Hit-and-run victim at Boynton vigil out of intensive care, faces lengthy recovery

Julius Whigham II, Palm Beach Post
·2 min read

BOYNTON BEACH ― A Boynton Beach pastor who was injured in a hit-and-run crash on the day after Christmas has been released from intensive care but remains under hospital care at Delray Medical Center, a hospital spokesman said.

Bishop Bernard Wright, 70, was injured Dec. 26 while he was attending a vigil he helped organize to mark the one-year anniversary of the death of Stanley Davis III, a 13-year-old boy who died when his dirt bike crashed as a Boynton Beach police officer was trying to pull him over. Wright stepped off a median onto North Federal Highway in Boynton Beach and was struck by a white Chevrolet Camaro that police investigators say fled the scene.

Hit-and-run case remains under investigation

Boynton Beach police have located and impounded the Camaro suspected in the vigil hit-and-run but are still attempting to locate the car's driver. The case remains under investigation, said Officer Holly Picciano, spokesperson for Boynton Beach police.

Bishop Bernard Wright, center, stands with others before he was hit by a car during vigil  to mark one year since the death of Stanley Davis III
Bishop Bernard Wright, center, stands with others before he was hit by a car during vigil to mark one year since the death of Stanley Davis III

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Wright, a former candidate for Boynton Beach mayor, underwent multiple surgeries for broken bones in both legs and his right arm. In the hospital's Jan. 9 update, spokesman Andrew Lofholm said Wright still faces a lengthy recovery.

"We're hoping for a good recovery, and he is going to have a good recovery," Dr. Igor Nichiporenko said during a Jan. 2 news conference at the medical center. "We're currently looking into starting physical therapy and working on getting him out of the intensive care unit. And we're looking at a (sure) but slow recovery. … We'll get him there."

Jannerral Wright, Boynton Beach, speaks at a press conference about the health of her father, activist and minister Bernard Wright, at the Delray Medical Center on Monday, January 2, 2023, in Delray Beach, FL. A group of about a dozen gathered Monday night to support Wright after the 70-year-old man was hit by a vehicle December 26 during a prayer vigil on North Federal Highway in Boynton Beach.

Wright was one of four candidates who ran for mayor in Boynton Beach's March 2022 municipal election. The race was won by current mayor Ty Penserga.

“We’re appreciative of all prayers from the community." Jannerral Wright, Bernard's daughter, said in a statement released on behalf of the family. "Bernard is eager to get back to doing what he does best, advocating for the city of the Boynton Beach."

Julius Whigham II is a criminal justice and public safety reporter for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jwhigham@pbpost.com and follow him on Twitter at @JuliusWhigham. Help support our work: Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Bishop Bernard Wright out of intensive care after hit-and-run crash