bus accident
Mood:  lucky
Topic: news
THIS IS WHY I DO NOT DRIVE AT ALL WHEN TAKING ANY KIND OF MEDICINE. IT JUST SCARES ME. And this is a good example as to why.

BOISE -- A parent of a student on board a school bus involved in an accident Tuesday is upset now that the driver has been accused of driving under the influence. But a friend of the driver says alcohol was not involved.

"She put a lot of kids lives in danger and that bothers me," said Denise Walker, mother.

The driver of the bus, 48-year-old Charlet Bentzinger, was cited with driving under the influence of prescription drugs. Alcohol was not part of the citation.

Helen Elliott, a family friend of Bentzinger, wants to make that point clear.

There were no injuries in the crash, but it did scare the eight children on the bus.

Elliot says Charlet would never intentionally put the kids in harm’s way.

A small group of students from Lowell Scott Middle School was on board the bus when it collided with an empty, parked bus near Joplin Elementary School in Boise.

One student says the bus almost hit a fence and ran into a pine tree before the crash.

“She is one of the best drivers you would ever want to see, very cautious, just always tries to do the best she can, she is very careful with the kids on the bus, that's why I am upset this came out the way it did," said Elliott.

However, Bentzinger has been charged with DUI and police say taking legal prescription drugs can cause impairment.

The bus driver was cited at the scene, then taken to the hospital for evaluation. Toxicology tests will take several weeks to get back, meanwhile the police investigation continues.