Driver in American Fork band bus crash won't be charged

AMERICAN FORK — A bus driver in a crash that killed an American Fork High School band instructor will not face charges.

Debra Jarvis, of Spanish Fork, was the driver of one of four buses taking the school's marching band home Oct. 10 from a competition in Pocatello, Idaho. When she blacked out, band instructor Heather Christensen, 33, lunged for the wheel and was partially ejected as the bus veered off I-15 and rolled over. Christensen died at the scene.

"We felt it was in the interests of justice not to pursue charges," said Vic Pearson, chief deputy prosecutor for Bannock County, Idaho.

According to a statement Jarvis provided investigators, she got a stomachache about 10 minutes after leaving Pocatello but believed she could make it to a rest stop near the Idaho-Utah border.

"All of a sudden, I had a pain in my stomach that felt like a knife stabbing me," Jarvis told police. "The next thing I remember, I woke up hanging sideways from the seat belt. … I could hear rocks scraping and people screaming."

Idaho State Police Capt. Eric Dayley said Jarvis could have been prosecuted if it had been determined she operated a commercial vehicle knowing she had a serious medical issue that would prevent her from driving safely.

"To our knowledge, it was not a persistent condition," Dayley said.

Christensen's sister, Jana Hogenson, said her family never blamed Jarvis and did not want to see her prosecuted.

"We're really glad," Hogenson said. "She was not at fault. That will actually make our holidays better."

— Paul Koepp