MovieChat Forums > There's Something Wrong with Aunt Diane (2011) Discussion > The only theory I don't go for is the...

The only theory I don't go for is the...

posted 11 years ago by diabetesman88
15 replies | jump to latest

toothache theory. Okay her tooth may have hurt but she was such a perfectionist that she decided to not just stop? Wouldn't the perfectionist theory also mean that she would not want to leave the legacy of a horrible mistake with people hating her for life. She could have just as easily called her husband and with him being so whipped he would have kept his mouth shut about anything.

The murder-suicide theory and the closeted alcoholic theory make more sense to me.

I am more for the closeted alcoholic theory. She kept it a secret and her husband may have possibly known she was a functioning alcoholic. Either way the husband and the sister in law are in denial about her. You want to shake them and tell them that, "Sorry she was drunk and high. Science doesn't lie. The police and no one has any ulterior motives to lie about her." Even if she did have a tooth ache she still chose to drink and smoke pot. That still puts her at fault because she knowingly drove after drinking and she did so with minors in the car.

Sorry if I come across as heartless but I just have no sympathy for her. If she survived that crash she definitely would have been charged with homicide and she would have been in jail for a long time or possibly life.

[–] Noelle111 11 years ago

Agreed, It felt like the husband and sister in law were trying to make people sympathize with her IF she had a toothache. So lets say she did..so what go to the nearest hospital call 911. They kept repeating" not Diane she would never do this", fact is she did and people paid the price. The interviews that gave me the most chills were the people that saw her driving down the highway a determined look on her face, like she knew what she was doing. The complete and utter horror the children must have been feeling..so tragic.

[–] diabetesman88 11 years ago

The complete and utter horror the children must have been feeling..so tragic.

Agreed. Those children, the victims, Diane's kids, and the victims other family are the only ones I feel sorry for.

The part of the account that makes it sound a little like a murder-suicide is when she put the cell phone on the barrier. That or she must have been really s h i t faced and high.

[–] oxdinaxo-652-328330 10 years ago

I think when it comes down to it, there is no real explanation to this other than 1.

Aunt Diane just snapped.

Whatever her reasons were, whatever she was hiding from eventually got to her. She absolutely broke down. She got wasted beyond comprehension and purposely did what she did. Period.

The woman just snapped.

[–] bluemagicmist 10 years ago

My theory is one that she smoked a joint or two before she set off, maybe, she was tense/ irritable/sleep deprived, and used it to calm herself before the long drive home. Or, she had a hangover, had smoked plenty in the early hours of the morning and had little sleep after before getting in the car.

The marijuana gave her a headache, she tried to buy pain relief tabs at her stop off, couldn't find any, so she resorted to swigging down the vodka left in the car. She obviously drank on a regular basis. She became highly intoxicated and was literally 'blind' drunk.

When a drunk attempts to sober themselves up, they concentrate intensely on what they're doing, which explains the descriptions by witnesses of her driving appearing glassy eyed, gripping the wheel and charging full speed ahead. Not all drunks swerve all over the road, especially a 'highly functional' drunk.

An abscess in her tooth would've been detected at the autopsy as there'd been an infection/pus in her bloodstream, her corpse was not burned in the fire.

It's a shame she didn't pull over and waited till help arrived, but due to her personality plus impairment by alcohol and drugs clouded her judgement. Diane Schuler was incapable of accepting she needed help (even when sober) and was placing the children's lives in danger.

Imo, the husband and sister-in-law are pursuing this because of insurance reasons or so they're not sued, they want Diane cleared, but of course, she never will be. The husband isn't in denial, he's lying.

[–] Waldimore 10 years ago

Agreed. Being blind drunk and trying to control it, will force a person to concentrate, or at least attempt to, intently.

The only question is, why was she so beligerently stubborn about pulling over and calling for help? I'd rather take a DUI charge than kill my kid and nieces and other innocent people. That's too much attitude for my tastes, too much of a perfectionist, controlling attitude.

[–] whoanelly (1592) 4 years ago

Why was she belligerently stubborn? Have you ever been around an alcoholic on a bender? They do not like to be disagreed with!

You would rather take a DUI charge? An alcoholic doesn’t even think or worry about DUI charges. They are only focusing on one thing: drinking.

[–] creek_girl 10 years ago

I was horrified by the entire documentary. I just saw it today. To me, a perfectionist would not pull over. A perfectionist does one's duty and does not show weakness. So I think it was in character. I think the sad facts were that she was a subtance abuser and probably somewhat troubled. Who really knows though.

