What do you think?
Rate this book
The Taconic Tragedy: A Son's Search for the Truth
On July 26, 2009 Diane Schuler packed up the campsite, piled five children into her minivan and headed for home on Long Island after a weekend of camping, a drive that should have taken two hours from upstate, NY.
Four hours later, she sped down the Taconic State Parkway in Westchester County driving in the wrong direction. As panicked motorists swerved out of her way, she continued for almost two miles. Blowing horns, flashing lights, and waving arms did nothing to deter her. Rounding a curve in the road, she rocketed head on into an oncoming SUV. The vehicles seemed to explode as they hit. The minivan plunged downhill and burst into flames as the SUV was pushed across two lanes and struck by another SUV. In the smoldering vehicle and twisted metal scattered along the highway, lay the bodies of eight people.
Days later came the headlines;
"Wrong Way Crash Mom Drunk and High!"
- GenresNonfictionTrue Crime
196 pages, Hardcover
First published June 2, 2011
16 people are currently reading
208 people want to read
About the author
Jeanne Bastardi
1 book1 followerJeanne Bastardi has written "The Taconic Tragedy A Son's Search for the Truth" based on the actual seven person homicide that took the lives of her husband's Father, Brother, and Friend. Written after viewing the notes her husband Michael was keeping, the book is based on his story detailing the drunken driving accident that drew worldwide attention.
Jeanne has a degree in business administration/accounting, working in the accounting/bookkeeping field. She is an active volunteer in the Catholic schools her children attend, is a board member of the town youth Lacrosse program, and is a dedicated children's rights advocate. She was a guest speaker for CASA following the murder of a four year old boy, a story that rocked upstate NY. In addition Jeanne has held a license for many years with an agency that provides therapeutic services to families in four NY counties and that advocates for children's legal and educational rights, providing services for special needs children and adoptive families.
Jeanne and Michael live in upstate New York with their children.
Jeanne has a degree in business administration/accounting, working in the accounting/bookkeeping field. She is an active volunteer in the Catholic schools her children attend, is a board member of the town youth Lacrosse program, and is a dedicated children's rights advocate. She was a guest speaker for CASA following the murder of a four year old boy, a story that rocked upstate NY. In addition Jeanne has held a license for many years with an agency that provides therapeutic services to families in four NY counties and that advocates for children's legal and educational rights, providing services for special needs children and adoptive families.
Jeanne and Michael live in upstate New York with their children.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
May 28, 2013
While dealing with the deaths of their father, brother and close family friend, the Bastardi family starts on a journey that none of us should ever have to take. I was moved by their search for answers and justice. After reading this book, and the book recently written by Jackie Hance, it is clear that there will never be justice is this case. While Diane may have paid for her mistake with her life, I can't help but feel that she got off easy. It is the families she tore apart that truly have to pay the price.
December 25, 2014
Why the bad reviews?
You can feel the anger when you read this book but what did you expect? This family still has no closure. The lies continue. I can only hope that they get answers. I've learned a lot from this book. Lots of information that wasn't reported. If you're interested in the Taconic Tragedy then this book should be on your list.
You can feel the anger when you read this book but what did you expect? This family still has no closure. The lies continue. I can only hope that they get answers. I've learned a lot from this book. Lots of information that wasn't reported. If you're interested in the Taconic Tragedy then this book should be on your list.
August 18, 2013
This is a difficult book to rate. I read it after reading Jackie Hance's book - I hadn't realized that this book had been published until then. But then I read some of the reviews of this book online and thought I shouldn't bother -- I'm glad I did.
This book needed to have a professional author helping the family. The author wanted to incorporate every feeling, every moment, that her husband and their family experienced due to the accident -- I can appreciate that, but that's not how you write a book. I felt the family was furious with the injustice of what happened to their father, brother, and friend, and wanted desperately to blame someone for the tragedy, but really, the person to blame for the tragedy died as well.
They faulted the other families involved for getting lawyers - I think that's unfortunately pretty standard practice when this type of thing happens, and didn't find it as outlandish as the author did. They also faulted the other family for not coming forward immediately to talk with police and that their stories changed -- forgetting for the most part that this other family lost 3 children, and perhaps were not in any shape to talk with, much less be coherent, when talking to people.
I don't fault them for their anger and sense of injustice -- the truth of the matter is, when things like this happen there is no justice to be had. It's horrible and inexplicable. The author wrote that it was almost a conspiracy, that this family had known how awful this woman was -- I don't believe that or I don't think they would have let her drive their children.
