On July 12, 2017, Bernecker was performing Stunts on the television series The Walking Dead. During rehearsal of a stunt, Bernecker fell 20 feet (6.1 m) onto a concrete floor, missing a placed safety cushion by "inches", and sustained a severe head injury. This shut down production on the series. He was taken to Atlanta Medical Center and placed on life support. He died from his injuries the following day, aged 33.
