BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) — A 24-year-old man died after a head-on crash on 24th Street early Saturday morning.
The Bakersfield Police Department said on June 13, 2026, at around 1:04 a.m., officers were called to the 2300 block of 24th Street regarding a head-on crash.
When officers arrived, they found two severely damaged vehicles in the westbound lanes.
Police said one driver, identified as a man, was suffering from severe injuries and was later pronounced dead at a hospital. The Kern County Coroner’s Office identified the man as 24-year-old Steven Rene Bernal of Bakersfield.
The driver of the other vehicle, identified as a male, suffered minor injuries and was to the hospital for treatment.
According to police, a preliminary investigation found that a driver was traveling at a high rate of speed and driving the wrong way on 24th Street with no lights on and collided head-on with the other vehicle.
Driver impairment appears to be a factor, according to police.
Anyone with information regarding this crash is asked to call the Bakersfield Police Department at (661) 327-7111.