Florida High School Student Electrocuted After Fleeing Burning Car

A 17-year-old girl was electrocuted while attempting to flee a burning vehicle on Sunday.

Authorities said Valentina "Val" Tomashosky, 17, drove northbound on Evenglow Avenue near Hyacinth Lane around 12:15 p.m. Sunday. Her car collided with a power line knocked down by a tree that had fallen during a heavy storm on Sunday afternoon.

Police said she stopped her car, and it caught fire on the driver's side, ClickOrlando reported.

Tomashosky, according to cops, exited the vehicle on the passenger side and jumped on an active downed power line. The teenager died on the spot.

Witness Maria Patchon told an ABC-TV affiliate that she happened to be outside her vehicle during the final moments of Tomashosky's life.

Patchon said she heard a pop while she was grabbing her umbrella. "I looked over. I saw that car coming down the road," she added. She said the father came over to their area and yelled, "That's my daughter in the car!"

"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," Patchon said.

The Hernando County School District confirmed the girl's identity on Monday. Her death was characterized by the district as a "shattering loss" to Central High School.

The school described Tomashosky as an "outstanding student overall." Tomashosky had been a member of the ROTC program for all four years of high school. She also became a cadet lieutenant in the Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps in her senior year. She was set to graduate from Central High School in Hernando County on June 8.

Tomashosky's teachers, classmates, family, and even casual acquaintances, described her as a quiet yet fiery young woman with a kind heart, quick wit, and infectious smile.Today God gained another set of angels in heaven. My best friend, my go to person, my rock........some of the words to...

Tributes to Tomashosky appeared on social media as the news spread on Monday.

“My best friend, my go to person, my rock — some of the words to describe Valentina Tomashosky,” her friend, Summer Moriarty, wrote in a Facebook message. “She was the most caring kind hearted soul that everyone will miss here on earth."