Wrongful death suit filed for prospective Univ. of Iowa student killed in car crash

CHATHAM, Ill. (KCRG) – The families of four children and a teenager killed after a vehicle crashed into an Illinois after-school camp have filed a wrongful death lawsuit, just short of a year after the tragic accident.

The teenager killed, 18-year-old camp counselor Rylee Britton, of Springfield, planned to attend the University of Iowa and would have been finishing her freshman year.

The April 28 accident at YNOT Camp also claimed the lives of 7-year-olds Kathryn Corley and Alma Buhnerkempe, and 8-year-olds Bradley James Lund and Ainsley Johnson. Lund spent five weeks in the hospital before succumbing to his injuries.

At least six other children were severely injured, and numerous children witnessed the accident.

The crash happened after Marianne Akers, 44, veered off of a county highway, traveled through a cornfield and drove straight through the building. Akers was not charged after an investigation found that she was having a medical episode during the crash, and was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

The lawsuit, filed Sunday, names YNOT Camp, as well as Akers, responsible for their deaths. They claim the building violated multiple safety codes when it was built and was not suitable to protect its occupants.

Legal representatives are holding a press conference Wednesday afternoon to discuss the lawsuit.