GREENACRES, Fla. — A 36-year-old Greenacres woman is facing a felony charge of leaving the scene of a fatal crash eight months after the hit-and-run of a 61-year-old bicyclist.
A warrant was issued for Carla Smith on Thursday and she made her first appearance on Friday. Bond was set at $5,000 and arraignment is scheduled for 9:01 a.m. Feb. 1.
Greenacres
Man had girl, 4, in car when he hit, killed woman, then drove off, deputies say
Rodney Carlton Manning died on July 20 after the crash on May 28.
Fire rescue personnel responded at 5:04 p.m. at 10th Avenue North, west of 57th Avenue in Greenacres.
Smith was driving a black Nissan Rogue eastbound on10th Avenue Northeast of 57th Avenue from the area of Summit Boulevard and Jog Road, according to the arrest report by the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office.
Simultaneously Manning was riding a blue Sedona Giant mountain bike southbound, across 10th Avenue
As the vehicle approached Manning, he entered the eastern travel lane occupied by the vehicle, according to the report. The driver was unable to avoid collision and the front left impacted the right side of the rider, who subsequently impacted the hood, front left fender, windshield and A-Pillar before being vaulted to the pavement in the left lane of eastbound traffic.
More than four hours later, the Nissan was discovered at her residence, which is close to the collision scene with damages consistent with a bicycle collision.
During an interview, Smith became hysterical after the crash and called her boyfriend but did not contact 911. "She felt bad because she was pretty sure it was a bike and told her boyfriend she thought she hit a person," the investigator wrote.
A subsequent investigation determined there was "a high probability of likelihood that Smith was in operation" of the vehicle at the time of the collision, according to the arrest report.