Skip to content

Crime & JusticeBreaking

No criminal charges for Kansas driver whose truck hit a youth soccer game, killing 2

By

Coverage spectrum

Covered by 3 outlets, mostly left-leaning (67%).

3 articles in total. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

Wichita police SUV and yellow tape on soccer field where youth game occurred.
Image via NBC NewsHow images are chosenReport this image

Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett said the 34-year-old driver who drove a truck into a youth soccer game at Stryker Sports Complex in Wichita on Oct. 17 will not face criminal charges. Officials said she had taken a nap in her parked vehicle before it accelerated, and said they found no evidence of intoxication or an intentional crime. Two people were killed, including a 6-year-old boy, and 10 others were injured. Bennett said witnesses described her as sleepy and distraught after the crash.

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. Editors read every story. How this works

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

  1. The 34-year-old driver will not face criminal charges, prosecutors said.

    Reported byLeft2Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    CBS News, NBC News
    Right
    New York Post

  2. Two people were killed, including a 6-year-old boy, and 10 others were injured when the truck drove into the soccer game on Oct. 17.

    Reported byLeft2Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    CBS News, NBC News
    Right
    New York Post

  3. Officials said the driver had taken a nap before the vehicle accelerated.

    Reported byLeft1Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    NBC News
    Right
    New York Post

  4. District Attorney Marc Bennett said there was no evidence of intoxication or an intentional crime.

    Reported byLeft1Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    NBC News
    Right
    New York Post

How each side tells it

Compare views

All sides report that the driver will not be charged and that two people were killed, including a 6-year-old boy. The left-side headlines center on the no-charges decision, while the right-side headline emphasizes the driver being a mom who had fallen asleep.

  • the left

    2 outlets

    Left-side headlines lead with the decision not to charge, using a neutral “no charges” structure and naming the district attorney or the victims' toll.

    No charges for woman who drove onto Kansas soccer field, killing 2, officials say
    NBC NewsLeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    No coverage yet

    No center outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

  • the right

    1 outlet

    The right-side report leads with the driver being a “mom” and with the claim that she was asleep, framing the no-charges decision through the nap.

    Kansas mom who Loaded verb“plowed into”The verb “plowed” adds force beyond the neutral “drove into” used by the other outlets.More neutral: drove intoDisagree with this highlight? soccer field after falling asleep, killing 2, won’t face charges
    New York PostRightAll right-leaning headlines

The words they chose

Language to notice

Words that carry a judgement beyond the facts. Tap a highlighted word anywhere on the page to see why.

  • Left0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

  • Center

    Has not covered this story.

  • Right1

    plowed into

In the outlets’ own words

  • Loaded verb

    plowed intoMore neutral: drove into

    The verb “plowed” adds force beyond the neutral “drove into” used by the other outlets.

    Kansas mom who plowed into soccer field after falling asleep, killing 2, won’t face charges

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

See the full language guide

See for yourself

Side by side

What each side leads with and what it leaves out. Open a side to read its headlines.

From the left

2 outlets

Leads with

  • No charges decision
  • Two killed, including a 6-year-old
  • Official confirmation of the outcome

Leaves out

  • Driver's nap described in headline or description by CBS

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the 2 headlines from the leftHide the headlines
  • CBS NewsLeft

    No charges for driver who plowed truck into field during Kansas youth soccer game, killing 2

    A district attorney in Kansas said he will not be pressing criminal charges against a woman who drove a pickup truck into spectators and bystanders on the sidelines of a youth soccer match last month. Two people were killed, including a 6-year-old. Tom Hanson has more.

    Read at CBS News (opens in a new tab)
  • NBC NewsLeft

    No charges for woman who drove onto Kansas soccer field, killing 2, officials say

    A woman who killed two people, including a 6-year-old boy, when she drove through a Kansas soccer game last month had taken a nap in her parked vehicle before it accelerated and won’t be criminally charged, officials said Thursday.

    Read at NBC News (opens in a new tab)

From the center

0 outlets

No center outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

From the right

1 outlet

Leads with

  • Driver as a mom
  • She was sleeping during the crash
  • Two killed, including a 6-year-old
See the headline from the rightHide the headlines
  • New York PostRight

    Kansas mom who Loaded verb“plowed into”The verb “plowed” adds force beyond the neutral “drove into” used by the other outlets.More neutral: drove intoDisagree with this highlight? soccer field after falling asleep, killing 2, won’t face charges

    A Kansas mom who killed two people – including a 6-year-old boy – when she crashed her truck into a soccer game will not be charged – as authorities revealed she had gone for a nap before the crash.

    Read at New York Post (opens in a new tab)

The stories you read build My Mix, a private picture of which sides cover the stories you choose, kept on this device. What is My Mix?

The left is Far Left and Left together. The right is Right and Far Right together. Every outlet keeps its own five-point rating.

Who reported it when

How the coverage built up

  • Left

    First to report

    NBC News, Nov 12, 8:22 PM EST

  • Center

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

  • Right

    9 hr 13 min later

    Its first report, Nov 13, 5:35 AM EST

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. NBC NewsLeftNov 12, 8:22 PM EST
  2. CBS NewsLeftNov 12, 8:54 PM EST
  3. New York PostRightNov 13, 5:35 AM EST

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out.

Read next

Help someone else find the truth beneath the surface

Most people see one side of a story. Share this one, so they can see how every side is telling it and decide for themselves.

Email it
Embed

Show this story’s coverage card on your own site, blog or class page. It has the headline, who is covering it and a link back here, and it tracks nobody. See the card

Seen a mistake? Tell us what is wrong with this page