SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The driver of a car that barreled through a building used for a popular after-school camp in central Illinois, killing three children and a teenager, was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol and may have had a medical emergency, police said Thursday.
No decisions have been made on whether to file charges against the 44-year-old driver, Illinois State Police Director Brendan F. Kelly said at a news conference. The driver is not in custody, Kelly said.
Evidence that she may have had a medical emergency was ''not conclusive'' and the investigation is ongoing, Kelly said.
The car went off the road Monday, crossing a field and smashing into the side of the building in Chatham used by Youth Needing Other Things Outdoors, also known as YNOT. It traveled through the building, striking people before exiting the other side.
Six other children were hospitalized. Four of them remained hospitalized, including one in critical condition, a state police spokesperson said after Thursday's news conference.
Those killed were Rylee Britton, 18, of Springfield, Ainsley Johnson, 8, Kathryn Corley, 7, and Alma Buhnerkempe, 7. All of the children were from Chatham, a community of about 15,000 outside the Illinois capital of Springfield.
The driver was not injured but was taken to a hospital for evaluation after the crash, Kelly said. She voluntarily submitted blood and urine samples that tested negative for drugs and alcohol, he said.
''Some evidence has been developed indicating the possibility of a medical emergency leading up to the crash,'' Kell said. ''However, the investigation of this information and other evidence has not yet concluded and will continue until all leads and research have been exhausted.''
