Unlicensed Teen’s Tragic Crash: Father’s Consequences Revealed After Fatal Accident

A Florida man, aged 69, is facing a life sentence following the catastrophic decision to let his 15-year-old son drive without a license. The tragic 2023 accident claimed the lives of a 50-year-old grandmother and her three grandchildren.

On Wednesday, Judge Keith A. Carsten of the Ninth Judicial Circuit sentenced Richard Seymour Ferguson to 37 years in a state prison. The sentence came after an October jury found him guilty of four counts of manslaughter for giving his teenage son access to a vehicle. The victims, Trinidad Hernandez and her grandchildren, aged 1, 9, and 11, lost their lives due to this ill-fated choice.

Ri’shard Ferguson, Richard’s son, struck a deal with prosecutors, admitting guilt to several manslaughter charges. The plea was a result of him disregarding a stop sign at over 75 mph on September 3, 2023, which led to a collision with Hernandez’s car. Under the agreement, Ri’shard will stay in a juvenile detention center until he turns 19, followed by two years of supervised release.

The accident occurred around 7 p.m. on September 3, 2023, at the intersection of San Miguel Street and Laurel Avenue in Poinciana, roughly 30 miles south of Orlando. Ri’shard was behind the wheel of a white 2012 Chevy Impala, accompanied by several passengers.

Hernandez was driving a 2022 Honda HR-V crossover. She and her 11-year-old granddaughter died on the spot. Her 9-year-old grandson and 1-year-old granddaughter were rushed to Poinciana Medical Center, where they were subsequently pronounced dead.

A witness was standing on the corner of the intersection where the crash occurred. He told investigators he rode his bike past a nearby park and heard the people in the Impala say something to the effect of “Let’s go,” followed by “the hard acceleration of an engine” as the vehicle passed him going northbound on Laurel Avenue.

Hernandez’s Honda was going westbound on San Miguel and had just entered the intersection when the witness estimated the Impala struck it while “traveling more than 100 mph at impact.” Authorities later estimated that Ri’shard Ferguson was traveling “between speeds of 76 and 83 mph.”

“The witness did not hear screeching of tires indicating either vehicle applied their brakes,” police wrote in the affidavit.

Police said data from the car showed Ri’shard Ferguson had the gas pedal pressed “at 100 percent” just prior to the collision and was at 90% at the time of impact.

Investigators said Richard Ferguson assisted his son in taking the car out that evening. From the affidavit:

Richard Ferguson knowingly assisted his son, [Ri’shard Ferguson], by moving one vehicle out of the way so that [Ri’shard Ferguson] could enter [the vehicle] which was parked in the driveway of his residence, permitted the three minor passengers, who were under Richard Ferguson’s supervision, to enter the vehicle, and then allowed his minor son to drive away with the three minor passengers, knowing that [Ri’shard Ferguson] was not a licensed driver.

One of the passengers who was with Richard Ferguson’s son that evening testified in court that he remembered Richard Ferguson telling the teens to remember to put their seatbelts on before they left in the car, Orlando CBS affiliate WKMG reported. He also said the older man did not make any effort to prevent the teens from leaving in the vehicle after seeing them get into the car.