Kansas mom who crashed into Wichita football field after falling asleep, killing 2, won’t be charged

A Kansas mother who crashed her truck during a football game, killing two people, including a 6-year-old boy, will not face charges as authorities revealed Thursday that she was sleeping during the fatal crash.

The unidentified driver, 34, plowed into the crowd at the Stryker Sports Complex in Wichita on Oct. 17 – killing Cole Adrian, 6, and Nicholas Schafer, 35, and injuring 10 others, ranging in age from 5 to 68.

Authorities were awaiting the results of toxicology results before confirming there was no indication she was under the influence.

“I have no evidence that this was affected in any way by intoxication or driving under the influence,” Sedgwick County Prosecutor Marc Bennett said in a news conference broadcast by KAKE.

In trying to determine the cause of the fatal crash, investigators examined whether it was an “intentional act.”

“I can not only find no evidence of an intentional crime, I can find affirmative evidence that there was no intentional crime,” Bennett added.

The woman will not face criminal charges, investigators confirmed.

Investigators interviewed the woman and her two children, ages 14 and 11, and she revealed that she told her children “she was going to take a nap” in the Chevrolet truck.

It’s unclear whether she had parked her car, leading officials to believe she accidentally took her foot off the brake and hit the accelerator.

The mother told investigators she woke up at 6 a.m. Oct. 17 and drove her husband’s truck — a vehicle she had only been using for a few days — about 200 miles from Garden City, where she lives.

“Her normal vehicle had air and tire problems and she asked her husband to fix it because she was concerned it wouldn’t be safe to drive to Wichita,” Bennett added.

The mother first arrived at the Stryker sports complex around 10:40 a.m., before leaving around 1:20 p.m. and returning about an hour later, parking near one of the fields.

The accident occurred less than an hour after his return.

“She parks. She tells her kids she’s tired, which would be consistent with getting up that morning and driving that far,” Bennett said.

“(She) takes her place to the bottom and falls asleep.”

Investigators said it would have been unlikely that the mother had put her car in drive by accidentally hitting the stick with her leg.

“(You) can’t put the gear in gear unless your foot is on the brake,” Bennett said.

The woman told investigators she woke up to her children “screaming.”

The mother was horrified after realizing what had happened.

“Oh my God, oh my God, what have I done?!” she screamed as she was immediately pulled from the car by horrified witnesses.

“She’s disoriented, she’s trying to pull herself up from a completely relaxed position to sit forward,” Bennett said.

“He grabs the steering wheel, looks up, sees sunglasses that weren’t there when she fell asleep, and hits them.”

Wichita Police Chief Joe Sullivan said investigators found no fault in the truck she was driving.

Dispatchers were heard referring to the smash as “MCI,” referring to a mass casualty incident in audio obtained by Fox News.