A man died and another was seriously injured in a sad incident of drag racing that occurred on Bardstown Road Sunday afternoon, according to Louisville Metro Police. Police say 42-year-old Yusnier Bernal was racing at over 119 mph when he crashed into an SUV at the intersection of Bardstown Road and Bardstown Falls Road shortly after 1:10 p.m.
According to eyewitnesses, Bernal was racing against a blue-colored BMW on Bardstown Road’s northbound lanes. As the vehicles were gaining speed down the road, Bernal’s car struck an SUV trying to turn out of Bardstown Falls Road with such high force that debris was still seen on both sides of the highway.
Emergency crews including EMS and Fern Creek Fire responded to the scene. Firefighters extricated the SUV driver, who had serious injuries and was taken to University Hospital. The passenger in the SUV was identified as 77-year-old Myrtle Wacker and had fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Bernal, also injured and in stable condition, was taken to University Hospital. Upon release, he will face murder, assault, wanton endangerment, and speed greater than 26mph over the limit charges, after investigators confirmed via a data recorder, Bernal’s car reached 119.6 mph at the time of collision.
The crash led to the road being temporarily closed south of Fairmount Road for the police processing of the scene. The investigation is still going on, with police underlining the dangers of high-speed racing on the public roads.
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