)
He also suggested the the vodka bottle might not have been from the wreck, or that if it was...it wasn't hers.

I will google him. Just thought we might have had some locals that could share their own opinions on his reputation in that community.

As for upside and downside. Yes a high profile case can certainly make someone's career and project that career into the stratosphere ~ depending on what career projectory the lawyer is shooting for~ national level perhaps? It could possibly earn him national name recognition, and more clients, being able to charge more...etc. I don't know what his motive is, but he has one. Defense can be lucrative. I just don't know what's up with him yet.

I agree VCDaedalus, this is a win-win for Barbara. In a lot of ways.

Defense attny's. LOL we all love to bash them(well I do atleast) but god help us if we need one!

 

[Thrs0806]

These are my thoughts. I'm not an attorney, of course, but have some experience working closely with them in big lit cases. I think Barbara IS trying to put alternate "theories" into the public consciousness, hoping that some of that will filter down to any potential jury pool. (I do not believe this case will go to trial UNLESS the families feel like there is not enough insurance money to go around - ie, eventually, the insurance companies are going to offer their policy limits b/4 a trial). Still, any doubt he plants is a good thing.

I also, if I were a betting woman, think Barbara has told the family to NOT have another autopsy done. I can't see an attorney wanting that in this case unless he KNEW the results would be different from the results obtained by police professionals in a state of the art lab. When their private test came back as "LOADED," that couldn't be kept a secret. Again, it's better to plant the idea in the public's mind that the test might be faulty - and let that idea simmer and stew - than to actually have the darned thing done again and reinforce the first result.

Many things trial attorneys in high-profile cases do are subtle - and they are often juggling multiple, and sometime conflicting, interests.

BBM

I agree. The entire 2nd autopsy thing is why I believe that DS's family knows that there were signs of her addictions. IF they were truly shocked and know that the results must be wrong then they would have DEMANDED a 2nd autopsy. The fact that they are "considering" getting a 2nd autopsy done tells me that they are afraid that the 2nd one will prove the same thing as the 1st.

IMO - They were Both drinkers and smokers and both believed it was under control. Husband stated she was a casual drinker and Pot smoker...in his mind that is true. He has suffered a great loss and I'm sure that he feels his share of blame. He will live with the "If Only's" the rest of his life......... My heart goes out to Him and to all the families affected by this tragedy. The person 100% responsible is dead........

 

[southcitymom]

BBM

I agree. The entire 2nd autopsy thing is why I believe that DS's family knows that there were signs of her addictions. IF they were truly shocked and know that the results must be wrong then they would have DEMANDED a 2nd autopsy. The fact that they are "considering" getting a 2nd autopsy done tells me that they are afraid that the 2nd one will prove the same thing as the 1st.

IMO - They were Both drinkers and smokers and both believed it was under control. Husband stated she was a casual drinker and Pot smoker...in his mind that is true. He has suffered a great loss and I'm sure that he feels his share of blame. He will live with the "If Only's" the rest of his life......... My heart goes out to Him and to all the families affected by this tragedy. The person 100% responsible is dead........

I agree with everything you have posted.