Thomas was a passenger in a car driven by her friend, Frederick Bailey, said her attorney, Anthony VanNoy. He said Bailey was giving Thomas a ride to her car when the crash occurred.
Thomas and Bailey were both ejected from the gray Pontiac sedan after it hit a pole and rolled at about 3 p.m. at the corner of North Broadway Street and Edgewood Avenue, said police Sgt. Creigee Coleman.
Thomas and Bailey were thrown between 75 and 100 feet away from the car, which landed on its top around a tree in a front yard on North Broadway Street, police said.
An autopsy performed Friday by the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office showed Thomas died of “multiple trauma injuries” and Bailey from “multiple blunt force injuries” as a result of the crash.
“Witnesses on scene gave us accounts that the vehicle was traveling approximately 90 to 100 mph, lost control, hit an RTA pole and then flipped several times,” Coleman said.
Thomas was pronounced dead on the scene. Bailey, 30, was taken to Miami Valley Hospital where he later died. Neace said the crash is being investigated by Sgt. Aaron Fraley.
Thomas’ mother, Diana Thomas, who said she lives with her daughter and three grandsons in Fairborn, said she was unable to talk about the crash. She asked for privacy while her family grieved.
“It’s a very difficult time for mom right now,” said VanNoy, who spoke with Diane Thomas.
On Aug. 5, Thomas took John Crawford III to Walmart to buy groceries for an outdoor party. Crawford was killed by police after a 911 caller mistook the BB/pellet gun he was carrying inside the store as a real firearm and prompted police to swarm the store and fatally shoot Crawford, who was unaware he was creating a scare. Another Walmart shopper, Angela Williams, collapsed in the mayhem and died at nearby Soin Medical Hospital.
The newspaper obtained a copy of a video of Thomas being questioned by a Beavercreek police detective moments after Crawford was killed. The detective threatened a crying Thomas with jail for lying about Crawford, asking if she knew he had a gun with him when he walked into Walmart, and saying she appeared either to have been drinking or on drugs at the time because, "Your eyes are kind of messed-up looking."
A special grand jury declined to indict anyone involved in the deaths of Crawford and Williams. The U.S. Justice Department is investigating Crawford’s case for possible civil rights violations.
Crawford’s family has filed a civil lawsuit against Beavercreek police officers Sean Williams, who fatally shot Crawford, and his partner Sgt. David Darkow, Beavercreek Police Chief Dennis Evers and the Walmart Corp.
Thomas had shared her story about Crawford’s shooting death with numerous media outlets, who also noted her death on Friday.
Thomas’ friends took to social media Friday to memorialize her. They also held a candlelight vigil for her Friday at Dayton View Park on North Broadway Street.
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