GREEN LAKE (NBC 26) — An 85-year-old driver will not face criminal charges in connection with a deadly crash that killed a 12-year-old boy in Green Lake earlier this summer, police announced.
See never-before-seen surveilance footage and crash scene photos from the investigation in the video below:
Jean Woolley accidentally ran over and killed Emmet Zodrow while attempting to pull into a parking space. Green Lake Police say Woolley was not criminally negligent in the incident.
"I put the brake on and it was the accelerator," Woolley said in police body-camera footage from the aftermath of the crash obtained by NBC 26. "And then I panicked and pushed it harder."
Never-before-seen surveillance video shows the moments before the fatal crash occurred as Emmet was riding his bike on the sidewalk with two friends. Additional video shows Woolley visibly upset in the aftermath, apologizing and saying it was an accident.
According to police documents, the investigation showed Woolley was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol and was not distracted by her cell phone or anything else at the time of the crash.
The decision not to file criminal charges comes as a shock to Emmet's mother, Angela Zodrow.
"I believed we would have some accountability in this," Angela said. "I never thought for a second that the law or anybody would look at me and say 'Nothing we can do.'"
Records show Woolley has been cited for disorderly conduct with a motor vehicle, failure to keep a vehicle under control and driving over a curb through a safety zone, with fines totaling $668.10.
"It's not enough to take her off the road. It's not enough to force change. It's not enough for anybody to wake up and say we need to do better," Angela said.
Police say a report has been submitted to the state for a review of Woolley's driving capability.
"He doesn't get to go on with his life, we don't get to go on with our lives. You can't just pretend it didn't happen," Angela said.
NBC 26 reached out to Woolley for comment and got in touch with her husband, who says they've been advised by their lawyer not to speak publicly about the crash.
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