The four girls who died in an accident at an Illinois school camp program on Monday were named Tuesday.
This is what the Sangamon County coroner said about them: Rylee Britton, 18, Ainsley Johnson, 8, Alma Buhnerkempe, 7, and Kathryn Corley, 7. The coroner’s office said they were declared dead at the scene.
Williamie Buhnerkempe, Alma’s mother, told NBC News that her daughter was a “ray of sunshine wherever she went.”
Buhnerkempe said, “She was nice, friendly, silly, and funny.” “She cared deeply about her family and friends. She really liked doing gymnastics, soccer and basketball.
It was also said that Alma’s younger brother Will has autism. She “loved and supported him the way only a big sister could,” she noted.
Todd Johnson, Ainsley’s father, refused to be interviewed but told NBC News on Tuesday that his daughter had died. He told her that her name was “Squirt.”
“She was larger than life and will forever leave a void in our broken hearts,” he said.
Kathryn and Rylee’s family members did not reply right away to requests for comment.
Six more people were taken to Hospital Sisters Health System. Five of them were taken to the children’s hospital and placed there. The doctor said that one person was treated and sent home.
At 3:20 p.m. Monday, Illinois State Police said a car crashed into the building at YNOT After School Camp in the town of Chatham. The reason for the crash is being looked into.
The driver was recognised as 44-year-old Chatham resident Marianne Akers. Police in the state said that Akers, who is not in arrest, was given toxicology tests and that they are still waiting for the results.
The founder of YNOT Outdoors, Jamie Loftus, called the crash a “unforetold tragedy” in a statement this Tuesday. Loftus said that security cameras caught an SUV driving through a field at a “high rate of speed” and towards the building without making any attempts to change its direction.
Loftus asked people to pray for and think about the families of the dead and to give them “space and respect.”
“I cannot gather the words to express much of anything that will make sense in print,” he said. “However, I know that our families who lost loved ones or were hurt today are hurting very, very badly.” Their kids are just like ours, and they are friends.