A motorcycle wreck injured a couple over Labor Day weekend. 

The driver and passenger of a 2015 Harley-Davidson, Lance and Sandra Berry, were airlifted to Erlanger on Sunday after colliding with a vehicle on Manchester Highway at 10 a.m. Mr. Berry’s condition was described as critical Tuesday morning by his wife. 

“They were traveling eastbound, inbound toward McMinnville, on Highway 55,” said state trooper Wade Myers, who investigated the crash. 

The two are residents of Houston, Texas. 

McMinnville resident Derek Bartell, 34, was traveling outbound in a 2020 Nissan Rogue. 

“Mr. Bartell was attempting to make a left turn into County Club Market,” said Myers. “He failed to yield and pulled into the path of the Harley-Davidson. The Harley hit the front end of the Nissan Rogue.” 

The Berrys were thrown onto the highway as the motorcycle went onto its side, skidded across the pavement and came to rest in a ditch on the eastbound side. 

“As of this morning, Mr. Berry remains in ICU in Erlanger in critical condition,” said Myers. “I talked to his wife this morning. She’s better, but she’s still hospitalized.” 

Mrs. Berry’s choice of headgear was likely a face-saving decision.

“Both the Berrys were wearing helmets with full face shields,” said Myers. “If she didn’t have that helmet with a face shield she would be in bad shape. Her helmet was severely scratched on the front and its face shield. If she hadn’t been wearing that, her face would have hit the pavement.”

Bartell was uninjured. He was cited for failure to yield right of way.