A Kansas mother who drove her SUV onto a soccer field, killing a child and an adult, will not face criminal charges after authorities determined she was asleep when the crash occurred.
The 34-year-old woman, whose identity has not been released, drove into a crowd at the Stryker Sports Complex in Wichita on October 17.
The crash killed six-year-old Cole Adrian and Nicholas Schafer, 35. Ten other people, ranging in age from five to 68, were injured.
Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett said the driver would not be prosecuted in connection with the incident.
Authorities had been awaiting toxicology results before confirming that there was no evidence the woman had been under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
“I have zero evidence that this was in any way impacted by intoxication, driving under the influence,” Bennett said.
He added: “I cannot only find no evidence of an intentional crime, I can find affirmative evidence that there was not an intentional crime.”
Investigators interviewed the woman and her two children, aged 14 and 11. She told them she had informed the children that she planned to take a nap inside her husband’s Chevrolet SUV.
Cole’s heartbroken father, Chris Adrian, pictured with him, said the sports-loving boy was the “joy and light of our community”
Nicholas Schafer, 35, pictured, also died in the devastating crash last month
Other parents pulled the mother from the SUV as bystanders provided “life-saving assistance” to the injured, Wichita Police Chief Joe Sullivan said
Officials believe she may have unintentionally lifted her foot from the brake and pressed the accelerator. It remains unclear whether the SUV was in park at the time.
The woman told investigators that she woke at 6 a.m. on October 17 before driving the Chevrolet SUV—then a brand-new vehicle she had used for only a few days—about 200 miles from her home in Garden City.
“Her normal vehicle had some trouble with the air and tires and she asked her husband to fix it because she was concerned that it would not be safe to drive all the way to Wichita,” Bennett said.
She arrived at the Stryker Sports Complex at 10:40 a.m. and left at about 1:20 p.m. She returned roughly an hour later and parked near one of the fields.
The crash happened less than an hour after her return.
“She parks. She tells her kids she’s tired, which would be consistent with having gotten up that morning and driven that far,” Bennett said. “[She] takes her seat all the way back and goes to sleep.”
Investigators believe it was unlikely that the mother of two accidentally shifted the vehicle into drive with her leg. Bennett said the SUV could not be put into gear “unless the foot’s on the brake.”
According to Bennett, the mother woke inside the SUV to the sound of her children “screaming” and was horrified when she realized what had happened.
Witnesses reportedly heard her cry out as they pulled her from the vehicle: “Oh my God, oh my God, what have I done?”
Cole Adrian, six, was killed when a Kansas mother drove her SUV onto a youth soccer field at Wichita’s Stryker Sports Complex
Cole’s father said the six-year-old had a “pure heart,” “the best laugh” and was a friend to everyone, young and old
After striking almost a dozen people, the woman shouted: “Oh my God, oh my God, what have I done?”
Investigators examined debris scattered across the grass as police tape surrounded the scene where an SUV plowed through a soccer game, killing two people
“She’s disoriented, she’s trying to sit up from a completely relaxed position to sit forward,” Bennett said.
“Reaches for the steering wheel, looks up, sees shades that were not there when she went to sleep, batting at them.”
Wichita Police Chief Joe Sullivan said shortly after the crash that local residents rushed to help the injured almost immediately.
“It was truly amazing, but I think it’s indicative of the Wichita community,” Sullivan said.
The two victims, both McPherson natives who police said were not related, were pronounced dead at the scene. Several injured people were taken to hospital in critical condition.
Those who suffered traumatic injuries included a five-year-old girl, a five-year-old boy and a nine-year-old girl. The other injured people were between 28 and 68 years old.
Cole’s father described the sports-loving boy as the “joy and light of our community.”
“Cole was an incredible kid and could put a smile on anyone’s face,” Chris Adrian told The New York Times. “His pure heart was open to everyone. He had the best laugh. He was a friend with everyone, young or old.”
Schafer’s family has declined to comment to the media.