No charges after pickup truck kills boy and father at Kansas soccer field
A driver whose pickup truck struck players and spectators at a youth soccer complex in Wichita, Kansas, will not face criminal charges, prosecutors said after investigating the crash.
The Oct. 17 incident at Stryker Sports Complex killed 6-year-old Adrian Cole and 35-year-old Nicholas Schafer. Ten other people were injured. Authorities have not publicly identified the driver.
In a 28-page report released Thursday, Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett said investigators found insufficient evidence to support criminal charges. The report characterized the crash as negligence, rather than a criminal act.
Investigators believe the driver may have fallen asleep in the truck, and that her foot accidentally pressed the accelerator while the vehicle was in gear. They could not determine exactly how it was shifted into drive.
Timeline of events
7 a.m.: The driver left Garden City in her husband’s 2021 Chevrolet Silverado, bound for Wichita and her children’s soccer games.
10:40 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.: She arrived at Stryker Sports Complex, watched games, left to visit two fast-food restaurants and a business, then returned.
2:36 p.m.: She parked facing a field. She later told detectives she thought she had put the truck in park, reclined her seat and gone to sleep. One of the children placed sunshades over the windshield.
3:22 p.m.: The truck crossed a curb and drove onto the field, hitting spectators and killing Cole and Schafer.
Toxicology testing found no evidence that the driver had taken impairing substances. Investigators also ruled out a mechanical failure or medical emergency.
Under Kansas law, prosecutors said they would need evidence that the driver knowingly or recklessly endangered others to bring criminal charges. The report also found that a single negligent act would not be enough to support a vehicular manslaughter charge.
The investigation included more than 100 interviews, surveillance footage, cellphone video, toxicology results and a reconstruction of the crash.
Cole’s obituary described him as lively and funny, with a knack for making people laugh and connecting with people of all ages.
Schafer’s obituary said he was a Navy veteran who loved the outdoors and spending time outside with his children.
