A Villages woman accused of striking a golf cart with her sport utility vehicle and driving off recently resolved the criminal case against her without prison time.
The 76-year-old Village of Hillsborough resident entered a no-contest plea to a felony charge of leaving the scene of an accident, according to Villages-News. She was sentenced to six months of probation and 60 hours of community service, a fraction of the possible penalty.
The case stemmed from a March 2025 crash on Hillsborough Trail in which another Villages woman was knocked from her golf cart onto the pavement. The woman suffered a traumatic brain injury, as well as broken ribs, a punctured lung and other injuries. Her husband, who was riding with her in the cart, escaped serious injury.
A Florida Highway Patrol trooper reportedly traced the SUV, which had been captured on a gate camera, to the woman’s home in the Village of Hillsborough. The trooper said the woman’s husband voluntarily opened the garage door so the SUV could be inspected. The woman shut the garage door when she realized what the trooper was looking for, but by that point he had already spotted damage on the vehicle and matched its license plate to the gate camera footage.
A lawyer for the Hillsborough woman pushed in court to get the evidence excluded from the case against her, according to Villages-News. Prosecutors opted to reach a plea deal to resolve the case.
These kinds of hit and run collisions happen all too often in The Villages and across Florida. More than 200 people are killed in hit and run accidents statewide each year, according to data from Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. The majority of the deaths are pedestrians and bicyclists.
It is not clear whether the Hillsborough woman is paying restitution to the injured golf cart passenger in this case. The injured woman’s husband previously described her day-to-day ordeal as she continues to recover more than a year after the crash.
“We have been pushed to our emotional and financial limits,” the man told Villages-News in December. “I’ve driven nearly an hour each way every day to and from the hospital and a half hour each way every day to and from the rehab facility — bearing the fuel costs, mileage, time, and emotional toll. Our adult children have taken time off work, flown in from other states, and helped care for their mother. We’ve missed vacations, holidays, and moments we’ll never get back. Our lives have changed forever.”
How a Villages Golf Cart Accident Attorney Can Help
If you or a loved one has been injured in a golf cart, car, truck, motorcycle, or other accident, it is vital to seek the advice of an experienced lawyer. Villages golf cart accident attorney Tim Babiarz has been fighting for people and families across the community for more than two decades.
Our office is conveniently located in the Villages. We are also proud to represent clients throughout the area, including in Ocala, Leesburg, Lady Lake, Wildwood, Summerfield, and beyond. Call (352) 205-7559 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation with a Villages golf cart accident attorney.
