Man from Nepal killed after being struck on New Circle Road exit ramp

A man from Nepal died after being struck by a car off New Circle Road Wednesday morning in Lexington, according to the Fayette County Coroner’s Office.

The crash, which occurred around 7:20 a.m. on the outer loop of New Circle’s off ramp to Richmond Road, created significant traffic issues during the morning work commute.

The driver of the car told police the adult male pedestrian walked in front of traffic, Lt. Chris Van Brackel said. The driver is currently not facing charges.

The pedestrian, identified by Fayette County Coroner Gary Ginn as 58-year-old Bishnu Prasal Sapkota, from Kathmandu, Nepal, was taken to University of Kentucky Chandler Hospital. He died at 7:50 a.m., the coroner said.

Ginn said the manner of death is being ruled an accident, while circumstances of his death remain under investigation.

Officials shut down the exit ramp for around two hours, which led to traffic backups on New Circle Road, the Lexington Traffic Management Center said. Traffic was backed up past Alumni Road, according to the traffic management center.

The exit ramp reopened around 9:30 a.m. Wednesday.

Van Brackel said they received many 911 calls about the collision and is asking anyone who saw the pedestrian or crash to call police with any information.

This story was originally published September 25, 2019 at 8:03 AM.