CMPD charges man in connection with fatal south Charlotte wreck
Charlotte-Mecklenburg police on Tuesday arrested a man they said was involved in a fatal wreck Dec. 22 in south Charlotte.
John Joseph Kalna Jr., 75, of Matthews, was pronounced dead at Carolinas Medical Center on Monday from injuries he suffered in the wreck at Rea Road and Ballantyne Commons Parkway, police said.
Kalna was driving a 2007 Nissan Titan that was struck by a 2003 Buick Rendezvous whose driver had run a red light on Rea Road, police said.
Police charged the driver of the Rendezvous, Richard Nicholas Grabowsky, 69, of Charlotte, with misdemeanor death by vehicle. Grabowsky was uninjured in the wreck, which happened about 12:30 p.m.
After being hit by the Rendezvous, Kalna’s vehicle struck two vehicles that were stopped for the red light in the left turn lanes on Rea Road, police said.
The Rendezvous continued traveling west. It went through a group of shrubs and then a fence before stopping in a drainage ditch. The drivers of the two other vehicles were uninjured, police said.
Police are asking that anyone who witnessed the wreck call Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600 or CMPD’s Major Crash Investigation Unit at 704-432-2169.
Joe Marusak: 704-358-5067, @jmarusak
This story was originally published December 29, 2015 at 1:17 PM with the headline "CMPD charges man in connection with fatal south Charlotte wreck."