3 days ago
Man convicted of 2020 Mission District hit-and-run
A San Francisco man was convicted of a 2020 hit-and-run incident in the Mission District that left two men seriously injured, including one who lost his legs, San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins announced Friday.
Stephen Kernan, 68, was convicted by a jury for reckless driving and fleeing the scene after hitting two people with his Toyota Prius, prosecutors said.
'This verdict delivers justice to the victims after five long years and hopefully sends a message to all drivers to slow down and obey all laws or risk tragedy,' Jenkins said in a statement.
On the afternoon of Feb. 12, 2020, a pedestrian was walking across 23rd Street at the intersection with Mission Street when Kernan 'suddenly accelerated' his burgundy Prius into the man, 'slamming him' into a passing Muni 14R bus, prosecutors said.
The collision with the man — who had the right of way — caused the front bumper and license plate to fall off the car, Jenkins' office said.
Kernan stopped for a few seconds following the crash, but then sped away from the scene, side swiping the same bus the pedestrian had been thrown into, prosecutors said, and hitting two Muni passengers, one of whom was pulling someone else out of the car's path just in time. The man's femur was broken in the collision, prosecutors said.
Police at the time of the crash said Kernan continued speeding away along the sidewalk. The men who were struck remained hospitalized in critical condition for days after the crash, while the third victim was treated for minor injuries at the scene, police said.
The district attorney's office said the two men Kernan hit were seriously injured. Bystanders stepped in after the crash to save both men's lives, Jenkins' office said, by applying tourniquets and doing CPR on both victims until first responders arrived at the scene.
'Although one victim suffered the catastrophic loss of both his legs, both men were able to survive because of the heroic acts of strangers,' the district attorney's office said in a statement.
Prosecutors said Kernan returned to the scene of the collisions eight and a half minutes later.
Kernan, who is not currently in custody, is set to be sentenced on July 16, prosecutors said.
