AnnaLeah and Mary Karth

About AnnaLeah and Mary Karth

AnnaLeah Karth (May 15, 1995 – May 4, 2013)

AnnaLeah, born May 15, 1995, was the seventh child of nine to her parents, Marianne and Jerry Karth. From a very young age, AnnaLeah had her own little imaginative world. With six busy older siblings, she was likely to just crawl off and explore on her own. The family frequently had to ask each other, "Where's AnnaLeah?", so their Mom, Marianne, tied bells to her little shoes so they could find her.

AnnaLeah could add a bit of humor to any situation. She liked puns and enjoyed turning a misunderstood word into a laugh, which fit with her love of books. She was an avid reader, a trait she likely picked up from her older sister and role model, Rebekah. An incredibly well-read young woman, AnnaLeah was also acutely aware that there was still so much out there, and she looked forward to learning. In addition, she had amassed a personal library of over 600 books, which she cataloged by herself on a website. She enjoyed not only reading these books but sharing her collection with others for their enjoyment and enlightenment.

She also shared a love of history with her Dad and was enjoying sharing what she was learning with him. She had been wading through a very lengthy book about Truman, and they both thoroughly enjoyed discussing it together. He had also recently shared with her a YouTube concerning JFK. They also traveled to Raleigh/Durham to see historical Civil War sites. AnnaLeah’s colorful imagination, coupled with her thirst for knowledge resulted in a myriad of ideas circling in her mind that she would write down on random pieces of paper tucked into drawers, filling notebooks, or emailed to herself. She had, in fact, already created in her own mind, numerous literary worlds peopled by characters with names and personalities.

AnnaLeah took care of many young children during her teen years. She understood them and they loved her. Her older brother Peter and his wife Danelle felt confident in leaving their children, Marcus and Vanessa, with their Aunt AnnaLeah and they so appreciated this gift that she gave to them.

Mary Karth (August 6, 1999 - May 8, 2013)

Mary, born August 6, 1999, was the youngest of the Karth siblings. Whereas AnnaLeah was more reserved around others, Mary was a ham and brought her joie de vivre to every situation. Mary loved to talk on the phone or chat on the computer with her siblings and sisters-in-law, as well as friends. She shared a love of animals and photography with her sister-in-law, Naomi. She was in fact the biggest fan of Naomi's blogs.

As she got older, Mary came to adopt the phrase, "socially-awkward." Although fun-loving and ready to try just about anything, from the time she was little she was a “tail-between-her-legs” kind of girl; looking at her crossly got an immediate reaction. So, she had recently labeled situations as "socially-awkward" if they held the least bit of potential for being embarrassing. At the same time, she so easily brought a smile to others.

Mary loved performing. She got a part in the community theater's production of "A Christmas Carol," along with her sister Susanna, and she had a lovely singing voice. Her brother, Levi, filmed many episodes of "The Pink Flamingo Show"--starring Mary and Caleb. And her brothers, Isaac and Samuel, created a short film, "Gremlins in the Basement," starring Mary along with animated characters created by Isaac. From performing together to just enjoying quiet time together, it is so clear that Mary spread wholehearted joy everywhere she went.

AnnahLeah and Mary, only four years apart, spent countless hours together. From time with their Dad at the American Girls store in the Mall of America to an enormous used book sale by the Friends of the Library in Durham which delighted both. They enjoyed going on walks together, particularly during their last year together. The two shared vivid imaginations and would spend endless hours telling stories with a vast set of paper doll cutouts--many of them homemade.

Crash Description

On May 4, 2013, a Saturday morning, AnnaLeah, just two weeks short of her 18th birthday, got on the road with her Mom, younger sister, Mary, and brother Caleb. They were headed from North Carolina back to their former home in Texas. With their mom driving, the three were excited to be joining up with their dad and six older siblings to celebrate four college graduations and their oldest sister’s wedding.

All of their hopes and dreams came to a screeching halt when, on I-20 in Georgia, a truck failed to slow down, hit their car, and sent them backwards into the rear of a tractor trailer. The rear underride guard came off the truck and the car slid underneath. AnnaLeah, in the back seat, had the breath of life knocked out of her — killed by blunt force trauma and mechanical asphyxia. Her thirteen-year-old sister, Mary, suffered life-threatening injuries and died a few days later, on May 8, in a hospital.

The girls’ mother and brother in the front seat were spared such catastrophic injuries because their part of the car did not go under the truck.

Life After the Crash

The Karth family feels the loss of AnnaLeah and Mary deeply. Their young lives cut short, far too early. They remember and share the girls with their nieces and nephews by the unique stuffed animals thar AnnaLeah created without a pattern, usually from leftover material pieces, craft supplies, and button eyes. Mary's antics will be forever preserved in photos and video footage.

Any road fatality is tragic. And, like so many others, this was preventable. The crash that killed AnnaLeah and Mary is considered an underride crash. An underride crash occurs when a passenger vehicle slides under the body of a tractor-trailer as the Karth’s car did when it was spun around. At the time of the crash, the rear underride guard on the trailer met the federal standard. But it failed to prevent underride and, like the guards on millions of other trailers, was proven to be too weak by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. In addition, side and front guards, which would also help mitigate these crashes, are not required in the US.

The Karth Family has been instrumental in bringing attention to these lifesaving improvements including the introduction of bipartisan, bicameral legislation to address the issue. Additionally, the multi-year infrastructure bill that was signed into law in 2021 upgraded the standard for rear underride guards. Marianne Karth has been a leading voice in educating the public and media on the dangers of underride crashes, and the proven solutions available to protect the motoring public. Marianne was also instrumental in the planning and hosting of multiple Underride conferences at the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety. The Karth family has worked to reach out to all parties involved, including victims and industry, to work towards comprehensive underride protection.