Accused drunk driver hits and kills woman fixing tarp on side of highway, Texas cops say
Police said alcohol use was behind the collision that killed a 50-year-old woman on the shoulder of a Texas highway.
Flavia Arzate Gomez, an Austin resident, was only a 25-mile drive south of home when she stopped her car on the shoulder of the interstate to fix a loose tarp on her vehicle around 2 a.m. March 18, according to Kyle Police Department’s Facebook post.
Police said Gabriella Saurette, a 21-year-old San Marcos resident, struck and killed Gomez on the shoulder. The collision occurred six miles northwest of San Marcos on the highway.
“Upon arrival, Kyle Police officers observed signs of impairment from Saurette,” police said.
Police said she admitted she had come from 6th Street, Austin’s bar and nightlife district, and had been drinking. She’s been booked into the county jail and charged with intoxication manslaughter.
According to the Texas Department of Transportation, not a single day has gone by without a fatality on Texas roads since November 7, 2000. A public awareness campaign launched in 2015, #EndTheStreakTX, has not ended it.
TxDOT statistics from 2023, the most recent available year, show that 4,283 died in traffic fatalities, 807 of whom were pedestrians.
Driving under the influence of alcohol was a factor in 10,858 urban crashes that year and 4,917 rural crashes.
This story was originally published March 18, 2025 at 6:25 PM with the headline "Accused drunk driver hits and kills woman fixing tarp on side of highway, Texas cops say."
