Illinois State Police are investigating evidence of a potential medical emergency in a fatal crash that killed four at a camp in Chatham.
CHATHAM, Ill. — Illinois State Police are still investigating the crash that killed four people at an after-school camp in Chatham, Illinois, but investigators have found evidence that could indicate the driver had a medical emergency before the crash.
“Some evidence has been developed indicating the possibility of a medical emergency leading up to the crash,” ISP Director Brendan Kelly said in a news conference Thursday. “However, the investigation of this information and other evidence has not concluded and will continue until all leads and research have been exhausted.”
Kelly said the initial toxicology report came back negative for drugs, alcohol, and controlled substances.
ISP said the driver previously spent more than a decade working for the Illinois State Police.
In an interview with CNN affiliate WICS, the driver’s attorney said she had a seizure while behind the wheel of the car.
“She went to work, she got off at 3, she was traveling on her way home, she was westbound on Walnut when at 3:20 she suffered a what has now been diagnosed and confirmed as a seizure of some type or degree,” W. Scott Hanken said in the interview. “It rendered her completely and utterly incapacitated at the time and as a result of that seizure she has no recollection of what occurred.”
“When children die, it weighs on their hearts”
Chatham police said the vehicle, driven by a 44-year-old woman, struck multiple people outside YNOT Outdoors Summer and After School Camp at around 3:20 p.m. on Monday. They said she crashed through the east side of the building and exited through the west side. Kelly said the woman drove through a field before crashing into the building, striking many people, and then crashing into a utility pole in the back.
Investigators estimate the woman traveled more than 1,300 feet — roughly the length of four football fields.
Three people who were standing outside and one person who was inside the building were killed, officials said. The Sangamon County coroner identified the victims as 18-year-old Rylee Britton of Springfield and three Chatham children: Ainsley Johnson, 8, and Kathryn Corley and Alma Buhnerkempe, both 7.
Six others were hospitalized after the crash. ISP confirmed two of the injured children have since been released.
“More than one person being injured is a terrible thing,” Kelly said. There were a lot of people there, and there’s a tremendous loss of life.”
Kelly acknowledged the emotional toll the tragedy has taken on first responders, saying even the most seasoned officers are struggling to cope with what they witnessed.
“When a child dies, when children die, it weighs on their hearts, on their minds, and their souls,” he said.
He added that while investigators remain focused on supporting victims, families, and preserving evidence, the human impact on law enforcement cannot be ignored.
“Even as tough as our people are, they are impacted by what they’re seeing in a tragedy like this,” said Kelly. “There’s obviously high emotion in something like this, and we have people that are impacted by this. We’re part of this community, but the Illinois State Police, our view of what integrity is is to relentlessly pursue those facts no matter where they take us.”
Investigation ongoing
The woman has been working as an office assistant with the Illinois Department of Transportation since 2023, an IDOT spokesperson said.
During the press conference, Kelly reiterated that they do not believe the crash was a targeted attack. He said the driver wasn’t injured in the crash. She was taken to a hospital for evaluation and released after providing blood and urine for toxicology testing.
Kelly emphasized that the evidence pointing to a medical emergency is not yet conclusive and remains under investigation.
“Evidence has been developed that indicates that some type of medical emergency may have occurred, but that’s not the end of the discussion,” he said.
Illinois State Police said they are continuing to work closely with the Sangamon County State’s Attorney’s Office. No charges have been filed at this time.
“This horrific crash is heartbreaking for Chatham and all of Illinois,” said Kelly. “Every possible law enforcement resource is being brought to bear on this investigation, as we relentlessly, but meticulously, seek the facts surrounding this complex and gut-wrenching tragedy.”