Driver who hit and killed 2 Louisville children in Panama City Beach won't face charges

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The driver who hit and killed two Louisville children at a family fun park in Florida won't face charges.

Scott Donaldson had a seizure during the accident, according to findings released Friday.

Donaldson was driving a pickup truck that left the road on Dec. 4, 2020 hitting a 4-year-old boy and 6-year-old girl who were playing putt-putt golf with their parents in Panama City Beach.

Addie and Baylor Kirchgessner were killed in the crash.

According to a news release from Florida State Attorney Larry Basford, Donaldson had an epileptic seizure before he lost control of the truck and hit the two children.

Basford said that at the time of the crash, Donaldson had no alochol or illegal controlled substances in his system.

"However, he did have a therapeutic amount of his seizure medication in his system," Basford said.

The man was also not texting or talking on the phone at the time of the crash.

Investigators say Donaldson has had seizures for over 20 years, and has had three prior crashes that were caused by seizures. At the time of the crash in 2020, his driver's license had been restored by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.

During the investigation, the state attorney's office considered charging Donaldson with DUI, manslaughter, vehicular homicide and manslaughter by culpable negligence.

Prosecutors determined that there was not enough evidence to file any of those criminal charges, according to a news release.

As of January, Donald's driver license was suspended. Under current Florida law, he could apply to have a new license at any time.

Basford said his office has written a letter to the medical advisory review board asking them to permanently revoke Donald's license, and any drivers with similar driving histories in Florida.

"Most of us here have children, and what happened on Dec. 4, 2020, is every parent’s worst nightmare," Basford said. "While I cannot begin to fully comprehend or fathom the family’s pain and grief, the magnitude of this tragedy was not lost on us during this process, and we continue to hold the family in our prayers."

This story may be updated.

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