As far as that day and who handled what in the best manner -- of course there are mistakes and that you can always point your finger at what if.... but in the end, the woman who drove these children was to blame. Does something sound fishy with her husband? Yes, they obviously were having issues. Is it weird nobody is talking about the woman's daughter who died? Yes, very bizarre. I have a hard time understanding how someone, even under the influence, could be driving that fast in the wrong direction while not swerving, staying in a lane -- you would think at some point something would have jarred her senses..... after reading both books I still don't feel like I know what happened, and perhaps that's part of their anger- the not knowing or understanding, and having to deal with the aftermath of losing loved ones.
I did find it odd that they didn't discuss the loss of the brother much at all, but the father/grandfather appeared to be the main source of grief. It also didn't mention much of the friend or his relatives.
My heart goes out to both families - to have to lose someone you love to such a senseless, crazy situation is beyond maddening and completely heart-wrenching. I hope they find some peace.
This book needed to have a professional author helping the family. The author wanted to incorporate every feeling, every moment, that her husband and their family experienced due to the accident -- I can appreciate that, but that's not how you write a book. I felt the family was furious with the injustice of what happened to their father, brother, and friend, and wanted desperately to blame someone for the tragedy, but really, the person to blame for the tragedy died as well.
They faulted the other families involved for getting lawyers - I think that's unfortunately pretty standard practice when this type of thing happens, and didn't find it as outlandish as the author did. They also faulted the other family for not coming forward immediately to talk with police and that their stories changed -- forgetting for the most part that this other family lost 3 children, and perhaps were not in any shape to talk with, much less be coherent, when talking to people.
I don't fault them for their anger and sense of injustice -- the truth of the matter is, when things like this happen there is no justice to be had. It's horrible and inexplicable. The author wrote that it was almost a conspiracy, that this family had known how awful this woman was -- I don't believe that or I don't think they would have let her drive their children.
As far as that day and who handled what in the best manner -- of course there are mistakes and that you can always point your finger at what if.... but in the end, the woman who drove these children was to blame. Does something sound fishy with her husband? Yes, they obviously were having issues. Is it weird nobody is talking about the woman's daughter who died? Yes, very bizarre. I have a hard time understanding how someone, even under the influence, could be driving that fast in the wrong direction while not swerving, staying in a lane -- you would think at some point something would have jarred her senses..... after reading both books I still don't feel like I know what happened, and perhaps that's part of their anger- the not knowing or understanding, and having to deal with the aftermath of losing loved ones.
I did find it odd that they didn't discuss the loss of the brother much at all, but the father/grandfather appeared to be the main source of grief. It also didn't mention much of the friend or his relatives.
My heart goes out to both families - to have to lose someone you love to such a senseless, crazy situation is beyond maddening and completely heart-wrenching. I hope they find some peace.
January 22, 2014
This is an interesting short read about the tragic accident on the Taconic highway, written by a relative of one of the victims of the crash. I recommend reading Jackie Hance's version of events first, titled: "I'll See You Again," since it packs more of a detailed, emotional punch and is much better written than "Taconic Tragedy". It's interesting to read about the flip-side of the events leading up to the accident, and about a potential cover-up which will get you thinking deep into the night. According to the Hance family, they were totally in the dark about Diane's (who caused the accident while impaired) substance abuse issues and had no idea that she was drunk and high while driving. According to the Bastardi family, the Hances were aware of her party tendencies and knew hours ahead of the deadly accident that she was driving impaired, and that Diane's brother Warren actually was trying not to tip off the police that she was driving impaired while he attempted to find and get her off the road himself, thereby allowing her to crash into another vehicle going the wrong way down a highway, killing herself, one of her children, all three of her nieces and three other people (the Bastardis). I'm not sure if the Civil Suit has settled its dust, but I'm interested to see what becomes of all of this - it certainly would be shocking to know for certainty that this accident could have been prevented. I do hope that this tragedy was out of the control of anyone else though. It would just be too troubling to imagine that this could have been prevented by others.
January 19, 2015
I doubt that the son (or his wife, the author) will discover the whole truth in this life. The Taconic tragedy was a horrible accident that took the lives of eight people. I remember hearing about it on the news. The first reports were that the driver who caused the accident was a model citizen and nondrinker. Then came the toxicology reports, which totally contradicted the nondrinker part.
I recently read Jackie Hance's memoir. While reading other reviews of that book, I found out about this one.
