There will be no criminal charges for the driver of the vehicle that crashed into the YNOT daycare in Chattam last April, killing 5 and injuring several others.
According to a press release, States Attorney John Milhiser has announced the results of the investigation into the fatal crash. 44 year old Marianne Akers of Chatham drove off the road, through a field and crashed into the building. Milhiser says that the evidence from the investigation into Akers does not support criminal charges. The evidence collected by the Illinois State Police indicates that it was most likely a medical episode,possibly a seizure, that caused Akers to veer off the road. Toxicology tests conducted shortly after the crash were negative for drugs and alcohol.
First responders described Akers as unresponsive until they woke her and indicated that she seemed disoriented and had no memory of what had just happened. The Medical Director of the ISP said the results of her tests at the hospital showed Akers had “objective evidence of seizures,” but there was no evidence to establish the cause of the seizures.
After the incident, Akers’ driving privileges were cancelled. They remain cancelled.