Plea In Kiryas Joel Hit-and-run Case

GOSHEN, NY — The Kiryas Joel deliveryman who was accused of striking a child with his truck and leaving the scene of the accident entered a plea in the case Monday. Orange County District Attorney David M. Hoovler said that Yudah Zimmerman, 24, of Kiryas Joel, pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an incident without reporting, a felony.

He faces a sentence of up to six months in the Orange County Jail, as well as five years of probation when he is sentenced in August, Hoovler said.

When he entered the plea, Zimmerman, a fish deliveryman, admitted that he struck an 8-year-old boy with his truck Nov. 9, 2016, on a street in Kiryas Joel.

Zimmerman said he left the scene of the accident without reporting it or providing information required by law.

The child, who lived on the street where the accident occurred, was seriously injured. He had a lacerated liver, fractured pubic bone, fractured orbit of the eye, fractured nasal bone and a lung contusion.

He was hospitalized for nine days at Westchester Medical Center.

Hoovler said that all people must own up to the accidents they are involved in, whether they are at fault or not.

“When motorists flee the scenes of traffic accidents, law enforcement authorities are prevented from fully investigating those incidents, often making it difficult to assess fault and to ensure that injured parties are cared for and compensated,” he said.

“Those unlawful flights from accident scenes also require the waste of investigative resources to identify motorists involved in those incidents. It was only because of diligent police work that this defendant was identified as the involved operator and brought to justice for his crime,” Hoovler said.

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