A judge has sentenced a Lantana man to 10 years in prison after he struck a man with his car in August 2024 and left him to die along Hypoluxo Road.
Jurors found Simon Andres-Miguel, 30, guilty on July 15 of leaving the scene of a wreck that killed 51-year-old Craig Kersh on Aug. 24, 2024. Prosecutors said Andres-Miguel drove away after striking Kersh and spent hours at a nightclub before deputies tracked him down.
Circuit Judge John Parnofiello on Aug. 5 sentenced Andres-Miguel to 10 years in prison, followed by two years of probation.
Upon his release, Andres-Miguel must attend two victim-impact panels — where crash survivors and the family members of those who died share their stories — and forfeit his driver's license for five years, or risk
being sent back to prison.
"It is appalling that the Defendant, who knew he struck a person and by his own admission, did not panic about the situation, would leave the victim in the gutter on the side of the road so he could continue to a nightclub without even attempting to render aid to Mr. Kersh," Parnofiello wrote.
"It is even more appalling that the Defendant would claim that he did not get into a crash that night, claiming that a crash must involve two vehicles."
"The Defendant failed his basic human duties the night of the crash," the judge wrote.
Fatal hit-and-run victim lingered in hospital a month before dying
Kersh was a familiar figure in the Lake Worth Beach area. He was homeless at different times and sought donations of food, water, cash and basic necessities on public roadways.
Working with Gainesville-based Southern Legal Counsel, Kersh and three other men sued Lake Worth Beach saying two city ordinances against panhandling violated their First Amendment rights. The city and the men reached a settlement that led to the repeal of those laws.
According to a Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office report, Andres-Miguel was westbound on Hypoluxo Road east of Interstate 95 just before 9:30 that night when his Jeep Grand Cherokee struck Kersh as he crossed the street. The force of the crash threw Kersh to the north side of the roadway.
Paramedics brought Kersh to St. Mary's Medical Center in critical condition. He arrived with no brain activity and later died from his injuries on Sept. 22, 2024.
Surveillance video captured the crash and showed the SUV continuing without stopping. Investigators used the vehicle's license plate to identify the Jeep and contacted Andres-Miguel's parents before finding him at the Tacos Al Carbon near Congress Avenue and Sixth Avenue South.
Judge: Defendant chose not to render aid to person in need after wreck
Deputies seized the SUV, which had a damaged bumper and "biological matter" belonging to Kersh on the bumper and hood. When questioned by investigators, Andres-Miguel denied being involved in a crash before he said Kersh had stepped in front of his vehicle. Authorities said he never called 911 or reported the collision.
Palm Beach County sheriff's deputies arrested Andres-Miguel the following year on Feb. 12, 2025.
Prosecutors sought a 12-year prison sentence followed by three years of probation. Andres-Miguel's attorneys requested a downward departure sentence, but Parnofiello denied the request.
"The Defendant, that night, made the choice to not help the victim and decided that going to the nightclub with his cousin was more important than trying to save someone’s life," Parnofiello wrote. "The best sentencing option in this case is not a departure from the mandatory minimum sentence — the best sentencing option is significantly higher sentence."
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Judge blasts driver who left dead man 'in gutter' after 2024 crash
