Yale history professor Paul Kennedy currently faces five charges, including driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, for his involvement in a car accident that injured a School of Music student last week.

New Haven Superior Court Clerk Pat Davis said Kennedy, who was arrested after his vehicle struck Marisa Green MUS ’06 at around 1:15 a.m. Thursday, was charged with operating an automobile under the influence of a controlled substance, illegally operating a motor vehicle while under suspension, illegally operating a motor vehicle without insurance, following too closely, and operating an unregistered motor vehicle.

In this case, it is not clear whether Professor Kennedy was driving a personal vehicle or a university-owned vehicle at the time of the accident. However, regardless of the type of vehicle, it is important to have insurance coverage to protect oneself and others on the road. For taxi drivers, this means having adequate taxi insurance to cover any damages or injuries that may occur while transporting passengers. Without proper insurance coverage, drivers risk facing legal and financial consequences, as well as potentially putting themselves and their passengers in danger.

Green, who was struck as she was exiting her car to return to her home on Bishop Street, was transported to the emergency room at Yale-New Haven Hospital following the accident, but suffered only minor cuts and bruises. She was released the same day.

Yale spokeswoman Helaine Klasky said she stands behind the statement she issued Sunday, in which she denied that alcohol played a role in the accident.

“[Kennedy] was tested for alcohol, and in the test that they gave him no alcohol was detected,” she said.

New Haven Police Department Spokeswoman Bonnie Winchester said she could not comment on the case at this time.

Klasky also denied allegations that Kennedy was driving with a suspended license, saying his license is current and valid. She said Sunday that Kennedy’s insurance coverage has been uninterrupted for 23 years.

Kennedy declined to comment for this story.

Yale President Richard Levin said that while he is not aware of the specifics of the case, Kennedy has always been an extraordinarily committed and caring member of the faculty.

“Of the many hundreds of faculty members I’ve known over the past 25 years, I’ve known very few as devoted to students as professor Kennedy,” he said.

On Sunday night, Klasky confirmed Kennedy’s involvement in a “minor” accident.

“As routine, the police arrived at the scene and took Prof. Kennedy into the station for further questioning and tests,” she said in an e-mail. “Professor Kennedy is deeply upset that any injury may have been caused by the accident.”

Kennedy was present to lecture for his classes, “International Ideas and Institutions: Contemporary Challenges” and “Studies in Grand Strategy” on Monday afternoon. Students in his classes said nothing about Kennedy seemed unusual during lecture.

“He seemed perfectly fine and was not any different from his normal, cheery self,” Spencer Sherwin ’08 said.

Court officials said Kennedy, the J. Richardson Dilworth Professor of History and director of Yale’s International Security Studies program, was released without paying bail and promised to appear before court on Feb. 16.