Woman drives pickup onto Kansas youth soccer field, killing two including a 6-year-old
A 34-year-old driver was released without charges after a pickup truck entered a Wichita soccer field, killing a six-year-old boy and a 35-year-old man and injuring ten others.
New details emerged on Monday about the fatal incident that occurred at Wichita’s Stryker Sports Complex when a pickup truck drove onto a youth soccer field. The crash killed six-year-old Cole Adrian and 35-year-old Nicholas Schafer, both residents of McPherson, Kansas, and injured ten other spectators, including five children.
"Our hearts are with the families of [Cole] and Nicholas as they face an unimaginable loss," Wichita police chief Joe Sullivan said in a Facebook statement. "We are also thinking about those who were injured, their loved ones and everyone who witnessed what happened."
The driver, a 34-year-old woman from Garden City, Kansas, was released without charges pending further investigation and toxicology results. Police have interviewed more than 30 witnesses and are seeking video footage of the event.
Eyewitnesses described the truck accelerating from a nearby parking space onto the field, striking people and equipment. One spectator recalled hearing engine revving and a series of “boom” sounds before seeing debris fly as the vehicle barreled through the crowd. Another compared the sound to “small gunfire” before seeing the truck plow through a line of people.
Emergency responders arrived about ten minutes after the crash, while bystanders attempted CPR on victims. The complex remained closed for the rest of the weekend while authorities continued their investigation.