Following After-School Crash That Killed 4, Driver's Lawyer Speaks Out and Calls It 'Freak Occurrence' from Seizure

Yahoo

02-05-2025

Marianne Akers, the driver in the crash at an after-school camp in Illinois that killed four people, had a seizure, said her lawyer, W. Scott Hanken
The woman has no memory of the 'freak occurrence" and is devastated, he added
Meanwhile, the Chatham community continues to mourn the loss of four young girls as others recover
The lawyer of the woman who drove through an after-school camp building in Illinois, killing four and injuring six others, says she experienced a seizure and has no memory of the incident.
Speaking with ABC affiliate WICS, lawyer W. Scott Hanken said Marianne Akers, 44, left work at 3 p.m. local time on Monday, April 28, when she experienced a medical emergency while driving her Jeep Wrangler Akers in Chatham.
'She was westbound on Walnut when at 3:20, she suffered what has now been diagnosed and confirmed as a seizure of some type of degree,' Hanken said. 'It rendered her completely and utterly incapacitated at the time and as a result of that seizure, she has no recollection of what occurred.'
Akers did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.
The crash occurred after Akers' Jeep "left the road for unknown reasons, traveled through a field and into the east side" of the YNOT (Youth Needing Other Things) Outdoors Summer Camp in Chatham, police said.
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The vehicle traveled through the building, striking numerous individuals before crashing through the other side, police added.
Killed in the crash were Rylee Britton, 18, of Springfield; Ainsley Johnson, 8, of Chatham; Alma Buhnerkempe, 7, of Chatham and Kathryn Corley, 7, of Chatham.
Akers, who has not been charged with a crime, is devastated, Hanken told the outlet. He described the tragic accident as a 'freak occurrence."
'No one contemplated this happening. She surely didn't,' Hanken told the outlet. 'It was a perfect storm of events that you know if she could go back in time and change [it] she would, just like anyone else.'
He said that Akers had no history of seizures or any symptoms to indicate a medical issue before the crash. The woman was not on medication that would have affected her ability to drive, WICS reported. She has cooperated fully with law enforcement, Hanken said.
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The lawyer's insight is in line with what Illinois State Police Director Brendan Kelly said during a news conference on Thursday, May 1.
Immediately following the crash, Akers was taken to the hospital, where she provided blood and urine samples, and then was released, Kelly said. Initial toxicology results show she tested negative for alcohol or controlled substances, including benzodiazepines, amphetamines, cocaine, opiates, cannabinoids and phencyclidine (PCP).
"Some evidence has been developed indicating the possibility of a medical emergency leading up to the crash, however, this investigation of this information and other evidence has not yet concluded and will continue," he said of the investigation, which is ongoing.
"All evidence will be submitted to the Sangamon County State's Attorney for a determination of what charges, if any, are appropriate under the law," Kelly said.
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In the wake of the accident, the town of Chatham is still reeling.
Hundreds gathered for a vigil to honor the four victims who died, including an officer who spoke about the emotional toll of responding to the crash.
'After being at the scene of the crash, it was incredibly hard,' Chatham police officer David Leach told the crowd gathered at Glenwood High School on Wednesday, April 29. 'I went home and hugged my wife and children and just bawled. I cried my eyes out. The tears have continued to come in waves every day since, and they come without warning.'
Read the original article on People