Florida father helped his unlicensed teen driver kill four people, then showed up to the wreck with a chilling command for the survivors

Richard Seymour Ferguson, a 69-year-old Florida man, is facing a potential sentence of decades in prison after he was convicted on four counts of manslaughter following a devastating car crash involving his unlicensed 15-year-old son.

This whole situation is absolutely tragic, and honestly, it’s infuriating that a parent would make the choices that led to this outcome. Ferguson faces a minimum of 37 years and potentially life in prison when he is sentenced on December 16. The conviction stems from a horrific incident that happened on September 3, 2023, where his son, who was driving illegally, caused a collision that killed four people: Trinidad Hernandez and her three young grandchildren, per CourtTV.

Prosecutors argued that Ferguson’s actions weren’t just careless, they were directly enabling and led to the massive loss of life. The source material claims the incident began because one of the 15-year-old boys at Ferguson’s home needed to retrieve a belt. Instead of driving the boys himself or saying no to the request, Ferguson allowed his unlicensed son to take his friends in the family car. Unfortunately, it gets worse.

This could have been avoided

Ferguson didn’t just hand over the keys to the teen; he allegedly moved a pickup truck from the driveway specifically so his son could take the 2012 Chevrolet Impala out onto the road. Parents need to understand they don’t make the laws, and can’t decide who can drive cars.

The crash details are absolutely devastating and show how reckless the driving was. Investigators determined the teen driver was going ridiculously fast, clocking the Impala between 76 and 87 mph in an area marked for only 30 mph. That kind of speed difference is just unbelievable. The Impala blew right through a stop sign and into the intersection, where it collided with a gray 2022 Honda HR-V driven by Hernandez.

The outcome was devastating for the family in the Honda. Trinidad Hernandez and three of her young grandchildren were killed. The car was carrying an 11-year-old girl who was pronounced dead at the scene. Two other children, a 9-year-old boy and a one-year-old girl, died after they were rushed to the hospital. This is awful for the surviving passenger, Angel Hernandez, who was taken to the hospital with serious injuries. It’s hard to wrap your head around such an avoidable loss of life.

Inside the Impala were four 15-year-old boys, including the driver. We’ve got to talk about what happened right after the collision because it’s a crucial piece of evidence about the aftermath. A witness told investigators that the distraught teen driver was immediately concerned about his legal fate. He reportedly told the witness that “he was in trouble with his parents because he was not where he was supposed to be” and then “asked her if he was going to jail for the rest of his life.”

But the real gut punch came when the driver’s parents arrived at the scene of the carnage. According to the witness, the parents reportedly gave the teenagers in the Impala a chilling command. They told the boys “to keep their mouths shut and don’t talk to the officers.” That action speaks volumes about attempting to obstruct the investigation and avoid accountability, especially when four people had just died because of the father’s negligence and the son’s reckless driving.

Ferguson was convicted on four counts of manslaughter for his role in facilitating the crash. He is scheduled to learn his fate on December 16 when the judge determines whether he will serve 37 years or life in prison. It’s clear the prosecution believes that by clearing the path and allowing his unlicensed son to drive, Ferguson knowingly put everyone on the road in danger, leading directly to this horrific tragedy.