Anybody watch hbo documentary about LI woman who drove wrong way/crashed...

[Anonymous]

Watched it last night. I grew up in that area, know the Taconic Pkway well, so I've been following the situation from the beginning. Such a sad story and I can't even imagine the. Paim of the family who lost the three girls.

What I found weird in the documentary was the SIL "Jay". She seems obsessed with keeping this thing going, more so than the husband even. I get that she loves her nephew and wants to clear Diane's name for him but she almost seems too invested.

I really think the whole substance abuse thing is so sad, that she had so much pain that she had to self-medicate the way she did. Of course, not excusing her behavior in any way at all, though.

I think the piece about her mother is really critical. Whatever happened there really screwed her up. With that said, I don't think she tried to kill herself. I think she was
partially drunk from the night before and then added to it that morning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've been known to throw a few back and would NEVER get into a car with children. Ever. That is why I could almost believe the theory that some other pain was making her crazy.

Um, I really hope you would also never get into a car WITHOUT children after throwing back a few. While your children may be safe if you drink and drive without them, mine may not be when you plow into my car.

Jesus tapdancing christ.

My new favorite saying! Even better than the, um . . . earthier version.

[Anonymous]

I don't drink and drive with children in the car.
I don't drink and drive with pets in the car.
I don't drink and drive with the elderly in the car.
I don't drink and drive with Kardashians in the car. I don't drink and drive with parakeets in the car (should be covered under pets but I don't want to be accused of driving drunk with birds)
I don't drink and drive.

As long as you promise to not hurt anyone else, I'd be OK if you drank and drove with the Kardashians in the car.

[Anonymous]

I watched this last night and can't stop thinking about it. When I first heard about this story, I did assume that she was a functional alcoholic but now I am not so sure. Yes, evidence shows that she was drunk and high but I do wonder if she was in some sort of pain and was just trying to cope for the ride home.

The level of denial by Diane's husband and SIL was heartbreaking and it did seem that something was being left out. No one, not even her friends mentioned any sort of drinking. The way that she had those mis-dialed calls and then left her phone by the side of the road. None of this makes any sense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am bawling and feel physically nauseous after reading the article by the SIL who lost her 3 children - saying my heart breaks for her and her husband does not sufficiently describe it.

I had the same reaction when I read the article. I have been feeling sorry for myself lately b/c I am so tired caring for my newborn and toddler but this article really reminded me to appreciate everything I have.

[Anonymous]

I watched it, very powerful. I don't agree with people who said that the documentary was favorable to Diane, I think it clearly showed that she was very tightly wound and her family is in denial.

I think it is possible that hey, maybe she had some severe pain or mental breakdown that initiated her drinking/drug binge, but we'll never know. Such a tragedy.

I do think her husband was weirdly defensive yet detached. The SIL Jay sounds like she is at her wits end raising the surviving child while Dad is another kid himself.

[Anonymous]

This woman is a murderer who doesn't deserve an ounce of sympathy. She killed 7 people. Anyone who indulges this family is disrespecting those this woman killed. Personally, I think race and class are playing into this. When poor brown people do something crazy like this, we have no problem vilifying them. But when it's a white middle class person, suddenly we're supposed to investigate every possible explanation that avoids assigning blame.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This woman is a murderer who doesn't deserve an ounce of sympathy. She killed 7 people. Anyone who indulges this family is disrespecting those this woman killed. Personally, I think race and class are playing into this. When poor brown people do something crazy like this, we have no problem vilifying them. But when it's a white middle class person, suddenly we're supposed to investigate every possible explanation that avoids assigning blame.

This this and THIS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It made me so angry. Basically deflecting blame from this murderer. She was a sick person who devastated families.

you sure read a lot into it... not my take at all from what I saw, a horrific situation but "murderer" is way beyond what any of the evidence or forensic psychiatric profile supports ... if anything it was the family deflecting blame; the more knowledgeable experts clearly laid out the facts of an probably unintentional, but devastatingly horrific situation with the basis in who-knows-what facts.

