WICHITA, Kan. — A sleeping woman whose pickup truck accelerated onto the field of a Kansas youth soccer game, killing two people, will not face criminal charges, a prosecutor said, concluding that even one negligent act is not enough under state law to pursue a case of vehicular manslaughter.
Investigators believe the 34-year-old woman failed to put the Chevrolet 1500 Silverado in park and likely put her foot on the gas pedal while taking a nap at the Stryker Sports Complex in Wichita on Oct. 17, according to a 28-page report from the Sedgwick County district attorney.
The windshield was covered with a sunscreen, and there were two children in the vehicle, said the report, released Thursday.
“There is no evidence to support the conclusion that she knew the truck was still in drive, or evidence to explain what motive she would have had to do so,” the report said.
Wichita police detectives ran an identical test with a Chevy 1500 parked but in drive mode in the same stall, the report said, and “the truck stayed in place until the accelerator was pressed.”
The two people killed at the scene were Cole Adrian, 6, and Nicholas Schafer, 35, both from McPherson, Kan., police said. Ten others ranging in age from 5 to 68 were treated at area hospitals.
Investigators said they interviewed more than 30 witnesses, including the driver and her two children. Another child was playing soccer at a different field. Blood tests showed no evidence of drugs or anything that would have impaired her judgment, the report said.
“The driver, whose chair was fully reclined, told detectives she awoke to her daughters’ screams, the feeling of the truck moving, and the sounds of people screaming outside the truck,” the report said. “She told detectives she was disoriented and tried and failed to depress the brake.”
Dist. Atty. Marc Bennett listed various possible crimes that might be triggered when a person causes the death of another person. He said none fit the soccer field tragedy, based on the investigation of what happened.
White writes for the Associated Press.
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