Valentina Tomashosky, 17, was driving in Hernando County on Sunday and collided with a power line that had been brought down by a fallen tree during severe weather, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
Investigators said the teen’s car caught fire on the driver’s side, so she tried to escape from the passenger side. That’s when she got on the active line.
“You could see the entire driver’s side was flooded,” neighbor Maria Patchon told CNN partner WFTS. Even when the police arrived, they couldn’t get out of the vehicle because the power was still live. So it was terrible to see. ‘
Tomashosky was a senior at Central High School in Brooksville, about 50 miles north of Tampa. She was a cadet lieutenant in the Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps program, according to Hernando School District.
“Valentina was admired for her dedication to the unit, but she was most loved for her cheerful spirit and her ever-present smile,” said NJROTC Commander Christian Cruz. “Her loss has been deeply felt and she will be missed.”
Tomashosky planned to attend Pasco-Hernando State College in the fall to study forensics.