Grand jury decides not to charge driver in deadly MoDOT crash

ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. (KMOV) - A St. Louis County grand jury has decided not to charge the man who was behind the wheel of a car that fatally struck two Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) workers.

The crash happened on Telegraph Road near I-255 last November. James Brooks and Kaitlyn Anderson, who was six months pregnant with her son Jaxx, were killed. Another MoDOT worker, Michael Brown, was left with life-long injuries.

St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell released a statement Thursday that a grand jury decided not to indict the driver, Stanley McFadden. He explained that medical records showed no alcohol or other intoxicants in his system at the time of the crash. Bell also said phone records showed McFadden was not using his phone. According to Bell, McFadden is diabetic and was suffering a medical emergency due to a severe drop in his blood glucose level.

In his statement, Bell wrote that a medical expert was consulted and, after reviewing medical evidence, was not supportive of criminal charges being filed. The expert compared the incident to someone who suffered a heart attack when driving that resulted in a fatal crash.

Bell said his office then received an opinion from a medical specialist. He explained that an independent endocrinologist reviewed McFadden’s medical records and determined the driver had hypoglycemia unawareness, which he did not know about prior to the crash. According to Bell, the diagnosis explained why McFadden was not aware that his blood glucose was plummeting prior to the crash.

McFadden reportedly had previously experienced a similar incident that resulted in no injuries or deaths. Bell’s office searched for other additional incidents and reported only one prior such crash in August 2021.

Bell said McFadden was a licensed Missouri driver and there was no evidence he was told by a medical professional not to operate a motor vehicle due to safety concerns.

“A case that has been rejected by a grand jury almost certainly would end in a not guilty verdict if it went to trial,” Bell wrote.

Bell expressed that he believes the surviving victim and the families of those killed do not believe justice was served but his office accepts and respects the decision made by the grand jury.

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