Consider this news:
Ethan John Ruiz, whose niece died in the crash, was convicted of vehicular homicide in August. The sentencing took place Thursday in Ocala.
An Ocala man whose road racing outing ended in a fatal car crash will serve 12 years in prison for vehicular homicide.
Ethan John Ruiz, 21, was convicted of the charge in August. The sentencing took place Thursday in Ocala.
Ruiz’s niece and West Port High School junior Charisma Talie Francisco, 17, was killed in the April 14, 2016 crash. Along with his prison sentence, Ruiz received a lifetime revocation of his driver’s license and must pay restitution to the victim’s family, according to court records.
Francisco was in the front passenger seat of Ruiz’s 1997 two-door Honda when it slammed into a concrete pole in the median of Marion Oaks Boulevard. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Ruiz was officially charged with vehicular homicide in November 2016.
Witnesses state that Ruiz and the unidentified driver of a small black car were racing on Marion Oaks Boulevard, heading south around 5 p.m. on April 14, 2016. The two cars passed several other drivers at a speed over the posted speed limit of 45 mph.
Later calculations completed by a Florida Highway Patrol trooper would show Ruiz’s car was traveling at a minimum speed of 91 mph at the time of the collision, according to the traffic citation.
The vehicles were changing lanes quickly and closely following each other, witnesses said.
On Marion Oaks Boulevard between 144th Place Road and Southwest 145th Place Road, Ruiz’s vehicle traveled onto the grass median. He over-corrected to the right and then again to the left, which sent the car back onto the median, where it hit the concrete pole, which snapped in half. The force from Ruiz’s vehicle hitting the concrete pole moved it about 10 feet, according to the citation.
Ruiz had abruptly applied the brakes and swerved left originally to avoid hitting another car, according to the citation. Tire marks on the road supported the chain of events, the citation noted.
Ruiz was flown from the scene of the crash to Ocala Regional Medical Center, where he was treated for serious injuries.
This is Ruiz’s first felony conviction, according to Marion County court records.
Ethan John Ruiz, whose niece died in the crash, was convicted of vehicular homicide in August. The sentencing took place Thursday in Ocala.
An Ocala man whose road racing outing ended in a fatal car crash will serve 12 years in prison for vehicular homicide.
Ethan John Ruiz, 21, was convicted of the charge in August. The sentencing took place Thursday in Ocala.
Ruiz’s niece and West Port High School junior Charisma Talie Francisco, 17, was killed in the April 14, 2016 crash. Along with his prison sentence, Ruiz received a lifetime revocation of his driver’s license and must pay restitution to the victim’s family, according to court records.
Francisco was in the front passenger seat of Ruiz’s 1997 two-door Honda when it slammed into a concrete pole in the median of Marion Oaks Boulevard. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Ruiz was officially charged with vehicular homicide in November 2016.
Witnesses state that Ruiz and the unidentified driver of a small black car were racing on Marion Oaks Boulevard, heading south around 5 p.m. on April 14, 2016. The two cars passed several other drivers at a speed over the posted speed limit of 45 mph.
Later calculations completed by a Florida Highway Patrol trooper would show Ruiz’s car was traveling at a minimum speed of 91 mph at the time of the collision, according to the traffic citation.
The vehicles were changing lanes quickly and closely following each other, witnesses said.
On Marion Oaks Boulevard between 144th Place Road and Southwest 145th Place Road, Ruiz’s vehicle traveled onto the grass median. He over-corrected to the right and then again to the left, which sent the car back onto the median, where it hit the concrete pole, which snapped in half. The force from Ruiz’s vehicle hitting the concrete pole moved it about 10 feet, according to the citation.
Ruiz had abruptly applied the brakes and swerved left originally to avoid hitting another car, according to the citation. Tire marks on the road supported the chain of events, the citation noted.
Ruiz was flown from the scene of the crash to Ocala Regional Medical Center, where he was treated for serious injuries.
This is Ruiz’s first felony conviction, according to Marion County court records.
