Horrifying witness footage captures a pickup truck plowing through a Kansas youth soccer field, killing a 6-year-old boy and an adult while injuring 10 others, as the woman behind the wheel is released without charges.
Keep reading to know more.
Families had gathered at Wichita’s Stryker Sports Complex on Oct. 17 for an afternoon of youth soccer when the sound of a roaring engine shattered the excitement of the games.
Among the spectators was Erica Case, who was watching her 9-year-old son’s match on a neighboring field when she turned toward the noise and saw a truck racing across the complex.
“I saw the truck hitting things. I saw debris flying in the air,” Case told NBC News. “I don’t know if it was a cone, a chair or a person, but you could see matter flying as the truck was barreling through the soccer field at a decent rate of speed.”
As terrified families rushed toward the wreckage, the screams and confusion gave way to the devastating realization that children were among those struck by the truck.
“I lost it because it wasn’t just adults. It was also children,” Case recalled.
Another witness said that after she ran to the truck to help, the driver was shouting, “Oh my God, Oh my God, what have I done?”
Two dead, 10 injured
Behind the wheel of the truck was a 34-year-old Wichita mother, who had one child playing soccer on another field at the complex, and two other children in the vehicle with her when it crashed.
According to Wichita Police, the Chevrolet pickup “was parked in a parking space near the soccer fields before it drove onto one of the fields, striking multiple children and adults.”
Six-year-old Cole Adrian and 35-year-old Nicholas Schafer, both from McPherson, Kansas, died from their injuries. The two victims were not related.
Another 10 people were injured, ranging in age from 5 to 68, including two 5-year-olds, two 8-year-olds and a 9-year-old.
The driver has since been “released pending the results of toxicology testing and a mechanical examination of the vehicle. No charges have been filed at this time, and investigators continue working to determine the circumstances that led to the crash,” police report.
‘The joy and light of our community’
For Cole’s father, Chris Adrian, the loss was unimaginable.
“He always had a way of capturing the heart of every person he met – young and old, friends and strangers,” Chris told the attendees at Cole’s service on Oct. 26.
“He loved everyone,” he continued. “Cole would often tell us, ‘This was the best day ever,’ even on days when nothing really special happened. That was just Cole. He found joy in the simplest things.”
Terrifying moments caught on video
A video shared on KAKE News, Instagram page captures the moments leading up to the crash, as children play soccer before the sound of an approaching vehicle interrupts the game and panicked screams erupt from nearby spectators.
Although the truck is not seen striking anyone, the person filming can be heard shouting before rushing toward the scene.
Our hearts go out to everyone affected by this tragedy. Please join us in sending your love and support to the victims’ families and friends, and share this story to keep them in your thoughts.
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