A Cambridge woman has been charged in connection with a fatal automobile crash that occurred late last Thursday in the city’s Port neighborhood. Sosa Samura, 41, faces multiple charges including vehicular homicide, drunken driving, and assault with a dangerous weapon following the collision near the intersection of Market and Columbia streets.

According to police reports, Samura was driving a Honda CRV when she traveled the wrong way down Market Street at high speed, shortly after 11:30 p.m. Upon reaching Columbia Street, she collided with a Subaru driven by Susana Castillo, a Cambridge resident. The impact caused Castillo’s vehicle to be pushed into a tree, resulting in fatal injuries. Castillo was reportedly returning home to care for her elderly mother. An autopsy later revealed she suffered severe internal injuries, including internal decapitation and multiple fractures.

Witnesses and law enforcement officers noted signs suggesting that Samura was impaired at the time of the crash. Police stated that her breath smelled of alcohol, her eyes appeared glassy, her speech was slurred, and she was unsteady on her feet. Samura told officers she had consumed two reposado tequilas with pear flavor at a work event earlier that day. Subsequent blood tests confirmed that her blood alcohol concentration was above the legal limit.

A witness reported that prior to the collision, Samura had backed into his vehicle three times before fleeing the scene. The witness followed her and observed the crash with Castillo’s car. According to court documents, Samura claimed she was traveling to a Market Basket store in Somerville from her North Cambridge residence but took a wrong turn that led her onto Market Street.

Samura, identified as a social worker employed by a Newton-based organization, has a prior charge of drunken driving from an incident in Stoneham in 2020; that case was continued without a finding. She has not been employed by Cambridge Public Schools since 2023. She was arraigned on Monday and pleaded not guilty to the charges. A detention hearing is scheduled later this month. Samura is represented by an attorney from the Committee for Public Counsel Services.

Cambridge police described the crash as a tragic event resulting from reckless driving, underscoring the serious consequences of impaired operation of a vehicle in a densely populated residential area.