Miami-Dade Bus Driver Charged in Fatal Accident

Driver left scene of Aventura crash after knowing she hit pedestrian: police

A Miami-dade bus driver who left the scene of an Aventura accident last year after she struck a pedestrian was arrested Thursday, police said.

Goddess Newbold-Hayes, 41, was charged with leaving the scene of an accident involving a fatality, and failure to render aide in the Nov. 27 accident that killed 51-year-old Tomislov Pepi Ritoper.

According to police, Newbold-Hayes was driving a Miami-Dade Transit but when she hit Ritoper in the 20000 block of Northeast 29th Place while she was making a turn.

Ritoper was killed at the scene. Newbold-Hayes left the scene, later telling police she didn't realize she'd hit anyone. Police said at the time that Ritoper had stumbled off the curb and into the bus.

But after authorities reviewed the tape from inside the bus at the time of the accident, they saw Newbold-Hayes did realize she'd struck Ritoper, but kept driving anyway.

Newbold-Hayes passed drug and alcohol tests after the crash but was relieved of her duties. She was booked into jail and was being held on $10,000 bond late Thursday.

Contact Us