Florida Teen Dies After Being Electrocuted Escaping Burning Vehicle
Florida Teen Dies After Being Electrocuted Escaping Burning Vehicle
Heartbreaking news from Florida has emerged this week...
A young girl has died from electrocution while trying to escape her burning car.
Many have described it as a freak accident.
Valentina Tomashosky was just seventeen-years-old.
A Florida teen who was electrocuted by a downed power line while trying to escape a burning car has been identified as 17-year-old Valentina Tomashosky. Valentina was just weeks away from graduating.
— WSVN 7 News (@wsvn) April 12, 2021
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(Photo courtesy: Hernando County Schools) pic.twitter.com/azXTCGRZwW
It is a truly unthinkable scenario.
The accident happened on Sunday, April 11.
Tomashosky was driving through a severe thunderstorm at Spring Hill.
As per TooFab, Florida Highway Patrol believe the teen came upon a large tree that had been knocked onto the road by the heavy winds.
She managed to swerve around it to avoid a collision, but as a result, she ran over a power line.
The live wire is believed to have sparked, setting fire to the driver's side of the car.
To escape, Tomashosky climbed over to the passenger side, but while exiting the vehicle she stepped on the cable, fatally electrocuting her.
Tomashosky was pronounced dead at the scene.
Since the news broke, tributes have been flooding in...
My heart aches for her family.
— Magandang Umaga (@Roberto59746067) April 12, 2021
Prayers for her and her family!
— Dora Picciano (@dpicc2) April 12, 2021
That is such a tragedy. My deepest sympathies to her friends and family.
— valkyrider1@yahoo.com (@valkyrider1yah1) April 12, 2021
What a horrible tragedy, her poor family, my condolences ..may she Rest In Peace
— maria.eugenia m.a. (@maruja1022) April 12, 2021
R.I.P
— ASecondChanceAround 💋 🦢 (@ASecondChance) April 12, 2021
Valentina Tomashosky
My thoughts & prayers go out to her family & loved ones that are now marked forever because of the loss of this beautiful young girl the only thing that she was trying to do is to stay alive. May she be in heaven and may her family find comfort 🙏
— Michelle (@EnvyAngel11) April 12, 2021
That is freaking horrible. I feel so sad for her family and folks who know her. That is really some final destination type of situation. I think Florida Power and Light should foot the funeral expenses for being negligent.
— 🌱 Plant Based Divine🌴 (@AmunRa1111) April 12, 2021
I could not imagine a more terrifying situation for this young woman.
— Uncle Pork Chop (@dljordan2) April 12, 2021
Heartbreakingly sad. My condolences to the family and friends who are affected by this tragedy!
— Casey Angelica Oliver (@CASEYOL25394781) April 12, 2021
A witness to the tragic accident spoke with ABC Action News to explain that she heard a loud pop, before the driver's side became engulfed in flames.
"So, even when the police arrived, they couldn't get out of the vehicle because the power was still live… so, it was devastating to watch," she said.
For hours, electricity to whole community had to be turned off before emergency service crews could begin removing the wire from the road.
Speaking with WFLA, Sgt. Steve Gaskins said: "I think that most likely led to a panic on her part, which it would with anybody, and she probably had no concept or clue what was waiting for her on the other side of that door when she got out."
Valentina, also known as "Val," was due to graduate this summer.
She was also a cadet lieutenant in the Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps at her school.
Commander Christian Cruz said in a statement: "Val was not only an outstanding student but was a respected leader of our unit and was part of our Unarmed Exhibition team. To the cadets of Delta Company, she was a mentor and a friend."
"Valentina was admired for her dedication to the unit but she was loved most for her joyful spirit and her ever-present smile. Her loss is deeply felt and she will be missed."
Our thought are with Valentina's family and friends.
Rest in peace, Valentina Tomashosky.
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