Teen Girl Accidentally Kills Two Homeless Men During A Driving Lesson With Her Mom, Authorities Say

A mother and daughter are facing charges after a driving lesson in a Philadelphia parking lot ended in the deaths of two men.

Two men were killed in a Philadelphia parking lot when a woman was attempting to teach her teen daughter how to drive in June, and now the mother-daughter duo are facing charges.

Stephanie Hernandez, 32, was charged on Monday with homicide by vehicle, involuntary manslaughter and other related offenses, according to the Philly Inquirer. Her 15-year-old daughter, who has not been identified, has been charged with homicide by vehicle, accident-death-no license and involuntary manslaughter.

Hernandez was sitting in the passenger seat of her 2008 black Ford Explorer as her daughter took the wheel in a Dollar Tree parking lot in the city’s Port Richmond section in June. While trying to pull into a parking space, the teen allegedly struck two homeless men, both in their 50s. They were knocked against an exterior wall of the store, NBC10 in Philadelphia reported. IRadioPhilly reported that the men were actually attempting to guide the teen into the parking space.

“She was navigating into a parking spot and made a mistake. The vehicle lunged forward striking two men who were seated at the wall of the dollar store,” Philadelphia police Capt. Mark Overswise told WPVI-TV in Philadelphia.

Stephanie Hernandez

A 54-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene. The other victim,55, was transported to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead the same day.

“My heart is ripped out. I lost two of my best friends," the victims' friend Tim Stewart told WPVI-TV in June. Teddy bears and candles were placed in the spot where the two men died.

Both women stayed at the scene after the accident, according to the Philly Inquirer.

It’s not clear if Hernandez has a lawyer at this time. In the state of Pennsylvania, one must be 16 to have a learner’s permit.

[Photo: Philadelphia Police Department]