LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A fatal hit-and-run incident occurred Friday night in Nelson County, leaving one man dead and another injured. According to Kentucky State Police, the collision took place around 11 p.m. on the Bluegrass Highway near the 13-mile marker.
Authorities reported that 20-year-old Nelson Pacheco, of Cicero, Illinois, was changing a tire on a vehicle in the westbound emergency lane. Standing near the rear driver’s side bumper was 20-year-old Amari Mays-Clark, of Frankfort, Kentucky. A Jeep Grand Cherokee, traveling westbound, veered off the road and struck both individuals without stopping.
Mays-Clark was pronounced dead at the scene, while Pacheco sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was transported to Baptist Health Hardin for treatment.
The driver of the Jeep, identified as 48-year-old Jason Hamilton of Rineyville, Kentucky, fled the scene following the collision. However, Hamilton later turned himself in to Kentucky State Police hours after the incident. He faces multiple charges, including vehicular homicide while under the influence of alcohol, leaving the scene of an accident, failure to render aid, and assault.
Hamilton was taken to the Nelson County Detention Center, where he is being held pending further legal proceedings. The investigation remains ongoing.
This incident serves as a reminder of the dangers of impaired driving and the importance of stopping at the scene of an accident to provide assistance.
