Jacob Barnhardt: Nashville army vet dad on way to daughter’s softball game killed by drag racer Patrick Ewin in fatal crash
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE: Two drag racers were speeding at 100 mph when one of them lost control of their vehicle, killing a Nashville father who was en route to his daughter's softball game. US army veteran Jacob Barnhardt, 34, was killed when drag racer Patrick Ewin, 31, drove into the northbound lanes of Crossville Pike and slammed his Dodge Charger into Barnhardt's Honda Insight sedan.
Ewin has been accused of vehicular manslaughter by carelessness in connection to Barnhardt's death on Monday, March 5. He is now being held under a $75,000 bond, according to Daily Mail. The second vehicle's driver, who was also driving a Dodge Charger, sped away from the scene and is now wanted by police.
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NJ drag race turns into horror show as reckless driver kills two after speeding through intersection
The accident
According to the arrest affidavit and video surveillance, a white Dodge Charger Hellcat was racing another white Charger when it lost control, drove into oncoming traffic, and hit the driver's side of the Honda. Barnhardt had to be extradicted from the car when the rescue workers arrived at the horrific scene. He was taken to Vanderbilt Medical Center and later declared dead. Ewin was taken to the hospital after suffering minor injuries before being arrested.
Suspected drag racer Patrick Ewin, 31, is charged with vehicular homicide for a crash Mon afternoon that killed Jacob Barnhardt, 34, of Clarksville. Ewin was speeding in a Dodge Charger Hellcat on Clarksville Pk when he lost control & collided with Barnhardt's Honda Insight sedan pic.twitter.com/lClhtH6AoV
— Metro Nashville PD (@MNPDNashville) March 7, 2023
'They just ripped him away from us'
Kate Kastle, Barnhardt’s grief-stricken girlfriend, told WEAU, he was driving to pick up her two boys before heading to his daughter’s softball game after work. "They just ripped him away from us," Kastle said. "He was leaving the job that he loved to go pick up the children that he loved. He didn’t miss anything that had to do with the kids, ever. When I got the call from his daughter’s mom that he wasn’t at the game, and when my boy’s dad called asking if everything was OK because he didn’t pick up the boys, I just knew something happened."
Barnhardt was a retired Army special forces combat medic stationed at Fort Campbell for 18 years. Kastle described him as a passionate father who would sacrifice anything for his kids. "He took such good care of all of us. All of his former teammates always said they felt safe around him on deployments or anywhere," she said. "Even at home he always kept us safe," she said. "Jake was just amazing."
