Florida – In a shocking incident in Florida, a 68-year-old father, identified as Richard F., has been convicted for allowing his 15-year-old son, identified as Ri’shard F., to drive without a license, an act that led to a high-speed crash killing a 50-year-old woman, identified as T. Hernandez, and her grandchildren. Last week, a jury found Richard guilty of four counts of manslaughter, holding him responsible for one of the most devastating collisions in the county’s recent memory.
Richard now faces the possibility of spending the rest of his life behind bars. Prosecutors said he knowingly handed control of his car, a white Chevy Impala, to his teenage son, Ri’shard, who later sped through a stop sign at more than 80 miles per hour and slammed into another vehicle, killing Hernandez and her grandchildren, aged 1, 9, and 11. The charges reflect more than negligence. They point to a chain of choices made by a father who, instead of stepping in, stepped aside—and in doing so, unleashed a tragedy that could have been prevented.
It was September 3, 2023, just after 7 p.m., when witnesses said they heard an engine roar and saw a white car tear through the intersection. The Impala, carrying several teens, collided with Hernandez’s Honda HR-V crossover as she entered the intersection. Hernandez and her 11-year-old granddaughter were pronounced dead at the scene. Her 9-year-old grandson and 1-year-old granddaughter were rushed to the hospital, where they died soon after. Authorities recovered data from the Impala showing the gas pedal was pressed down 100% in the seconds before impact, and still at 90% when the crash occurred. There was no sign of braking. A witness said the car was “traveling more than 100 mph” at the moment it struck the victims.
Investigators later learned that the crash began hours earlier—when Richard gave his unlicensed son the keys to the vehicle. He claimed he only asked Ri’shard to move the car to make room for guests, and that the teen left without permission. But testimony told a different story. One of the teen passengers testified that Richard made no effort to stop them. He even reminded them to “buckle up” before they drove off—confirming that he had watched the group leave and said nothing. According to investigators, “Richard knowingly assisted his son” in getting access to the vehicle and permitted him to leave with three other minors, all of whom were under his supervision.
The jury needed little time to decide. Richard was convicted on all four counts of manslaughter. He now faces between 37 years and life in prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set, though a pre-sentencing investigation is underway. Ri’shard previously accepted a plea deal and is serving time in juvenile detention until he turns 19, followed by two years of supervised release.
The loss suffered by the Hernandez family is immeasurable—four lives, spanning three generations, wiped out in an instant. And while a courtroom has now spoken, the pain for those left behind will never fully recede. What began as a father’s decision to give a child the wheel ended in irreversible destruction. And as the court has made clear, that decision now carries a weight the law—and the families involved—will not forget.
