In this undated photo provided by the Schuler family, Diane, left, and Daniel Schuler are seen on a camping trip. Diane Schuler was drunk and high on marijuana when she drove the wrong way for almost two miles on a highway before smashing head-on into an SUV, killing herself and seven others, a prosecutor said. Schuler family attorney Dominic Barbara says 36-year-old Diane Schuler wasn't an alcoholic but was diabetic and may have suffered a stroke before the July 26 crash north of New York City. (AP Photo/Schuler Family) **NO SALES**
A private investigator says Diane Schuler asked for over-the-counter pain medicine at an upstate New York convenience store before the crash that killed eight.
Thomas Ruskin was hired by Schuler’s family, which claims she had underlying medical issues. They’re trying to counter toxicology results showing she was drunk and using marijuana.
Ruskin says video surveillance showed Schuler inside and outside the store in Liberty, N.Y. He says a store clerk described her as sober less than four hours before the July 26 wreck.
The wrong-way crash on the Taconic State Parkway in Briarcliff Manor killed Schuler; her young daughter and three nieces; and three Yonkers men.
Ruskin says he is turning over the information to state police.
The store didn’t sell pain medicine.
Associated Press