I did not enjoy this author's writing style at all. "Judy S. finds it annoying to read a third person account when the author is telling the story." This author also writes, I think, as though she is relating a police report, just relating the facts as she understands them.
Of course their family suffered greatly. Jackie Hance made it clear in her book how much she suffered as well. No one who goes through a tragedy like that will get through it easily. But I felt that both authors wanted the readers to know that THEY SUFFERED.
I can understand Jeanne Bastardi and her husband's frustration with not getting the answers they sought. I can understand their anger. My feeling after reading both books is that both Michael Bastardi and Warren Hance are decent men. On page 170 of this book, discussing her brother-in-law's excessive speed at the time of the accident, Jeanne Bastardi writes, "To them [the family], Guy's speed at the time of the accident was irrelevant. He had been sober and driving in the right direction. Maybe he had sped up to get out of the way. They will never know."
She is willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. Does she not see that there is a tiny possibility that there actually COULD be a different reason for the driver, Diane's, toxicology tests? Maybe Warren wasn't lying. Maybe she did really feel ill, and in her disorientation, drink the vodka. Maybe not; I don't know. One thing I do know: if it's your family, you will be more inclined to give the benefit of the doubt.
I wonder if Jackie Hance read this book before writing her own. Maybe that is why she goes over and over in her book that she did not know that her sister-in-law drank alcohol.
After reading both books, I have a negative opinion of Diane Schuler's husband. I would like to read a book about this accident that is not written by a family member. But I guess I already know pretty much all that's out there at this time. I am sorry for all of the families.
I recently read Jackie Hance's memoir. While reading other reviews of that book, I found out about this one.
I did not enjoy this author's writing style at all. "Judy S. finds it annoying to read a third person account when the author is telling the story." This author also writes, I think, as though she is relating a police report, just relating the facts as she understands them.
Of course their family suffered greatly. Jackie Hance made it clear in her book how much she suffered as well. No one who goes through a tragedy like that will get through it easily. But I felt that both authors wanted the readers to know that THEY SUFFERED.
I can understand Jeanne Bastardi and her husband's frustration with not getting the answers they sought. I can understand their anger. My feeling after reading both books is that both Michael Bastardi and Warren Hance are decent men. On page 170 of this book, discussing her brother-in-law's excessive speed at the time of the accident, Jeanne Bastardi writes, "To them [the family], Guy's speed at the time of the accident was irrelevant. He had been sober and driving in the right direction. Maybe he had sped up to get out of the way. They will never know."
She is willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. Does she not see that there is a tiny possibility that there actually COULD be a different reason for the driver, Diane's, toxicology tests? Maybe Warren wasn't lying. Maybe she did really feel ill, and in her disorientation, drink the vodka. Maybe not; I don't know. One thing I do know: if it's your family, you will be more inclined to give the benefit of the doubt.
I wonder if Jackie Hance read this book before writing her own. Maybe that is why she goes over and over in her book that she did not know that her sister-in-law drank alcohol.
After reading both books, I have a negative opinion of Diane Schuler's husband. I would like to read a book about this accident that is not written by a family member. But I guess I already know pretty much all that's out there at this time. I am sorry for all of the families.
June 13, 2014
This is the second of two books I have read about this horrific car accident. I felt like this book helped me to understand a little better some of the things that made no sense when I read the Hance book. How could Diane be fine at 12:08, have a normal conversation about theater tickets and then be drunk and stoned out of her mind by 1:00? I think the answer given in this book is the right one. She couldn't have. People had to have known in some of the earlier conversations with her that she had a problem. I just can't imagine not calling 911 as soon as you find out your kids are in a moving vehicle with a drunken pothead. Anyway, I feel for all of the families and I'm sorry the Bastardi's did not get the answers they were looking for.
June 11, 2017
A book with a very interesting perspective (that only a victim can have) into the Taconic tragedy of 2009.