You seem awfully judgmental given all the unknowables that were clearly laid out ... it's OK to be appalled and horrified ... less so to jump to a conclusion like "murderer" (which requires intent).

What unknowables?

Um, did you even watch the program? The forensic psychiatrist clearly stated that there are various factors which are not known and will never be known re what may have actually happened and contributed to the horrible event... many or any of which could bear on concluding that someone is a "murderer" as opposed to otherwise responsible for deaths but not in a criminally culpable way that requires intent.

Sure, the forensic psychiatrist cannot say with complete authority that she was an alcoholic and addict, because family members and friends deny those assumptions. And he cannot relay any conversations with family members before the crash, because the family members may not be honest about that as well.

There's was no conspiracy, and there was no "tainted" marijuana, and there was no medical anomaly. What we do know, based on evidence, is that she was drunk and high.

[Anonymous]

What is bizarre about the whole thing is her family can't accept the fact she was stinking drunk and high. There's no mistake.

It is sick beyond belief that he is suing his inlaws over the vehicle. The car didn't make her drink or smoke the pot. He's making them relive the pain of the whole event. It is sick.

[Anonymous]

It is just so strange...she goes camping with all the kids, has a fun weekend, then acts very erradic and in a very abnormal manner in very short span of time and the result is a horrific accident?? I am not disagreeing that she may have been a very functional alcoholic, but it's not that she blacked out while driving...she drove straight ahead, face forward, into oncoming traffic and then attempted to exit the highway after almost 2 miles. Eye witnesses said that she was driving along as if she knew where she was going, didn't seem frantic, wasn't passed out...I just can't help but have some doubts. I'm definetly not a substance abuse expert but don't functional alcholics usually functions fairly well? At least well enouch to pull over when they realize that they are driving the wrong way down a highway? And surely the kids were screaming- wouldn't that have pulled her into consciosness? I am not denying that she was drunk and high,,,obviously the autopsy reports don't lie...I just wonder if there wasn't something else that wouldn't have shown up on an autospy? Maybe she was a schizophrenic and drank/got high to keep the voices quiet? Maybe she had a brain infection (like encephalitis)?

Regardless, it is an awful tragedy.

And FWIW 1055 and 1101: I'm not racist. Thanks for the reverse discrimination attempt though!

[Anonymous]

http://nymag.com/news/features/62043/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is just so strange...she goes camping with all the kids, has a fun weekend, then acts very erradic and in a very abnormal manner in very short span of time and the result is a horrific accident?? I am not disagreeing that she may have been a very functional alcoholic, but it's not that she blacked out while driving...she drove straight ahead, face forward, into oncoming traffic and then attempted to exit the highway after almost 2 miles. Eye witnesses said that she was driving along as if she knew where she was going, didn't seem frantic, wasn't passed out...I just can't help but have some doubts. I'm definetly not a substance abuse expert but don't functional alcholics usually functions fairly well? At least well enouch to pull over when they realize that they are driving the wrong way down a highway? And surely the kids were screaming- wouldn't that have pulled her into consciosness? I am not denying that she was drunk and high,,,obviously the autopsy reports don't lie...I just wonder if there wasn't something else that wouldn't have shown up on an autospy? Maybe she was a schizophrenic and drank/got high to keep the voices quiet? Maybe she had a brain infection (like encephalitis)?

Regardless, it is an awful tragedy.

And FWIW 1055 and 1101: I'm not racist. Thanks for the reverse discrimination attempt though!

this has always been my thoughts on it. The accident is beyond tragic and leaves more questions than answers imo.

[Anonymous]

Are there any full time working moms who smoke pot to help them sleep or iron clothes or whose parents would describe your husband as another of your children? These lead me to believe there really was something wrong with Aunt Diane: she was a control freak with a troubled past who leaned on no one and turned to drugs and alcohol for comfort. The documentary left me with no sympathy for her and not much for her family either because they won't open their eyes to the situation. I feel sorry for the little boy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I watched it, very powerful. I don't agree with people who said that the documentary was favorable to Diane, I think it clearly showed that she was very tightly wound and her family is in denial.

I agree.