A little girl is fighting massive injuries in hospital after she was almost killed when a car that took the lives of four other people plowed into her.
Ella Orsi, seven, was at the YNOT Outdoors Summer and After School Camp in Chatham, Illinois, when a Jeep smashed through the wall about 3.20pm on Monday.
Kathryn Corley and Alma Buhnerkempe, both seven, Ainsley Grace Johnson, eight, and Rylee Britton, 18, died and six other children were injured.
Ella was one of the most badly hurt, suffering facial fractures, a broken jaw, damaged teeth, brain swelling, and brain bleeding.
The junior dancer, who was in the same class at Studio M Dance Centre as Ainsley, is recovering in the PICU – heavily medicated with a tube helping her breathe.
Family friend Casey Sitko said Ella had so far avoided needing brain surgery, but would need plastic surgery to repair her face, starting later this week.
‘Ella has been responsive and communicating by squeezing her parents’ hands. She opened her eyes briefly [on Tuesday],’ she said.
‘Ella is an absolute joy to be around. She loves to have fun, make jokes, and laugh! Her smile is infectious, and we can’t wait to see it again.’
Ella Orsi, 7, was at the YNOT Outdoors Summer and After School Camp in Chatham, Illinois , when a Jeep smashed through the wall
Ella was one of the most badly hurt, suffering facial fractures, a broken jaw, damaged teeth, brain swelling, and brain bleeding
Sitko raised $56,000 for Ella’s recovery and a separate page attracted $188,000 for all the victims of the crash.
Marianne Akers was behind the wheel of the black Jeep when it rammed straight through a field in front of the building, then through one wall and out the other.
Akers, 44, was filmed in handcuffs, with her hair in a messy bun and wearing a dark grey T-shirt. She was uninjured despite crashing through a wall.
But police said she was taken to a local hospital for evaluation with toxicology results still pending, and was not under arrest.
‘Akers is not in custody at this time as the cause of the crash remains under investigation,’ Illinois State Police said.
The Chatham Police Department debunked rampant social media rumors that Akers was drunk and failed a field sobriety test after the crash.
‘This is not true. Please stop sharing this,’ the department’s Facebook page commented on a post claiming Akers was arrested for a suspected DUI.
Akers was a food service worker at Chatham Elementary School and is a mother of two children – a teenage boy and girl.
She now works for the Illinois Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Business Services, and was at the Illinois State Police from June 2006 to August 2018.
ISP, which is investigating the crash, said Akers was not an officer or investigator, and no one she worked with was still there.
Ainsley Johnson, 7, was killed when she was run over by a car that crashed into her after school program in Chatham, Illinois, on Monday
Alma Buhnerkempe, 7, was also killed along with another little girl, and an 18-year-old woman
School food service worker Marianne Akers was behind the wheel of a car that plowed through an after-school program and killed three young kids and a teen
Ainsley’s grandfather Galen Johnson mourned her online with a photo of her in an adorable fancy dress outfit.
‘Words alone cannot express the pain we in the Johnson family are feeling with the loss of granddaughter Ainsley Grace Johnson. Love you “Squirt!”‘ he wrote.
Ainsley was a dancer at Studio M Dance Centre, where her teacher Mariah Clark promised to always remember her.
‘Ainsley brought so much light and joy into my class, she always gave me a little hip-hop tude and I lived for it,’ she said.
‘Her smile was so bright, her personality was already so big at such a young age, and she danced like she meant it. I will forever keep Ainsley in my heart.’
Ainsley’s obituary announced her funeral would be on Friday afternoon at Springfield First United Methodist Church in Springfield, Illinois.
‘Ainsley was a lover of music and would often sing along to any song she heard. She would even take her dad’s airpods while he was out mowing the grass to listen along with him,’ it read.
‘She also loved art, make up, swimming, boating, and spending time at the lake. Ainsley always looked forward to vacations with her family and knowing she could spend her mom’s money on things she wanted.’
Britton, who was soon to study English and secondary education at Iowa University, was one of the high school seniors who helped run the program.
She was a senior at Glenwood High School and like many of the student staff, planned to be a teacher.
‘One of my favorite things about her was how she was unconditionally nice to everyone,’ a classmate said.
‘She was super intelligent and always made people laugh.’
Akers, 44, was filmed in handcuffs, with her hair in a messy bun and wearing a dark grey T-shirt, but police said she was taken to a local hospital for evaluation with toxicology results still pending, and was not under arrest
Ainsley’s grandfather Galen Johnson mourned her online with a photo of her in an adorable fancy dress outfit (left). Alma is pictured right with her brother
Rylee Britton, 18, was one of the high school seniors who helped run the program and was killed along with the three children
A memorial for Britton featuring her senior class photo
Three of the victims were hit by the Jeep as they stood outside the building, while the fourth person who died was inside the building, police said.
The six injured children were rushed to hospital, including one with injuries so severe they had to be airlifted for treatment.
‘Postmortem procedures done today indicate that they all died from multiple blunt force injuries sustained in the incident,’ Sangamon County Coroner Jim Allmon said.
Akers is understood to have crashed her car into the east side of the school facility with such force that it burst out the other side seconds later.
‘The cause of the crash remains under investigation, but this does not appear to be a targeted attack,’ Illinois State Police said.
The program is designed for school-aged children and is run by college students and ‘very mature’ high school seniors – most of whom have ambitions themselves of one day becoming educators.
A fundraiser for the victims and their families has already attracted more than $75,000 in donations.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker expressed his horror on Monday afternoon, writing: ‘Parents said goodbye to their kids this morning not knowing it would be the last time.
‘Our community lost a group of bright and innocent young people with their whole lives ahead of them.
‘Let’s wrap our arms around the community tonight as we receive updates on the situation.’
The car drove straight through the YNOT Outdoors Summer and After School Camp in Chatham, Illinois, on Monday about 3.20pm
Akers’ damaged black Jeep after it was pulled out of the building
Devastated locals recalled the moment their neighbors, friends, and loved ones learned of the tragedy and rushed to the scene.
‘Watching people you know sprint past your house, not knowing if their children are safe, is a gut-wrenching experience. My heart aches for everyone,’ one wrote.
Employees and volunteers at the local blood bank, Impact Life, urged locals to give blood this week, as they drained much of their stockpile helping victims of the crash.
‘After the tragic events today the blood bank is running low, please if your able go donate,’ one woman wrote.
Another said: ‘I work at the Blood Center, and we had to pack up so much of our supply for this, so please if you can donate blood, platelets, any of it, go do it.’
Illinois Senator Doris Turner said she was ‘heartbroken’ by the tragedy.
‘When we drop our kids off in the morning, we should always have the utmost belief that they will come home safely at the end of the day,’ she wrote.
‘For some families, that belief was shaken today following the tragedy at YNOT in Chatham.
YNOT is a summer and after school camp offering three hours of care for busy parents with little ones
Akers is understood to have crashed her car into the east side of the school facility with such force that it burst out the other side seconds later
Madison Foster, 10, points out the flowers and plush bunny she left for the victims
‘I am heartbroken – there truly are no words to explain what the Chatham community is feeling and will feel for days, weeks and months to come.
‘I want to thank the first responders, law enforcement and volunteers.’
The local Chick-Fil-A has offered all first responders a free meal on Monday and Tuesday in response to the tragedy.
YNOT, which stands for Youth Needing Other Things, is a summer and after school camp offering three hours of care for busy parents with little ones.
The Chatham Baptist Church has become the makeshift reunification point for families who have children at YNOT.