Chapel Hill Police Department said Fiona Evans hit her gas pedal instead of her brake pedal while next to the playground at Northside Elementary School around 4 p.m. Tuesday.
"It's pretty shocking to me because I think it should not have happened," parent Rajnikand Sharma said.
Investigators said Evans was in the process of parking her SUV when she hit the wrong pedal, crashing through a fence and into playground equipment instead of safely coming to a stop.
Twenty children were on the playground with an after-school program when the crash happened. Two children had to be taken to UNC Hospitals. One child remains hospitalized for treatment; the other had minor injuries and has been released.
The students on the playground ranged in age from 5-9 years old. They were participating in the Community Schools After School Program.
"One of the things that helps even in seeing this this morning is to be reminded of how we come together to ensure our students and our staff are doing well," principal Coretta Sharpless said.