A Florida school bus driver is facing a DUI charge after crashing a bus on a Jacksonville highway Thursday morning.
The driver, Lisa Mims, 58, was not injured, and there were no students were on the bus, the Florida Highway Patrol says. Police had not determined which school, if any, the driver was working for. The Duval County district says the bus was not connected to its transportation system.
First Coast News reports that Mims was driving southbound on I-295. She was trying to exit onto I-10 and hit an interstate sign on the shoulder causing the bus to drive down the embankment just before 6 a.m.
The bus landed in the tree line of the exit ramp.
Based on indicators at the scene, the driver was arrested for driving under the influence and crash-related charges.
WFTV-TV reports that Mims failed sobriety exercises, and the officer arrested her because “her faculties were impaired.” She told the officer that she has multiple sclerosis, but the officer said “she didn’t have medical issues when I asked,” according to the police.
The officer on scene reported that the driver's eyes were glossy, but she registered triple zeros on a Breathalyzer test, meaning no alcohol was detected.
Florida Highway Patrol said it appears alcohol is not a factor, but the agency is waiting on a urine test to see if drugs contributed.
