New York Criminal Lawyer Blog
Saland Law PC, a top New York criminal defense firm based in Manhattan, is pleased to announce that once again one of our criminal defense attorneys has been sought out for his perspective and expertise regarding a current legal matter. Over the past year, our criminal defense lawyers have been featured on the CBS Evening News, Sports Illustrated Online, New Jersey Times-Ledger, AM-NY, Vault.Com and Associated Press. Jeremy Saland, one of our criminal defense lawyers and a former Manhattan prosecutor, commented on the devastating and horribly sad incident involving Diane Schuler. Specifically, the Associated Press questioned why the family now challenges the medical examiner’s findings that Mrs. Schuler had a significant amount of alcohol and some drugs in her system. As most of the public is aware, Mrs. Schuler’s alleged drunk driving along New York’s Taconic State Parkway resulted in the death of her child, her nieces and three men in another vehicle. Mr. Saland explained that it was highly unlikely any criminal charges would be brought against Mrs. Schuler’s husband. Yet, it is likely that the family is challenging the findings by the medical examiner for two main reasons. The first may stem from their concerns that Mrs. Schuler’s estate and assets may be subject to damages on a civil suit in the event one is commenced. Although insurance may cover those damages, if the family can dispute the findings of the medical examiner and establish that the accident was the result of an unknown medical condition, for example, the family may be able to defend against a potential law suit. Moreover, the family also would like to clear their name and dispute the findings that Mrs. Schuler callously killed her daughter, nieces and three other men while driving drunk.
Regardless of the outcome, this incident is one of the saddest stories in recent history and a wake up call to anyone who would consider getting behind the wheel of a car while intoxicated.