CHATHAM, Ill. (April 22, 2026) – A wrongful death lawsuit has been filed against a Chatham, Illinois after-school program where a woman drove into the building, killing four students, one teenage counselor, and severely injuring several others. The lawsuit alleges the structure housing the camp was built in violation of safety codes in place at the time of construction.
On April 28, 2025, Marianne Akers, 44, was driving an SUV westbound on County Highway 5A when she drove off the road, traveled through a cornfield, and crashed into a thin outer wall on the east side of the YNOT After School Camp. The vehicle traveled through the structure, striking the victims before coming to a stop on the opposite side of the building.
The collision claimed the lives of 7-year-old Kathryn Corley, 7-year-old Alma Buhnerkempe, 8-year-old Bradley James Lund, 8-year-old Ainsley Johnson, and 18-year-old camp counselor Rylee Britton. At least six other children were severely injured in the incident and numerous children witnessed the devastating event from only feet away.
Four of the victims were pronounced dead at the scene. Bradley James Lund remained hospitalized for five weeks before succumbing to his injuries on June 2, 2025.
On April 20, 2026, a lawsuit was filed in Sangamon County Court against YNOT and other parties believed responsible for the construction of the building, as well as the driver, Marianne Akers.
According to the complaint, when the structure was built in 2012, Illinois safety regulations prohibited permanent youth camp facilities from being located within 100 feet of a highway under 77 Illinois Administrative Code 810.30. However, YNOT was constructed and operated at a location that was less than 100 feet off County Highway 5A, a heavily traveled roadway. The complaint further alleges the premises lacked adequate means of vehicle restraint installed to prevent a vehicle from striking the building, leaving areas where children were routinely present and vulnerable to foreseeable harm. The complaint also alleges that YNOT failed to make proper structural changes and improvements to the premises since its construction in 2012.
The lawsuit is filed on behalf of the five decedents and four surviving children who suffered physical injuries and emotional trauma as a result of the April 2025 incident.
“No family should ever have to endure the unimaginable loss of a child. Kathryn, Alma, Bradley, Ainsley and Rylee had their whole lives ahead of them,” Plaintiff’s attorney Lance D. Northcutt of the Chicago law firm Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard said. “Chatham is a tight-knit community and this tragedy has deeply affected countless families. These children were irreplaceable. With this lawsuit, the families seek accountability for this profound loss and meaningful safety improvements to prevent a tragedy like this from ever happening again.”
The families are also represented by Aaron D. Boeder, Michael J. Schostok, and Marisa A. Gelabert of Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard, and Frederick W. Nessler and Jonathan T. Nessler of Frederick W. Nessler & Associates.
The Village of Chatham is named as a respondent in discovery in the lawsuit.
For more information, please contact Marcie Mangan at (312) 372-1227 or mmangan@salvilaw.com.
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Case No.: [ESTATE OF KATHRYN CORLEY, Deceased, by ELIZABETH CORLEY, Independent Administrator; ESTATE OF RYLEE D. BRITTON, Deceased, by ZACHERY BRITTON and CHRISTINE BRITTON, Independent Co-Administrators; ESTATE OF ALMA BUHNERKEMPE, Deceased, by MICHAEL BUHNERKEMPE and BILLIE BUHNERKEMPE, Independent Co-Administrators; ESTATE OF BRADLEY JAMES LUND, Deceased, by DANIEL LUND and CYNTHIA LUND, Independent Co-Administrators; ESTATE OF AINSLEY JOHNSON, Deceased, by TODD JOHNSON and CHRISTY JOHNSON, Independent Co-Administrators; LIVI TUTTLE, a Minor, by and through her Parents and Next Friends, PHILLIP TUTTLE and LAURA TUTTLE; LEO TUTTLE, a Minor, by and through his Parents and Next Friends, PHILLIP TUTTLE and LAURA TUTTLE; ELLA ORSI, a Minor, by and through her Parents and Next Friends, MICHAEL ORSI and LINDSAY ORSI; EMMA FINCH, a Minor, by and through her Mother and Next Friend, JILL CRIPE; and ROSE CORLEY, a Minor, by and through her Mother and Next Friend, ELIZABETH CORLEY, Plaintiffs, vs. YNOT OUTDOORS, INC., an Illinois Not-for-Profit Corporation; R AND E BUILDINGS, LLC, an Illinois Limited Liability Company; THE JAMES R. LOFTUS & MITZI LOFTUS TRUST; and MARIANNE AKERS, Individually, Defendants, And THE VILLAGE OF CHATHAM, a Municipal Corporation, Respondent in Discovery.]