September 2, 2018
Anger, rage, confusion, and sorrow
I read the other book "I'll See You Again" that focuses on the Hance family and I watched the HBO documentary. This book deals with the Bastardi family. Two elderly men and one of the men's middle aged son were killed while driving on an expressway on a sunny Sunday afternoon. All of a sudden, a red minivan comes around the curve at 85 mph going the wrong way and collide with the men head on. There were eight fatalities including the woman driving the van, her three young nieces, her tiny daughter and the men. One little bof (her son) survived with life altering injuries. This book is odd for a few reasons. It was written by the wife of the son and brother of one of the deceased males but is done so in third person so that was a strange literary choice. He is of course shocked, horrified, and distraught upon the news and things go downhill from there. Immediately after the accident, people involved begin to act very oddly. Upon release of Diane Schuler's toxicology report both Diane's husband and her brother lawyer up and refuse to cooperate with the investigation in any meaningful way. I understand the Bastardi family was devastated but some of their behaviour was unseemly as well. I didn't like the parts of the book where they discuss as a family the little boy who survived in an almost insulting and irreverent way. They also jump to many conclusions that can't be proved as long as Daniel Schuler keeps lying and changing his story. There are so many bizzare theories and conjecture that seem to have been fabricated from midair by Daniel's lawyer and his felonious PI. After studying and watching and thinking that the most simple answer is likely the real answer I posit this. Diane was a type A control freak who had to have things her way and had a hard time relaxing. I believe she drank and smoked pot with her husband on weekends and camping trips. Anyone with her blood alcohol content as well as her THC results, a whopping 113 vs a typical 2-5 is no stranger to substance abuse. Diane's husband lied to her and said he was going to the camper a day early but it was discovered that he did not. Sources have come forward to say that Diane was unhappy in her marriage, felt trapped, and was aware her husband was having an affair (the babysitter at the press conference who later moved in)? Daniel says in the documentary that he never wanted kids. No one appears to grieve for his baby daughter who was also killed. Her aunt is the only person who even mentions her. The kids went to bed around 9:00 PM Saturday night while Daniel and Diane stayed up. Were they drinking and doing drugs? Most likely. Dad gets up early and leaves with the dog. He claims Diane was sober and just fine, perfectly capable of caring for five children and getting home. But was that true? The tox levels prove she was drinking and smoking weed within an hour of the crash. The whole 4 hour torture ride goes on and Diane is supposedly sick. She doesn't call her husband, she calls her brother Warren who does nothing for two hours knowing his three little girls are in that van. Diane is seen on camera both at a McDonald's and a Sunoco with dark sunglasses on. Anyone with a hangover and red weed eyes would understand this behaviour. Also, at McDonald's she buys two large cokes. I would posit that's what she mixed her Absolut Vodka with that was found in the van rubble. But no no, Diane doesn't drink and no one will even discuss the pot. Strange theories are floated by Dom Barbara, Daniel's flamboyant and crooked lawyer. Diane's medical records chronicle a woman with pain issues and insomnia. She takes Ambien and Vicodin. How much and when is anyone's guess. After all this, she enters an exit the wrong way and drives for almost two miles narrowly missing countless other vehicles until that terrible final collision. Had she lived she'd be in jail on second degree murder charges. The whole story smells rotten. The rabid defense of a woman who chose to drive drunk and high with five little ones in her car, her shady husband who's trying to cover his own ass and make a little money on the side, Diane's brother Warren who likely knew she was stoned out of her mind and thought he'd save her from a DUI. Every adult in this book handled their grief in varying ways but I found it distasteful that the four little girls who perished are largely ignored and the author goes on to trash Jackie Hanse who is suicidal but tries to do some good with the money people donated. The Bastardi family comes off looking pretty callous in their opinions of Jackie. I'm sorry but losing your three babies is very different than losing your elderly father yet they never allowed Jackie those feelings. The whole affair just wreaks of selfish parenting, lies, substance abuse, dirty money, cover ups and vitriol. I've never written this long of a review but I had to get this off my chest. Yes, something was wrong with Aunt Diane.
