Underage Driving Accidents
The costs of raising children are a favorite humblebrag of parents. If you don’t have enough money to show off to the other guests at a social gathering, you can always cover your insecurity about your financial situation by complaining about how much you spend on diapers, baby formula, and daycare. If your children play sports or musical instruments, but you have nothing in common with the other parents, you can always break the ice by grumbling about the cost of equipment for your child to participate in the activity and about the transportation expenses associated with traveling to practices and competitions. Any parent of a teen who gets a driver’s license can expect to take a financial hit. Teens make driving mistakes; police, insurance companies, auto repair shops, and parents accept this fact. If a driver under the age of 18 causes an accident, the at fault driver’s parents are responsible for the damage the teen caused in the accident, including medical expenses and property damage. Some dangerous driving behavior by teens is so dangerous and destructive that the teens get criminal penalties, but something horrific has to happen for the parent to get criminal penalties arising from the teen’s crimes. That is what happened after an accident in Florida where an underage driver caused an accident that killed three children and their grandmother. If you are suffering financially because of injuries arising from a car accident caused by a teen driver, contact a Fort Lauderdale auto accident attorney.
Father and Son Face Criminal Penalties After Teen Driver Causes Accident That Killed Four Family Members
In September 2023, a 2012 Chevy Impala ran a stop sign at an intersection in a residential neighborhood in Poinciana, traveling at a speed greater than 70 miles per hour. It collided with a car carrying three children and their grandmother Trinidad Hernandez. All four occupants of the struck vehicle were pronounced dead within hours of the collision, but none of the occupants of the Impala sustained serious injuries. Police arrested the driver of the Impala, Ri’shard Ferguson, who was 15 years old at the time of the accident. He faced several criminal charges related to the collision, from vehicular homicide to reckless driving. Furthermore, he was too young to be driving without a parent or driving instructor in the car. Ferguson received one of the harshest criminal penalties someone his age can receive for a crime that does not involve intentionally killing someone. He will remain in juvenile detention until he turns 19 and then serve two years of supervised release.
Ferguson’s father Richard Ferguson is also facing criminal charges. Prosecutors allege that the elder Ferguson is criminally liable for his minor son’s actions because he moved another car so that Ri’shard could drive the Impala out of the driveway in front of the family’s home before the fatal ride.
Set Up a Consultation Today
A personal injury lawyer can help you get justice after a preventable accident caused by a driver not old enough to have a driver’s license. Contact Boone & Davis in Fort Lauderdale, Florida or call 954-566-9919 to explore your potential recovery options today.
Source:
msn.com/en-us/news/crime/dad-let-unlicensed-15-year-old-drive-chevy-impala-leading-to-crash-that-left-grandmother-and-3-grandkids-dead/ar-AA1PsfYV?ocid=msedgntp&pc=ACTS&cvid=69037439148e41ab98c36383625d1d01&ei=29
