traffic on the Taconic State Parkway sparking a horrific accident that killed eight people, had more than twice the legal limit of alcohol in her system at the time of the crash, a toxicology report revealed Tuesday.
According to Westchester County District Attorney Janet DiFiore, Diane Schuler not only had a blood alcohol level of .19 but an autopsy also discovered elevated levels of THC - the main substance found in marijuana - in her system.
Schuler's blood alcohol level is the equivalent of 10 drinks of 80 proof alcohol. The legal limit in New York State is .08. Investigators said she also had six ounces of undigested alcohol in her stomach and found a broken 1.75-liter bottle of Absolut Vodka underneath her minivan seat.
According to blood tests, Schuler's THC levels indicated that she had smoke marijuana about 15 minutes to an hour before the fatal crash.
"She would have had difficulty with perception, with her judgment, with her memory," said Betsy Spratt, chief toxicologist for Westchester County's medical examiner. "Around that level of alcohol, you start to get what we call tunnel vision."
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