GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — Sonal Patel has been sentenced to seven years in prison for causing a crash that killed Omar Ortiz on Interstate 85 in Gwinnett County.
Patel, 40, pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide and DUI in connection with the crash that happened February 2024.
Prosecutors stated that she was under the influence of alcohol and the prescription drug Trazodone, and had not slept for up to two days before the incident.
Channel 2 Gwinnett County Bureau Chief Matt Johnson said the 29-year-old father who died in the crash had just arrived in the U.S. from Cuba, seeking a better future for his family.
“His girl and his boy are going to grow up without a dad,” said Leticia Almaguer, Ortiz’s aunt-in-law.
Ortiz was being driven home by Almaguer when the crash occurred.
“He came to give a great future to the kids,” Almaguer said.
Prosecutors revealed that Patel had cocaine in her car and had stopped her vehicle on the interstate before falling asleep at the wheel. Ortiz died at the scene of the crash.
Despite having a suspended license, Patel was driving at the time of the accident. She was granted bond after her arrest, a decision that drew criticism from Ortiz’s family and their attorney.
“We are very disappointed that she was able to bond out because she is a repeat offender,” said attorney Karina Deochand, who represented the family.
She negotiated a guilty plea to homicide by vehicle and DUI, and will spend seven years in prison as part of a 25-year sentence. After prison she will serve the rest of her sentence on probation.
“She is on the hook for a life,” Deochand said.
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