Mother of 24-year-old who died in Lexington Road crash says son was victim of street racing

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The mother of a 24-year-old man who died in a crash on Lexington Road over the weekend is speaking out about her son, saying his death was the result of dangerous street racing.

Daniel Bell appeared in Jefferson District Court Monday morning, where a not-guilty plea was entered on his behalf on charges of murder, DUI and wanton endangerment.

Investigators said he was behind the wheel and speeding at about 2 a.m. on Saturday as he traveled down Lexington Road, toward Grinstead Drive. Police said there were five passengers in the car when he lost control and crashed off to the right shoulder and into the guardrail, striking several trees.

Javen Rushin, 24, one of the passengers in the car, died as a result of the crash. Several others were injured.

Police said Bell's blood alcohol content was .170 -- double the legal limit. He reportedly admitted to police that he was drinking before the crash.

On Monday afternoon, pieces of the car were still visible at the scene, as was severe damage to the guardrail nearby.

Estefany Rushin is Javen Rushin's mother. She believed the crash was the result of street racing.

"A parent should never have to bury their child," said Estefany Rushin.

She said her eldest son Jason called her early in the morning on Saturday to tell her that her son Javen was gone.

She said Jason told her, "'Momma, he's gone! He's gone!' He kept apologizing to me. He said, 'Momma, I tried to do CPR to bring him back, but I couldn't.'"

Estefany said Javen's brother, Jason, pulled up to the crash in a different car shortly after it took place.

"It was so hard," Estefany said. "I felt so bad for my son and see his brother and try to revive him and couldn't."

Investigators with the Louisville Metro Police Department cannot currently confirm that it was an incident of street racing or drag racing with only one car involved in the crash. But Estefany said she's convinced that it was, based on videos of the driver speeding through traffic on social media.

She said it cost her son his life.

"I will never be able to hold him," she said. "I will never be able to Facetime him."

Javen leaves behind a dog named Thor.

"He does this cute Thor voice, and he'd be like, 'Hey grandma, can I come over and stay?'" Estefany said. "We're never going to get that again."

His old Eastern High School yearbook shows he was never far from a basketball court -- and Estefany said he continued that love of the sport into adulthood.

"He was the life of the party," Estefany said.

Now this grieving mother is begging anyone who is thinking about getting involved in street racing -- or even just testing the speed limit -- to think twice.

"Please don't do it because if you do, you might take someone else's baby away from them or even lose your life," she said. "Is it really worth it?"

Her hope is that people caught speeding will take the charges seriously before another life is lost.

A GoFundMe has been set up for the Rushin family. To donate, click here.

Several out-of-towners kept Louisville police busy over the weekend, as officers responded to 27 calls for street racing.

Metro Police spokesman Dwight Mitchell said several of the people involved were not from Kentucky.

Louisville police have been battling an increase in street racing in recent years. In Oct. 2022, Metro Council passed an ordinance allowing police to tow or impound a vehicle involved in street racing for a first-time offense, along with a $1,000 fine. A second offense can be a $2,000 fine.

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