WAYNE COUNTY, Mich. – Tammy Sandoval, 55, of Mt. Morris, who is accused of killing a 3-year-old boy and injuring his twin sister and mother in a Livonia hit-and-run crash, was sentenced to at least five years in prison.
Sandovalpleaded guilty to operating while license suspended, revoked, or denied, causing serious injury and death, and failure to stop at the scene of an accident causing serious impairment or death.
Tia Robinson, 28, of Detroit, and her 3-year-old twins were crossing the street after attending the Livonia Spree when Sandoval, driving northbound on Merriman Road, allegedly struck them.
After the collision, Sandoval allegedly fled the scene.
The victims were taken to a local hospital, where Khalil, the 3-year-old boy, was pronounced dead.
His mother, Tia, and twin sister, Khloe, were critically injured.
Khloe was later released, while Tia remains in a medically induced coma.
Sandoval was arrested on June 30 following an investigation.
During the sentencing hearing on Jan. 6, 2026, four people gave victim impact statements, including Tia’s mother, aunts, and best friend.
Regina Robinson, Tia’s mother, said her daughter still cannot talk or do anything six months after the crash and remains hospitalized.
Regina shared that Khalil’s sister continues to ask where her brother is and if her mother will come home.
She expressed forgiveness toward Sandoval but emphasized how the family’s life has been forever changed.
Michelle Walton, Tia’s aunt, said Tia has suffered strokes since the crash and continues to fight for her life.
After the sentencing, the Robinsons had the chance to thank a 19-year-old driver who followed Sandoval after the crash, called 911, and gave her license plate number to the police.
The driver, Hunter, who preferred not to give his last name, said he knew he had to act quickly after he witnessed the crash and realized what had happened.
“I just saw a bunch of stuff go everywhere,” Hunter said. “I figured someone threw a bag of trash out their window and then look out and there’s just - she’s just laying there on the ground.”
“You are a guardian angel for Tia and the kids, but you’re a hero for us as well,” said Michael Robinson, Tia’s father.
“You are our hero,” said Regina Robinson. “You just don’t know how much you changed our life to help, just to stop and do what you did to save Tia, because she would have got away with it if it wasn’t for you.”
In the months after the crash, the Livonia community has rallied around the Robinson family.
Back in July, community members held a prayer vigil at Faith Wesleyan Church near the intersection where the accident happened. A fundraiser was also created through the Livonia First Responder Foundation.
Livonia resident Frances Janis, who organized the vigil, said the support from the community hasn’t stopped.
“A week doesn’t go by that I don’t have four or five people messaging me and asking me on social media, how are they, and let them know we care,” Janis told Local 4.
Janis said she is currently planning another fundraiser for the family.
She regularly stays in touch with the Robinsons and said she hopes having closure can finally help the family start to heal.
“I want to make sure they know we’re here for them through thick and thin, and they may not live in our community, but they are in our hearts of our community,” Janis said.