Indianapolis, IN (September 26, 2026) – A woman died after being struck by a driver on the city’s near west side, and Indianapolis police say the driver has since been arrested and charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated, causing death.
According to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, officers were called to the 3300 block of West 16th Street near Tibbs Avenue around 8:30 p.m. on September 26, 2026, on a report of a personal injury hit-and-run crash. An investigation found that a vehicle was traveling at a high rate of speed southbound on Tibbs Avenue approaching 16th Street when it struck another vehicle.
The crash caused the striking vehicle to cross traffic and drive through a gas station parking lot before hitting a woman who was walking through the lot, police said. The driver of the vehicle that was struck was uninjured and cooperated with police.
The driver of the striking vehicle fled the scene, but IMPD later arrested 22-year-old Edwin Alexander Sosa Gonzalez in connection with the crash. Marion County jail records show Sosa Gonzalez faces preliminary charges of leaving the scene of a crash causing death, operating while intoxicated causing death, and leaving the scene of a crash resulting in death.
“It’s just a tragic event. We have a woman minding her own business, struck by someone who obviously has no regard for human life, driving recklessly,” said IMPD Night Watch Capt. Rob Rider.
The victim’s family identified her to FOX59/CBS4 as 33-year-old Tamara Renee Thomas. Her identity has not been officially released by the Marion County Coroner’s Office.
Drunk Driving Accidents in Indiana
An OWI causing death charge tells you how the criminal case will likely unfold, but it runs on its own timeline, separate from a family’s right to pursue compensation.
- Civil claim independence: a wrongful death claim can move forward regardless of how long the criminal case takes, or how it resolves
- Insurance coverage: intoxicated-driver crashes are still covered by standard auto liability policies unless the driver had no coverage at all, in which case uninsured motorist protection may apply
- Evidence overlap: the criminal case’s toxicology results, dashcam footage, and crash reconstruction reports often become central evidence in the civil claim as well
- Third-party liability: depending on where the driver had been before the crash, a bar or server that overserved a visibly intoxicated patron may share responsibility under Indiana’s dram shop laws
Under Indiana law, a wrongful death claim generally must be filed within two years of the date of death (IC 34-23-1-1). For this crash, that deadline falls on September 26, 2028.
Contact Our Indiana Drunk Driving Accident Attorneys
A woman doing nothing more than getting gas lost her life to a driver who, police say, was intoxicated behind the wheel and then ran. That combination of choices deserves real accountability, not just a criminal docket number.
Our Indiana drunk driving accident attorneys pursue civil claims against drunk drivers independent of the criminal case, working to secure compensation for funeral costs, lost income, and the loss the Thomas family is now carrying.
The criminal case will move at its own pace, but evidence for the civil claim, like surveillance video and cell phone records, doesn’t wait for that timeline, so building the case now protects what’s available.
We take these cases on contingency. There’s no cost to talk with us, and no fee unless we recover for you.
Why Indiana families trust Langer & Langer:
- Founded 1980, over 45 years serving Indiana families
- 100+ years of combined legal experience
- Recognized by Super Lawyers, Best Lawyers, Indiana Trial Lawyers Association, American College of Trial Lawyers
