Clearwater woman, 77, found not guilty in fatal hit-and-run crash

A 77-year-old Clearwater woman accused of fleeing the scene of a fatal crash was found not guilty by a Pinellas jury last week.

Grace Hunter was acquitted of a felony charge of leaving the scene of a crash involving death on Nov. 7.

Jurors decided Hunter was likely unaware of the crash that occurred Aug. 16, 2022 about 3 p.m., when she and a bicyclist collided at the intersection of Myrtle Avenue North and Jones Street in Clearwater, her lawyer said.

An eyewitness who called 911 and chased after Hunter to take down her license plate number testified he saw her white Toyota turn left onto Jones Street as the cyclist sped through a crosswalk, struck the side of her car and "crumpled" to the ground, according to court records.

Anthony Tardugno , 51, was taken to Bayfront Health St. Petersburg, now Orlando Health Bayfront Hospital, in critical condition. He was pronounced dead three days later.

Hunter's lawyers argued that Tardugno was riding in an "unsafe way" at a high speed in the opposite direction of traffic on the sidewalk. A crash reconstruction expert hired by her lawyers estimated Tardugno was moving faster than 35 mph on his motorized bicycle, a Diamondback Wildwood e-bike, in the moments leading up to the crash.

Seth Stiers, a Clearwater police officer who led the investigation, agreed that Tardugno's actions were "careless," he said in a deposition.

Whether or not Hunter felt the impact of the crash and knowingly fled the scene was at the heart of the case, said her lawyer, Paul Showalter.

"What I think was the most compelling evidence in that case is the video of her in her condo, moments after the accident, clearly unaware of that there's damage to her car," he said. "She had no idea she was involved in an accident."

Hunter can be seen pulling into her reserved parking spot and taking groceries from her trunk, according to the condo surveillance video shown to jurors.

If she knew she had been involved in a crash, Hunter would have likely reacted with panic, Showalter said.

Pinellas-Pasco state attorney Bruce Bartlett said his office and Hunter's lawyers discussed a plea deal, but it was ultimately rejected by Tardugno's relatives.

"The family was pretty insistent that they thought they ought to have their day in court," he said.

Bartlett said prosecutors had a strong case. Witnesses testified Hunter stopped her car briefly about 300 feet from where the crash took place before continuing her drive home.

"It was like she knew something had happened, and then sped off," Bartlett said.

Jurors didn't see it that way, he said.

"You felt sorry for her," Bartlett said. "The jury had some questions, and they were out for a little while, and I think they probably just said she's punished enough."

Gregory Witte, a crash reconstructionist who testified as an expert witness, said it was likely that Hunter didn't feel the impact of the crash. When Tardugno's e-bike sideswiped her Toyota, the car didn't register the crash and deploy its airbags.

Hunter's optometrist also testified she was effectively blind in her left eye — the direction where the crash occurred — and had poor peripheral vision.

Florida law requires drivers have vision in at least one eye.

At the time of her arrest, Hunter was also charged with driving with a suspended license. That charge was dropped last year. Court records show she was cited for driving with expired tags and without insurance.

Showalter, Hunter's lawyer, said his client maintained her innocence throughout the trial and was happy with the verdict.

"It was a tragic accident, but it wasn't a crime," he said.