PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — A 16-year-old girl from Riviera Beach died early Wednesday morning in a multi-vehicle crash on Interstate 95 — just two days after graduating from high school.
The deadly accident occurred on I-95 North near the Blue Heron Boulevard exit, according to the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) crash report.
WATCH: Friend says teen was 'most caring person in the world'
The crash began when the teenage driver lost control of her Nissan Altima while traveling northbound on the highway. The vehicle veered onto the outside shoulder, where it struck a guardrail and concrete wall before being redirected back into the travel lanes.
The Altima became disabled and came to rest in the outside center lane. The 16-year-old driver then exited her vehicle and was leaning into the backseat area when a driver in a BMW collided with the right side of the disabled Altima. The impact threw the girl from her vehicle, and she came to rest on the outside shoulder.
The BMW continued after the collision and struck the concrete wall, coming to rest on the outside shoulder and outside lane.
A third driver was also traveling northbound in the outside center lane. The driver observed the crashed vehicles in the roadway and attempted to swerve to avoid them, but the front of his BMW collided with the disabled Altima.
The 16-year-old driver was pronounced dead at the scene. The BMW driver was transported to the hospital with non-fatal injuries. The driver of the third vehicle was not injured in the crash.
What made the crash all the more devastating was the timing.
Just two days earlier, the teenager had walked across the stage at Inlet Grove Community High School, celebrating a milestone that her close friend J'Ziyiah Black said she will never forget.
"Graduation really, really struck a nerve," Black said. "The last thing I remember leaving… she ran up to the car, like, just straight smile, says, 'Z, I love you. I'm proud of you.' Then… it made me cry so bad."
For Black, that moment at graduation is now the last memory she has of her friend — a memory she said she will carry with her.
Black said she and the victim had been close since their freshman year at Inlet Grove, and that learning of her death was a shock she is still struggling to process.
"I had just found out this morning and it broke me in shambles," Black said.
Even in her grief, Black said she knew her friend well enough to know how she would want her to respond.
"I knew she wouldn't want me crying like this," Black said.
Black remembered her classmate not just as a friend, but as someone whose warmth touched everyone around her.
"She was just the most caring person in the world," Black said.
Black said her friend had also recently gotten her own car — another milestone that now carries a painful weight.
The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating the circumstances that led to the initial loss of control by the teenage driver. The crash report indicates the driver failed to maintain control of her vehicle, though the specific cause has not been determined.
In the wake of the loss, Black said she hopes the tragedy serves as a reminder for others to cherish the people in their lives.
"Everybody that's in your family. Just keep them close. Time is not promised at all," Black said.
Portions of this story were reported on-air by a journalist and converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
