ST. LUCIE COUNTY, Fla. — A Florida Highway Patrol trooper who was killed Friday morning on Interstate 95 in St. Lucie County is being remembered as intelligent, curious and energetic.
Michael Ridlen, an American government teacher at Fort Pierce Westwood Academy, described his former student, Zachary Fink, as a teen who loved the outdoors.
Fink was a member of the school's Marine Oceanographic Academy, graduating in 2015.
Ridlen said Fink was one of his more memorable students who loved to play ultimate frisbee and fish with classmates.
"He never got tired," Ridlen said. "He had a constant motor running. He was that way in everything he did. You would not catch Zach on a down day."
Ridlen said he was jolted when he heard the news of Fink's death.
"It's hard being a teacher when you outlive the kids you taught," Ridlen said. "It's a shame. He was involved in an awesome career. It's still kind of sinking in. The shock factor is still there a little bit."
