Crash That Killed 3 Girls, Teenager Was 'Freak Occurrence': Driver's Lawyer

CHATHAM, IL — The woman whose car plowed into an after-school camp, killing three children and a teenager, had a "seizure of some type of degree," her lawyer told a news station this week.

State police have said no charges have been filed against 44-year-old Marianne Akers, and that she may have suffered a medical emergency leading up to the crash Tuesday at YNOT After School Camp in Chatham, not far from Springfield. Police also said there was no evidence that it was a targeted attack, and that initial toxicology was negative for alcohol and controlled substances.

Earlier this week, police said Akers' car left the road, traveling 1,300 feet through a field before crashing through the east side of the building, exiting the west side. The owner of the day camp said it then crossed a gravel road and came to rest against a pole and baseball field fence.

Victims were hit both inside and outside the day camp building, police said. Three girls and one teen were killed: Ainsley Johnson, 8, of Chatham; Rylee Britton, 18, of Springfield; Kathryn Corley, 7, of Chatham; and Alma Buhnerkempe, 7, of Chatham.

Six other children were taken to area hospitals for injuries, and two have since been released, while one was in critical condition, police said.

In an interview with ABC 20, Akers' lawyer, W. Scott Hanken, called the crash a "freak occurrence" and said she had a seizure on her way home from work. "It rendered her completely and utterly incapacitated," he said, adding that "she has no recollection" of what happened.

Hanken said Akers is devastated in the wake of the tragedy.

According to several news outlets, Akers previously worked for the Illinois State Police, as well as in a school cafeteria at Ball-Chatham School District. She is currently employed by the Illinois Department of Transportation as an office assistant for the Bureau of Business Services.

"The entire team at the Illinois Department of Transportation is heartbroken over the young lives lost and grieving for all of those affected by Monday’s tragedy in Chatham," IDOT said. "We are experiencing deep pain within our IDOT family, and making resources available for employees in need of additional help."

Related: 'Medical Emergency' May Have Preceded Crash That Killed 4 Youths: IL State Police