LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — A couple who lost their baby in a 2016 DUI crash is speaking out after the same driver was accused of causing another deadly crash nearly 10 years later.
Miranda and Adam Bernd were driving on Interstate 64 in Georgetown, Indiana, on a Sunday morning in 2016. Miranda Bernd was 36 weeks pregnant, and the couple was on the way to take maternity photos for their daughter, Athena.
That's when Dalton Smith hit their vehicle head-on.
The crash sent Miranda Bernd into labor. She said Athena went without oxygen for about an hour and a half and did not survive.
"You don't expect to be holding your baby like this," Miranda Bernd said. "...She was perfect."
Athena Bernd daughter of Miranda and Adam Bernd. (Photo submission)Â
Investigators found Smith had multiple controlled substances in his system. He was sentenced to six years in prison in connection with Athena's death, along with another three years for a separate burglary case.
Miranda Bernd said Smith was eligible to get out early for good behavior.
"He could get out on good behavior after seven and a half," she said. "He did."
As the years passed, the couple said they often imagined what Athena's life would have looked like. They also worked to find forgiveness for Smith.
"The only justice we could've ever received is if he'd gotten clean and lived an honorable life," Miranda Bernd said.
But nearly 10 years later, Smith is now accused in another deadly crash.
Police said Smith, now 32, crashed into another vehicle Saturday at U.S. 150 and Lawrence Banet Road in Floyds Knobs, killing 23-year-old Julia Christie.
Smith is charged with reckless homicide, criminal recklessness, dealing in methamphetamine and possession of a firearm by a felon. He pleaded not guilty Monday, and a judge set his bond at $1 million cash.
According to court documents, Smith was on parole from the 2016 case at the time of Saturday's crash.
Witnesses told police Smith was driving westbound on U.S. 150 "in an erratic manner and at a high rate of speed" as he approached the intersection, according to court documents. He allegedly used a turn lane to bypass traffic stopped at a red light in the westbound lanes. When he drove into the intersection "at a high rate of speed," he hit the passenger side of the Honda Accord.
Police said dashcam footage provided by a witness showed Smith driving around the stopped traffic and into the intersection, hitting the Accord. An officer on scene who was talking to Smith noticed a black holster on his waistband and several other firearms scattered around the inside of his vehicle "in plain view." Police said six firearms were found.Â
While Smith was being searched at the Floyd County Jail, officers found two bags with 51.81 grams of a "crystal-like substance" that tested positive for methamphetamine.Â
"There should be no more forgiveness given," Adam Bernd said.
Owls have become a symbol of Athena for the Bernd family. She was named after the Greek goddess associated with wisdom.
Nearly 10 years after her death, Miranda Bernd said the loss is still felt in all the moments Athena should have been there for.
"There will always be an empty seat at our table," she said.
The Bernds said it "pains them" Athena's death wasn't enough to stop another family from having an empty seat.
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