Sport · Football

Kansas Soccer Field Crash Driver Won’t Be Charged in 2 Deaths

A Kansas prosecutor will not file criminal charges against a woman who was napping in her pickup truck when it accelerated onto a soccer field

By Alistair Sterling

November 14, 20261 min read

Kansas Soccer Field Crash Driver Won't Be Charged in 2 Deaths. (AI Illustration)

A Kansas prosecutor will not file criminal charges against a woman who was napping in her pickup truck when it accelerated onto a soccer field and killed two people. Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett announced the decision on Thursday.

The crash happened October 17 at the Stryker Sports Complex in Wichita, during a youth tournament. The woman's child was playing in the event.

What investigators believe happened

Investigators believe the 34-year-old driver had not put her Chevrolet 1500 in park. They think she likely pressed the gas pedal with her foot while she slept.

The team conducted multiple interviews. They also ran a test in the same parking spot using a similar vehicle.

Why no charges

Bennett said the evidence fell short of what the law requires. "I cannot prove she consciously disregarded a tremendous risk to people on that field," he said.

His 28-page report listed crimes that can apply when one person causes another's death. None fit this case under Kansas law, he concluded.

Bennett acknowledged the public might find the decision strange. "If I could charge somebody, why wouldn't I?" he said at a news conference. "But I also have an obligation to stand up and say, 'It's not here.'"