[–] ilovesnowboarding 10 years ago

Just because she was highly drunk and intoxicated does not mean she was an alcoholic. Not sure why that has to be the answer for most people...alcoholism is a disease that is hereditary. She could have been a heavy drinker or even just an occasional drinker. (Aka an after work happy hour drinker) and she most certainly was not a "high functioning" drunk. She was in one of the worst car accidents in NY state for crying out loud.

I carry a breathalyzer with me everywhere because I find that people are shocked 99% of the time when they see how drunk they really are. I get to about .18 about once every couple of months (for special events because it's fun to let loose every once in a while) and am pretty tipsy, but not to the point of driving the wrong way on a highway. (I DO NOT drive after drinking just to clarify...but I also know I would not drive head on past multiple honking and flashing cars at that level...) Dianne was only .1 higher than my normal "event night" drunk, and I bet most people you know get that drunk occasionally without second thought and can keep it together enough to at least drive on the correct side of the road. (Don't literally test this theory for obvious reasons...!) I've never blacked out with this amount or even lost memory ever either. I know it will be different for everyone, but the average person I've tested to be between .17-.19 are drunk, but not falling down blackout drunk. That happens in the .20's. I believe in order to drive the wrong way down a highway on alcohol alone, you either need to be above .25, or on other drugs (see below paragraph), or have a mental breakdown or death wish.

I do think the pot could've played the biggest role. In my younger days I experienced stronger than normal pot (without knowing much about pot variations) after drinking and everything was vibrating and moving. Crazy hallucinations. It was very scary and I haven't smoked since. (15 years now!) It was unexpected, but it happened to me and could've easily happened to her if she perhaps got pot from someone new or her regular supplier got a new strain.

Either way we will never know, I just think it's a bit of a stretch to call her an alcoholic or abuser when it's really not too uncommon to be that drunk. And as for the pot, I live in Colorado and am one of 3 people I know who doesn't smoke pot. And these are highly respected people I know who smoke...not druggies or losers. Just something to think about. Soon, pot will be legal everywhere and it will be as common as alcohol. You will have to get over it eventually, whether you smoke it or not. It will make it safer though because when pot is regulated, there's no risk of smoking a strain you are not certain of. Therefore, hallucinations will be much more rare...also, you can consult with a "clerk" who can sell you the best strength for your tolerance level.

[–] mayobrown-1 9 years ago

I don't know how the family and people could still claim what happened was because of an unimaginable toothache pain after the video footage of her going into the gas station was released. That video was recorded about 2 hours before the crash and because she didn't run into the store holding her jaw kind of proves it had nothing to do with an incomprehensible tooth pain.

I don't know, maybe I'm wrong? I've never personally dealt with dental pain and I guess the pain could have presented abruptly and completely out of nowhere but she sure didn't look like a person seeking instant relief from an unimaginable toothache 2 to 3 hours before the crash by casually walking into that gas station, looking around and scratching her head, talking to the cashier and walking out.

[–] JosephASpadaro 9 years ago

I don't know how the family and people could still claim what happened was because of an unimaginable toothache pain after the video footage of her going into the gas station was released.

The family could (and did) do this very easily because of:

(1) denial; and
(2) an attempt to avoid (or, at least, limit) their legal liability.

[–] joanneromerosf 9 years ago

Late to the convo, but did you see her pull out of that gas station like a bat out of hell? She whipped the van around and hardly stopped before she made a left turn. I think she was already lit by this time. They had just left McDonald's. Mcdonald's has some tasty OJ; OJ and vodka go nicely together, just sayin'. I wonder if the older girl was in the front seat next to the mad woman?

[–] JosephASpadaro 9 years ago

I wonder if the older girl was in the front seat next to the mad woman?

I would imagine that the oldest kid would be in the front seat.

Why do you mention this?

[–] Lauraslipstick 9 years ago

Signs of alcoholism include secret drinking and hiding how much you consume. Her husband and family swear she never got drunk or consumed large amounts of alcohol. Obviously that wasn't true because she drunk heavily before the crash. That's why people wonder if she was a closet alcoholic because nobody knew about it.

[–] pilarinhavana 9 years ago

This doesn't mean she was a secret alcoholic. There is testimony she was a pothead, (but they generally don't cause in such horrific fatal accidents.) However, there is evidence she had malingering tooth pain and even tried to buy Advil or something after they left McDonald's. She probably only meant to take a drink or two and one joint to stop the pain. Then when that didn't help or the pain came back, it became two more drinks and another joint, then on and on until her capacity for judgement was obliterated.

The irony is Daniel does have a DUI record...too bad he didn't drive the van that day.

[–] Stratego (31072) 3 years ago

"alcoholism is a disease that is hereditary."

Stop spreading nonsense.