Rush City school bus driver smelled of alcohol, was well over legal limit: Charges
RUSH CITY, Minn. (FOX 9) - The Rush City bus driver who was arrested after crashing her bus with over 40 children inside was charged Friday, accused of operating the bus at more than twice the legal limit for alcohol.
According to court documents, Kara Ffrench, 59, has been charged with one count of DWI while operating a commercial vehicle and one count of DWI while driving a school bus.
On Thursday just before 8:15 a.m., law enforcement responded to a residence in Rush City on reports of a school bus that had become stuck on the property and had struck a basketball hoop pole, charges say. When officers arrived, they found a bus full of children.
The bus driver had driven off the driveway area onto the edge of a cornfield and was stuck after the driver tried to back up, court documents allege. The basketball hoop prevented the driver from backing up further. The bus was still running and Ffrench was still sitting in the driver’s seat.
A responding officer could smell a "moderate odor of alcoholic beverage" coming from Ffrench while he was a "considerable" distance away as he was standing on the stairs of the bus, charges state. The officer allegedly saw other signs of impairment due to slow movement and confusion regarding the controls of the bus.
When Ffrench was asked what happened, she stated her "feed [sic] didn't find the brake" as she tried to turn the bus around, court documents say.
According to court documents, none of the children were hurt, and they were picked up by a replacement bus.
Coffee mug smelled of alcohol: Charges
After continuing to speak with Ffrench, officers noticed the smell of alcohol became stronger, charges allege. She continued to tell officers "my foot did not find the brake" when asked again how the crash happened. She also told officers this was her normal route and where she usually turns around.
Ffrench said she had not had any alcohol since last week, court document said. Ffrench agreed to do field sobriety tests, which she failed. Officers then examined the contents of a coffee mug she had on the bus, and it reportedly smelled of coffee with some kind of alcohol.
According to charges, Ffrench took a breathalyzer test where she blew 0.199, which is more than twice the legal limit. She continued to deny having had alcohol and was arrested. She was taken to Chisago County Jail where she took two more breath tests, and the reported alcohol concentration was 0.17.
According to the Minnesota State Patrol, the legal limit for a person with a commercial driver's license driving a commercial vehicle is 0.04. If they are driving a personal vehicle it is 0.08.
Video of the crash showed the bus driving into the field and the bus backing into the basketball pole three times. The basketball pole prevented Ffrench from leaving the scene, charges said.
Ffrench made her first court appearance Friday morning. Her next court appearance is scheduled for May 15.