GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Evelyn Carter Reynolds, 49, of Old Town, was arrested early Wednesday after police accused her of striking a pedestrian at West University Avenue and 13th Street and leaving without stopping to provide assistance. During her court appearance, Reynolds said she works as a driver for Uber and Lyft.
According to a Gainesville Police Department officer’s report, the incident occurred at approximately 1:49 a.m. on October 15. The victim was walking through the crosswalk on SW 13th Street at West University Avenue when she was struck by a red or burgundy SUV. The vehicle continued south on SW 13th Street without stopping.
A witness told police she saw the SUV drive over the lower portion of the victim’s body.
The officer reported that the victim suffered a chipped tooth, multiple cuts and abrasions across her body, and swelling in her legs and ankles. She was still undergoing evaluation for possible internal injuries when the arrest report was completed.
The victim told officers she had waited for the pedestrian signal before entering the crosswalk. She said she was struck from behind, fell to the ground and immediately began experiencing pain in the lower half of her body.
Police later located the SUV on SW 13th Street, roughly 19 blocks south of the crash scene.
A passenger in the SUV told officers that Reynolds said she had hit what she believed was trash in the roadway. When an officer contacted Reynolds, she reportedly volunteered that she had struck trash and looked in her rearview mirror for an ambulance.
After being read her Miranda rights, Reynolds reportedly said she hit something she thought was trash while turning right from West University Avenue onto SW 13th Street. She said she looked back and saw three people in the roadway who appeared to be gathering the debris. Reynolds told police the road had been clear when she turned and said she did not realize she had struck anyone; otherwise, she said, she would have stopped.
Reynolds faces a charge of leaving the scene of an accident involving serious injury. She has no prior criminal history. Judge Susan Miller-Jones set her bail at $50,000.