Wreck in Chatham, Illinois: Car Slams into School, Leaves Four Dead and Several Injured
Multiple fatalities reported at a school, with at least four individuals confirmed deceased following a vehicular collision - School under attack: At least four fatalities reported following a vehicle collision
Let's talk about a tragic event that happened in the peaceful town of Chatham, Illinois. On a fateful day, a car crashed right into a school building, claiming at least four lives and leaving several others injured.
This heart-wrenching incident unfolded in April 2025, striking the YNOT After School Camp. The victims were identified as Kathryn Corley, 7, Alma Buhnerkempe, 7, Ainsley Johnson, 8, and 18-year-old Rylee Britton, all tragically pronounced dead at the scene [1][2].
The driver, Marianne Akers, 44, from Chatham, was uninjured but was taken to the hospital for examination. The Illinois State Police reported the incident on Twitter, and no immediate information about the possible causes was available [1].
According to the police, the car struck several people outside the school building in the afternoon before crashing into the east wall of the building and exiting through the west wall, ultimately lodging against a power pole and fence [2]. Six other children were rushed to hospitals, with one still in critical condition [2].
Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker shared his grief on Twitter, expressing his mourning for the lives lost. "Parents said goodbye to their children this morning not knowing it would be their last," wrote Pritzker, clearly devastated by the shed tears.
Just a few days prior, a car had driven into a crowd in the Canadian city of Vancouver, causing the death of at least eleven people [3].
- Illinois
- Car
- School
- Chatham
[1] - https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/28/us/illinois-school-crash/index.html[2] - https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/4-children-several-others-killed-maryland-school-bus-crash-rcna28821[3] - https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/vancouver-help-crowd-hit-by-car-1.6112537
- The tragic car-accident in Chatham, Illinois happened at a school, claiming the lives of Kathryn Corley, Alma Buhnerkempe, Ainsley Johnson, and Rylee Britton, along with several injured children.
- Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker expressed his grief on Twitter, mourning the lives lost in the car crash at the school in Chatham.
- Marianne Akers, the 44-year-old driver from Chatham, was reportedly uninjured but taken to the hospital following the car crash at the local school.
- The Illinois State Police reported the incident on Twitter and no immediate information about the possible causes was available.
- This incident brings to mind a recent car-accident in Vancouver, Canada that tragically claimed the lives of at least eleven people.
