An Indianapolis man is headed to prison after a high-speed, alcohol-fueled crash on the near east side left eight people hurt last summer, including six children, and turned a neighborhood intersection into a chaotic triage scene.
According to WTHR, Tramayne Harris was sentenced Monday to 12 years in the Indiana Department of Correction, with two of those years set for work-release. Once he gets out, he will face a four-year suspension of his driver’s license. Court records cited by the outlet show Harris pleaded guilty to four counts of causing serious bodily injury while operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated.
Crash On The Near East Side
The wreck unfolded around 3:35 p.m. on July 23, 2024, at East New York Street and North State Avenue, when Harris ran a red light and slammed into a family SUV, local reporting shows. Several children were critically injured and others were hospitalized, while bystanders and first responders rushed to stabilize victims in the intersection, according to WRTV.
Evidence Prosecutors Relied On
Court documents reviewed by WTHR state that vehicle data showed Harris was driving about 97 mph three seconds before impact, with his speed dropping to 87, 84 and then 71 mph in the moments right before the collision. Officers reported finding a one-third-empty bottle of tequila under the driver’s seat, and a blood draw at Eskenazi Hospital roughly three hours after the crash showed a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.145%.
Plea, Past Record And Sentence Context
Harris pleaded guilty to four counts tied to serious bodily injury while intoxicated, while prosecutors had filed additional charges related to the crash. Reporting from WRTV notes that court filings showed Harris had prior traffic and licensing offenses and was on federal probation at the time of the wreck, details prosecutors highlighted when arguing for his sentence.
Community Reaction And What Comes Next
Family members and neighbors told reporters the sentence brought some relief but not much in the way of closure, while also fueling renewed calls for tougher enforcement on speeding and impaired driving in the area. Hoodline’s earlier coverage captured the immediate aftermath and early case developments; see the piece on eight hurt in east side SUV crash for the original account.
