A hit-and-run leaves a grieving family with two separate questions. The first is whether the driver who fled will face criminal accountability. The second is how the family recovers financially, and those two questions move through different courts on very different timelines.

What Tempe Police Reported

In April 2026, Tempe police submitted a felony charge of failing to remain at the scene of an accident involving a death against Ava Bellowe, who was 19 at the time of the crash.

Investigators described the following sequence of events:

  • On September 13, 2025, Bellowe had been at Tempe Tavern, a bar near the Arizona State University campus, before walking home and getting into a car.
  • Just before 1:30 a.m., 18-year-old Joseph Gonzalez was riding a motorcycle near Lemon Street and Rural Road when he struck the back of a stopped Waymo autonomous vehicle.
  • Seconds later, Bellowe, driving a Chevrolet Camaro, hit Gonzalez and did not stop.
  • Gonzalez died from his injuries. Bellowe later turned herself in.

The Maricopa County Attorney's Office has not yet announced whether it will pursue the submitted charge.

Arizona's Duty to Stop

Under state law, a driver involved in a collision resulting in injury or death must stop immediately and remain at the scene until specific obligations are met. Failing to do so can be charged as a class 3 felony, and a class 2 felony if that driver caused the crash. The statute is published by the Arizona Legislature at A.R.S. § 28-661.

A Criminal Charge Is Not Compensation

Prosecutors handle the criminal case. Their goal is punishment, not payment to the family. A separate wrongful death claim is what addresses funeral costs, lost future earnings, and the loss of a child's companionship. Both can proceed at the same time.

Why These Cases Take Layered Investigation

A Tempe hit-and-run accident often involves more than one potentially responsible party. Here, a Waymo vehicle was already stopped in the roadway, and a bar has faced regulatory scrutiny over underage drinking. Arizona also recognizes dram shop liability, meaning a licensed establishment that serves an obviously intoxicated or underage patron may share responsibility for what follows.

Evidence disappears quickly. Surveillance footage gets overwritten. Autonomous vehicle sensor data is held by a private company. Point-of-sale records at a bar are not preserved indefinitely.

That is why families often speak with a Tempe, AZ hit and run accident lawyer residents trust well before the criminal case resolves. Waiting for a verdict can mean waiting too long.

Moving Forward After a Fatal Crash

A Tempe hit-and-run accident case rarely follows a straight line. Charges may be reduced, declined, or delayed. The civil claim does not depend on that outcome, and a lower burden of proof applies.

If your family lost someone in a hit-and-run and you're unsure what steps come next, the attorneys at Wyatt Injury Law Personal Injury Lawyers can review the circumstances and explain your options.