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Addiction expert on Ambien, and Kerry Kennedy crash

By April MacIntyre Jul 15, 2012, 23:10 GMT

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Kerry Kennedy - Kerry Kennedy\'s recent crash over the weekend has raised questions about the suspected cause, a prescription sleeping pill callled Ambien. © Marco Sagliocco / PR Photos

Kerry Kennedy's recent crash over the weekend has raised questions about the suspected cause, a prescription sleeping pill callled Ambien.

Kennedy, the ex-wife of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, may have been under the influence of the sleeping aid when she was involved in a crash with a tractor-trailer on a New York highway and subsequently left the scene. She was arrested and charged with driving while impaired Friday, and is due in court Tuesday.

ABC News reported that Kennedy told police she had been taking Ambien sometime Friday morning. But her family said in a statement released to ABC News that there were no drugs involved.

"Kerry Kennedy voluntarily took breathalyzer, blood and urine tests -- all of which showed no drugs or alcohol whatsoever in her system. The charges were filed before the test results were available," the Kennedy family said in a statement released Friday.

The results of Kennedy's toxicology tests are still pending. But Cliffside Malibu's Dr. Damon Raskin told ABC that Ambien has a short half life, so by the time her blood was analyzed, the drug could have disappeared from her system.

Cliffside Malibu, a rehabilitation residence in Malibu, California, sees many patients who have a combination of addictions, often times including the powerful sleep aid which reportedly makes people wall, talk and even eat in a hypnotic sleep state.

Kerry Kennedy's cousin, former Rhode Island Rep. Patrick Kennedy, also crashed into a barrier near Capitol Hill, blaming Ambien on his actions.