Drunk Driver Ryan McHugh Sentenced for Ruining Teen's Life in Florida Crash

The Tragic Birthday Outing

• 🎂 A late-night ride in Jupiter Farms, Florida, celebrating a teen's birthday sleepover turned catastrophic on December 23rd, 2023.
• 💥 Friends decided to take a ride in a Can-Am Defender, an off-road utility vehicle, which reportedly sped through a T-intersection.
• 🌊 The driver lost control, causing the vehicle to overturn into a canal, resulting in multiple injuries.

Devastating Injuries and Immediate Aftermath

• 💔 16-year-old Makayla Mullins sustained life-altering brain damage and was pinned underwater for nearly 10 minutes before being rescued by Good Samaritans.
• 🤕 Other passengers suffered injuries, including a broken arm and minor wounds, with one requiring CPR.
• 🏃‍♂️ The driver, identified as Ryan McHugh, fled the scene, and witnesses described chaos and uncooperative passengers.

Investigation and Evidence of Intoxication

• 🔍 Investigators determined McHugh showed signs of intoxication and later tested well above the legal alcohol limit, with BAC levels of .166 and .127.
• 🗣️ Witnesses reported that some passengers, including those who initially tried to help, appeared intoxicated and had a distorted sense of time regarding how long Makayla was underwater.
• 🚗 The Can-Am Defender was not street legal and lacked essential safety equipment, and none of the passengers were wearing seat belts or helmets.

Arrest and Sentencing

• 🚨 On April 8th, 2024, Ryan McHugh was arrested on multiple felony charges, including reckless driving causing serious injury and DUI causing bodily injury.
• ⚖️ On December 4th, 2025, McHugh pleaded guilty to four felony charges and received the minimum sentence of 13 years in prison and 20 years of probation.
• 🗓️ As a condition of his probation, McHugh must spend one night in jail each year on December 22nd, the anniversary of the crash.
• 📍 Ryan McHugh is currently serving his sentence at the South Florida Reception Center, with a projected release date in November 2038.