One year after three University of Arizona students were killed in a hit-and-run near campus, their families are seeking $150 million in total damages from both the City of Tucson and the driver involved. Each family is seeking $50 million in damages.
The wrongful death lawsuit was filed last Wednesday and includes claims of negligence, wrongful death and survival action against the city.
The families are also seeking punitive damages against the driver, Louis John Artal, who was released on a $250,000 bond in November 2025.
The crash happened late on Oct. 30, 2025, at the intersection of North Euclid Avenue and East Second Street.
The victims, identified as Sophia Troetel, Josiah Santos and Katya Castillo-Mendoza, were crossing the street when they were struck by Artal, who was driving a Porsche.
According to Tucson Police, Artal fled the scene before turning himself in hours later.
Lawsuit alleges Tucson ignored pedestrian safety concerns
The lawsuit argues the intersection had longstanding pedestrian safety problems that City officials failed to address before the deadly crash.
According to the complaint, the intersection is located in a heavily trafficked university corridor used by students, faculty and visitors throughout the day and night. The lawsuit cites traffic data showing more than 28,000 vehicles traveled along Euclid Avenue over a two-day period, while more than 700 pedestrians crossed daily.
The filing alleges the city failed to install additional safety measures, including a traffic signal, stop signs, a pedestrian refuge island or a raised median.
The lawsuit also points to the City’s previous consideration of the intersection for a High-Intensity Activated Crosswalk, known as a HAWK beacon.
Before 2022, the intersection ranked 12th on Tucson’s priority list for a HAWK signal, according to the complaint. The families, however, allege the city repeatedly delayed improvements and never allocated funding for the project.
The parents of Troetel, Santos and Castillo-Mendoza also complain about inadequate lighting at the intersection. In October 2022, a UA employee reportedly raised concerns about poor pedestrian visibility at all four corners of the intersection, particularly at night.
Additional complaints followed in 2023 and 2025, according to the filing.
The families allege physical safety improvements at the intersection were not implemented until after the three students were killed.
Today, a crosswalk light stands over the intersection where the students were killed.
Driver faces allegations of reckless conduct
The lawsuit accuses Artal of driving at excessive speeds through a marked crosswalk in a university district, and driving while impaired.
Attorneys for the families argue his actions and decision to leave the scene contributed to the students’ deaths. The complaint seeks punitive damages against him.
The families are demanding a jury trial.
Artal, a UA student himself, also faces criminal charges, including three counts of manslaughter and one count of leaving the scene of a deadly injury accident. Artal’s criminal trial had been scheduled to start Nov. 3, but has been delayed until Jan. 26.
