Police Upgrade Charges For Truck Driver In Fatal Wreck

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Charges have been upgraded for the man behind the wheel of a tractor trailer that overturned on a pickup truck, killing a 31-year-old mother of two children.

Along with driving under the influence, Emerson police have now charged 53-year-old Ivan Delgato of Rome, New York, with vehicular homicide, involuntary manslaughter and reckless conduct, Police Chief Stan Bradley said Friday afternoon.

Dispatchers received a call around 8:23 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 13 of an accident on U.S. 41 near Zep Industries involving an overturned tractor trailer. First responders arrived on the scene and discovered a Toyota Tundra pinned underneath the cab of the tractor trailer, Bradley said.

Both the semi and the pickup truck were on top of the guardrail on the southbound shoulder of the highway. Delgado was not injured in the crash. However, the four occupants of the Tundra weren’t so lucky.

The driver and father, 36-year-old Reid Karr, was transported in stable condition to WellStar Kennestone Hospital while 31-year-old mother Kyra Karr was pronounced dead at the scene.

Their two children were transported in serious, but stable, condition to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite. Bradley said one of the juveniles, a female, was removed from the vehicle by witnesses before police arrived at the site of the accident.

It took an additional 90 minutes to remove the three remaining occupants from the Tundra, the agency said.

“The investigation revealed that the driver of the tractor trailer was conducting an pre-trip inspection of his truck in the lot of Zep industries prior to departing with his load,” Bradley added. “During this time the truck began to roll due to failure of the driver to set the parking brakes. The truck traveled uncontrolled down a steep entrance/exit to the business, gaining speed as it traveled towards U.S. 41 where it struck the Toyota, which was traveling north on U.S. 41.”

Bradley stated added the crash pushed the Toyota across the median and through the southbound lanes, and both vehicles subsequently overturned onto the guardrail.

Another twist to the story: the tractor trailer, which belonged to Indiana-based Celadon Trucking, was carrying corrosive hazardous materials, some of which leaked from the trailer during the accident. It took about 8-and-a-half hours to clean up the hazardous materials, and U.S. 41 was opened around 5 a.m. Friday.

“It was determined, early on in the investigation, that no local residents were in any danger from the hazmat spill,” Bradley added. “All materials were found to be common household cleaners/degreasers.”

Delgado was booked into the Bartow County Jail around 10:30 p.m. Thursday.

According to a Facebook post made by missionary organization IMB, the Karrs were appointed as IMB missionaries in 2009 and have been serving in Rome.

They were about to return to the field for their third term of service after a brief stateside assignment. Karr graduated from the University of Georgia and grew up in Tabernacle Baptist Church in Cartersville, the post states.

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Photo 1: Ivan Delgado, 52, of Rome, New York. Credit: Bartow County Sheriff’s Office
Photo 2: Kyra Karr. Credit: IMB