NRI PULSE STAFF REPORT
Lawrenceville, GA, November 9, 2025: A Lawrenceville woman has been sentenced to seven years in prison for causing a February 2024 crash on Interstate 85 that killed 29-year-old Omar Ortiz, according to Gwinnett County prosecutors and local news reports.
Sonal Nandkishor Patel, 40, pleaded guilty to first-degree vehicular homicide and DUI. Investigators said Patel was under the influence of alcohol and the prescription drug Trazodone at the time of the crash and told officers she had not slept for up to two days. She also had a suspended driver’s license.
According to the Gwinnett County Police Department, Patel’s impairment and lack of sleep caused her to stop her vehicle “in the middle of a travel lane” on I-85 before the collision occurred.
Local news outlets reported that Patel’s vehicle then struck the car in which Ortiz was a passenger. Ortiz died at the scene. His aunt-in-law, who was driving, survived the crash. Ortiz had recently immigrated from Cuba.
Patel received a total sentence of 25 years, with seven years to serve in prison and the remainder on probation.
Ortiz’s family is represented by attorney Karina Deochand.
