A Florida mother is facing criminal charges after authorities say she allowed her 11-year-old son to drive a vehicle from their home to a 7-Eleven — a decision that ended when the child accidentally pressed the accelerator instead of the brake and crashed into a concrete traffic barrier.
The incident happened Sunday evening, August 16, in Riverview, Florida.
According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were called to a 7-Eleven on Gordon Road at about 8:35 p.m. after receiving reports that a vehicle had crashed into a concrete barrier outside the business.
When deputies arrived, they learned that the person behind the wheel was an 11-year-old child.
Investigators said the boy had been driving from the family’s residence to the store while his mother, 41-year-old Carribean Myers, was riding in the vehicle as a passenger.
The child was attempting to stop when he mistakenly pressed the accelerator rather than the brake, causing the vehicle to strike the concrete barrier.
Fortunately, the crash did not result in any reported injuries. The boy and his mother were not physically injured, according to authorities.
The vehicle and part of the 7-Eleven building, however, were damaged.
What initially appeared to be a relatively minor property-damage crash quickly became a criminal investigation once deputies learned who had been driving.
Authorities say Myers had knowingly allowed her 11-year-old son to operate the vehicle.
Investigators also discovered that Myers herself had not held a valid driver’s license since July 13, 2026.
The sheriff’s office said the investigation uncovered another allegation as well: Myers had previously allowed her underage children to drive without a valid driver’s license.
Those findings led deputies to arrest Myers.
She was charged with child abuse and permitting an unauthorized minor to drive. Online court records reviewed by PEOPLE show that Myers has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The case has drawn attention because the child was only 11 years old.
Sheriff Chad Chronister described the decision to put a child that young behind the wheel as reckless, emphasizing that the situation could have resulted in someone being seriously injured or killed.
But in this particular incident, no injuries were reported.
That distinction matters as the case moves forward.
There is currently no indication from authorities that the child intentionally caused the collision. According to the sheriff’s office, he was attempting to stop the vehicle when he confused the gas pedal with the brake.
The available police account also does not report injuries to customers or employees at the 7-Eleven.
Instead, the criminal case centers on the mother’s alleged decision to allow an unauthorized minor to drive and the circumstances surrounding that decision.
The investigation uncovered more than the crash
The crash itself happened at approximately 8:35 p.m., but investigators continued looking into the circumstances after arriving at the scene.
During that investigation, deputies determined that Myers had not had a valid driver’s license since July 13.
They also learned that this allegedly was not the first time she had allowed her underage children to drive.
That additional information became significant because authorities were no longer dealing solely with a single incident involving a child behind the wheel.
The sheriff’s office said the previous incidents were part of what investigators discovered during their investigation.
Myers was subsequently taken into custody and charged.
The sheriff’s office characterized the incident as an example of a dangerous decision that placed the child and others at unnecessary risk.
The child was not injured
Despite the potentially dangerous circumstances, the immediate physical outcome was far less severe than it could have been.
The 11-year-old was not injured.
Neither was his mother.
No other injuries were reported by authorities.
The vehicle and the 7-Eleven building did sustain damage from the impact.
That is also why authorities’ concern is focused heavily on the decision to allow the child to drive rather than on a serious injury resulting from the crash.
The sheriff’s office said the child has autism. That detail has been included in the official account of the incident, but authorities have not said that autism caused or contributed to the crash.
According to investigators, the immediate cause of the collision was the child mistakenly pressing the accelerator while attempting to stop.
What happens next?
Myers has been charged, but the case is not a conviction.
She has pleaded not guilty, meaning the allegations against her will have to be addressed through the court system.
The investigation remains active, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.
At this point, authorities have publicly established several key facts: an 11-year-old was driving the vehicle, his mother was riding as a passenger, the vehicle traveled from the family’s residence to the 7-Eleven, and the child crashed into a concrete traffic barrier after mistakenly pressing the gas pedal while trying to stop.
Investigators also say Myers did not have a valid driver’s license and had allegedly allowed her underage children to drive on previous occasions.
Those allegations form the basis of the charges now facing her.
The case is a reminder of how quickly an apparently ordinary trip can become a police investigation.
What may have been intended as a short drive to a nearby store ended with a damaged vehicle, damage to a business and a mother facing criminal charges.
Most importantly, no one was physically injured in the crash.
But authorities say the outcome could easily have been much worse.
For now, the legal question is not whether the 11-year-old made a mistake behind the wheel — investigators have already said he mistakenly hit the accelerator.
The question before the court will be whether his mother committed the offenses with which she has been charged by allowing him to drive.
As that process continues, Myers remains entitled to the presumption of innocence unless proven guilty in court.