A Carroll man charged with leaving the scene of an accident near Halbur that killed two people and seriously injured a third was taken into custody today (Wednesday) on two counts of vehicular homicide and serious injury by vehicle. Carroll County District Court records show 51-year-old Troy Michael Bluml of Carroll was initially arrested following the April 14 accident at the intersection of 220th Street and Hawthorne Avenue. Authorities say Bluml was traveling eastbound with his John Deere tractor and manure tank and failed to yield at the intersection, leading to a collision with a northbound 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe operated by 17-year-old Elvin Ariel Murillo Castro of Carroll. Castro and 56-year-old Pedro Castro of Carroll died at the scene, and 24-year-old Carlos Castro, also of Carroll, survived the life-threatening injuries he sustained in the crash. An investigation by the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office and Iowa State Patrol alleges Bluml had an estimated blood alcohol content (BAC) between .189 and .338 at the time of the crash, based on his .09 BAC ten hours after the crash and witness statements about alcohol Bluml consumed earlier in the evening at a home in the 16000 block of 220th Street. Authorities say Bluml also drove the tractor around rural Carroll County following the crash, including through Carroll, Glidden, and Lidderdale, before returning to his home around midnight. In addition to the initial charge of leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death, a class C felony, Bluml now also faces two counts of homicide by vehicle—operating under the influence, a class B felony, and serious injury by vehicle, a class D felony. He was booked into the Carroll County Jail and released after posting a $55,000 surety bond. Across all counts, the charges carry a combined maximum sentence of up to 65 years in prison with a mandatory minimum of 45 years before he would be eligible for parole if convicted.
Carroll Man Charged With Fleeing Scene Of Fatal April Crash Now Charged With Vehicular Homicide
