A woman whose pickup truck accelerated onto a Kansas youth soccer field on 17 October, resulting in two deaths, will not face criminal charges, a prosecutor has announced.
Investigators believe the 34-year-old driver, who was napping in her Chevrolet 1500 at the Stryker Sports Complex in Wichita, failed to put the vehicle in park and likely pressed the gas pedal while asleep. The Sedgwick county district attorney, Marc Bennett, stated on Thursday that he could not prove she consciously disregarded a significant risk to people on the field.
The two individuals killed were identified by police as Cole Adrian, six, and Nicholas Schafer, 35, both from McPherson, Kansas. Ten others, aged between five and 68, were reportedly injured and received treatment at local hospitals.
Wichita police chief Joe Sullivan confirmed that every lead and piece of evidence was reviewed, and his department spoke with victims and families before the report's public release. The report indicated that the truck remained in place during an identical test until the accelerator was pressed.
Mr Bennett suggested the case could potentially be pursued in civil court.