I read the other book "I'll See You Again" that focuses on the Hance family and I watched the HBO documentary. This book deals with the Bastardi family. Two elderly men and one of the men's middle aged son were killed while driving on an expressway on a sunny Sunday afternoon. All of a sudden, a red minivan comes around the curve at 85 mph going the wrong way and collide with the men head on. There were eight fatalities including the woman driving the van, her three young nieces, her tiny daughter and the men. One little bof (her son) survived with life altering injuries. This book is odd for a few reasons. It was written by the wife of the son and brother of one of the deceased males but is done so in third person so that was a strange literary choice. He is of course shocked, horrified, and distraught upon the news and things go downhill from there. Immediately after the accident, people involved begin to act very oddly. Upon release of Diane Schuler's toxicology report both Diane's husband and her brother lawyer up and refuse to cooperate with the investigation in any meaningful way. I understand the Bastardi family was devastated but some of their behaviour was unseemly as well. I didn't like the parts of the book where they discuss as a family the little boy who survived in an almost insulting and irreverent way. They also jump to many conclusions that can't be proved as long as Daniel Schuler keeps lying and changing his story. There are so many bizzare theories and conjecture that seem to have been fabricated from midair by Daniel's lawyer and his felonious PI. After studying and watching and thinking that the most simple answer is likely the real answer I posit this. Diane was a type A control freak who had to have things her way and had a hard time relaxing. I believe she drank and smoked pot with her husband on weekends and camping trips. Anyone with her blood alcohol content as well as her THC results, a whopping 113 vs a typical 2-5 is no stranger to substance abuse. Diane's husband lied to her and said he was going to the camper a day early but it was discovered that he did not. Sources have come forward to say that Diane was unhappy in her marriage, felt trapped, and was aware her husband was having an affair (the babysitter at the press conference who later moved in)? Daniel says in the documentary that he never wanted kids. No one appears to grieve for his baby daughter who was also killed. Her aunt is the only person who even mentions her. The kids went to bed around 9:00 PM Saturday night while Daniel and Diane stayed up. Were they drinking and doing drugs? Most likely. Dad gets up early and leaves with the dog. He claims Diane was sober and just fine, perfectly capable of caring for five children and getting home. But was that true? The tox levels prove she was drinking and smoking weed within an hour of the crash. The whole 4 hour torture ride goes on and Diane is supposedly sick. She doesn't call her husband, she calls her brother Warren who does nothing for two hours knowing his three little girls are in that van. Diane is seen on camera both at a McDonald's and a Sunoco with dark sunglasses on. Anyone with a hangover and red weed eyes would understand this behaviour. Also, at McDonald's she buys two large cokes. I would posit that's what she mixed her Absolut Vodka with that was found in the van rubble. But no no, Diane doesn't drink and no one will even discuss the pot. Strange theories are floated by Dom Barbara, Daniel's flamboyant and crooked lawyer. Diane's medical records chronicle a woman with pain issues and insomnia. She takes Ambien and Vicodin. How much and when is anyone's guess. After all this, she enters an exit the wrong way and drives for almost two miles narrowly missing countless other vehicles until that terrible final collision. Had she lived she'd be in jail on second degree murder charges. The whole story smells rotten. The rabid defense of a woman who chose to drive drunk and high with five little ones in her car, her shady husband who's trying to cover his own ass and make a little money on the side, Diane's brother Warren who likely knew she was stoned out of her mind and thought he'd save her from a DUI. Every adult in this book handled their grief in varying ways but I found it distasteful that the four little girls who perished are largely ignored and the author goes on to trash Jackie Hanse who is suicidal but tries to do some good with the money people donated. The Bastardi family comes off looking pretty callous in their opinions of Jackie. I'm sorry but losing your three babies is very different than losing your elderly father yet they never allowed Jackie those feelings. The whole affair just wreaks of selfish parenting, lies, substance abuse, dirty money, cover ups and vitriol. I've never written this long of a review but I had to get this off my chest. Yes, something was wrong with Aunt Diane.
November 6, 2020
Very sad.....
March 22, 2014
THREE AND A HALF STARS. A good account of a family struggling to understand what happened in The Taconic Tragedy, which occurred when a drunk driver drove the wrong way down the Taconic Parkway in New York with five children in her vehicle and hit an oncoming vehicle. Only one person, the drunk driver's young son, survived. The family who wrote this book are the family of the people in the car she hit. What's interesting is the way that her family reacted after the tragedy, denying the she would have been drunk. This is an interesting account if you are interested in The Taconic Tragedy. Now I really want to see the HBO documentary.
April 2, 2012
Made me cry....a number of times. What we witnessed on a daily basis in the news this poor family had to live thru & will have to live thru it everyday for the rest of their lives. 7 innocent people lost their lives due to one person's decision to drive while drunk n stoned. Shame on the Schuler family for not showing human compassion to the bastardi's n telling the truth n cooperating.
March 2, 2015
So many broken hearts
This book was written by one heartbroken wife about her husband's tragic loss of his father and his brother. I found it to be a vivid account of the extended family as they try to get answers and justice for the deaths caused by a woman who was greatly impaired by drugs and alcohol. I hope they eventually find peace with answers they deserve.
This book was written by one heartbroken wife about her husband's tragic loss of his father and his brother. I found it to be a vivid account of the extended family as they try to get answers and justice for the deaths caused by a woman who was greatly impaired by drugs and alcohol. I hope they eventually find peace with answers they deserve.
August 23, 2013
This book could have been an article. While I'm sure writing it was cathartic, every chapter repeats the same story.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews