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 one felony charge of leaving the scene of an accident involving death on Nov. 7.

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

An eyewitness who called 911 and followed Hunter to get the license plate number testified that he saw the white Toyota turn left onto Jones Street as the bicyclist sped through a crosswalk. pedestrians, hit the side of the car and “crumpled” 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 high speed in the opposite direction of traffic on the sidewalk. An accident reconstruction expert hired by her attorneys estimated that Tardugno was traveling more than 35 mph on his motorized bicycle, a Diamondback Wildwood electric bicycle, in the moments leading up to the crash.

Seth Stiers, a Clearwater police officer who led the investigation, agreed that Tardugno’s actions were “reckless,” 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 attorney, Paul Showalter.

“What I think was the most compelling evidence in that case is the video of her in her apartment moments after the accident, clearly unaware that her car had been damaged,” he said. “She had no idea she was involved in an accident.”

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

Had she known she was involved in an accident, Hunter likely would have reacted with panic, 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 relatives.

“The family were quite adamant that they thought they should have their day in court,” he said.

Bartlett said prosecutors have a strong case. Witnesses testified that Hunter stopped his car briefly about 300 yards from the crash site before continuing to drive home.

“It was like he knew something was up and then he just 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 gone for a little while and I think they probably said she had been punished enough.”

Gregory Witte, an accident reconstructionist who testified as an expert witness, said it was likely that Hunter did not feel the impact of the crash. When Tardugno’s e-bike flipped his Toyota, the car didn’t register the crash and didn’t deploy its airbags.

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

Florida law requires drivers to have sight in at least one eye.

At the time of her arrest, Hunter was also charged with driving with a suspended license. The charge was dropped last year. Court records show she was cited for driving with expired tags and no insurance.

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

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