Clearwater woman, 77, found not guilty in fatal 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 misdemeanor charge of leaving the scene of an accident involving death on Nov. 7.

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

An eyewitness who called 911 and chased Hunter to get her license plate number testified that he saw her white Toyota turn left onto Jones Street as the cyclist sped through a crosswalk, hit the side of her car and “collapsed” to the ground, according to court records .

Anthony Tardugno51, was taken to Bayfront Health St. Petersburg, now Orlando Health Bayfront Hospital, in critical condition. He was pronounced dead three days later.

Hunter’s attorneys argued that Tardugno was driving in an “unsafe manner” at a high rate of speed in the opposite direction of traffic on the sidewalk. A crash reconstruction expert hired by her attorneys estimated that Tardugno was traveling faster than 55 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 statement.

Whether or not Hunter felt the impact of the crash and knowingly fled the scene was central to the case, said her attorney, Paul Showalter.

“What I think was the most compelling evidence in that case is the video of her in her apartment right after the accident, clearly oblivious to the fact that there is 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 getting groceries from her trunk, according to apartment surveillance video shown to jurors.

If she knew she had been involved in an accident, Hunter likely would have panicked, Showalter said.

Pinellas-Pasco State’s Attorney Bruce Bartlett said his office and Hunter’s attorneys discussed a plea deal, but it was ultimately rejected by Tardugno’s family members.

“The family insisted they felt they should spend their day in court,” he said.

Bartlett said prosecutors had a strong case. Witnesses said Hunter briefly stopped her car about 100 yards from where the accident occurred before continuing to drive home.

“It was like she knew something had happened and then ran,” Bartlett said.

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

“You felt sorry for her,” Bartlett said. “The jury had a few questions, and they were gone for a while, and I think they probably just said she’s been punished enough.”

Gregory Witte, a crash reconstruction expert who testified as an expert witness, said it was likely Hunter did not feel the impact of the crash. When Tardugno’s e-bike sideswiped her Toyota, the car did not register the crash and the airbags did not deploy.

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

Florida law requires drivers to 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 plates and no insurance.

Showalter, Hunter’s attorney, said his client maintained her innocence throughout the trial and was pleased with the verdict.

“It was a tragic accident, but it was not a crime,” he said.