Young teacher in ICU after crash that killed elderly couple

COBB COUNTY, Ga. — For the past eight days, Chris West has been waiting for doctors and Wellstar Kennestone Regionaly Medical Center in Marietta to tell her if her daughter will pull through after a horrific crash in Cobb County.

Karlissa Darby, a 22-year-old pre-K teacher, was four months pregnant when she was involved in a head-on collision last Monday on Macland Road and McMurray Drive in Powder Springs.

An elderly couple, Richard and Mary Jane Dow, died in the crash. Police say they were at fault in the crash.

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Darby, who was on her way to work at the time, lost her unborn son, and is now in ICU with broken ankles, wrists and femur.

“My baby, when I got here, had a tube in her. She was on a breathing machine,” West said. ”They told me they couldn't save her baby. Her uterus had ruptured and she had broken bones."

The crash also caused Darby to have a stroke and left her with severe head trauma.

Darby is now awake and breathing on her own, but won’t be leaving the hospital anytime soon.

West says they still don’t know if her daughter will ever fully recover and be able to walk again. Doctors say Darby will be there for at least a month before she starts rehab. %

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“It's going to be a long process, a long healing process. She's going to need a lot of therapy,” West said.

Darby, who works at the Sunshine House in Dallas, Georgia, is described as a compassionate person with a big heart, huge smile and silly personality.

“Karlissa is a very caring person, and she loved kids and she wanted this baby,” West said.

West, who rushed into town from Texas to be by her daughter's side, is living at the hospital. She says she won’t leave until her daughter can.

“She’s a strong girl. She’s a real strong girl,” West said.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the family with medical expenses.

Cox Media Group