Husband of Wrong-Way Taconic Driver Sues State, In-Law

The husband of the woman who sped the wrong way on Taconic State Parkway two years ago, killing herself and seven others in a fiery crash, is suing the state and his brother-in-law, whose three daughters were among the victims.

Daniel Schuler filed a lawsuit against the state Monday, arguing the highway was poorly designed and lacked proper signs, the New York Post reports.

Toxicologists had determined Diane Schuler was drunk and high when she crashed her minivan into an SUV occupied by three men, but Daniel Schuler has repeatedly insisted his wife was "not an alcoholic" and that she did not drink. 

Schuler is also suing his brother-in-law, Warren Hance, claiming that because he owned the car that Diane Schuler was driving, he is "vicariously liable."

Hance's three young daughters were in the minivan Diane Schuler was driving and were among the victims.

The suit was filed Monday in the New York Court of Claims on behalf of the estate of Schulers' two children, Erin, 2, who died in the crash, and Bryan, 5, the sole survivor of the worst Westchester crash in 75 years. 

The suits had to be filed before Tuesday, the second anniversary of the crash, the Post reports.

Hance's wife Jackie recently spoke out about the crash for the first time since it happened, telling Ladies Home Journal, "People always ask how I feel about Diane. You can't imagine how complex that question is. How does a person go from being like a sister to me -- adored by my girls and cherished by my husband -- to being the one who ruined our lives?"

Hance is pregnant with the couple's fourth child. The baby is due in the fall.

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