Add The New York Post on Google A Florida high school senior described as a “sweetheart” and a “friend to everyone” was killed in a car crash – hours before he was set to receive his diploma.
Christopher Brooks, 18, was heading to his graduation practice at South Fork High in Stuart, Fla. on Thursday morning when he smashed straight into the back of a dump truck, Martin County Cops said, according to WPTV.
“He drove straight into the back of the dump truck without apparently hitting the brakes and was dead on impact,” Sheriff John Budensiek told reporters.
Cops suspect Brooks, a member of the school’s veterinary program, was distracted, but they have not yet identified what the distraction was.
Officers are unsure if he was wearing a seatbelt – but Budensiek said this wouldn’t have mattered due to the nature of the crash.
Brooks’ devastated pals saw plumes of smoke coming from his 2007 Honda Accord and charged over to the scene.
“They ran up and saw what no one should see,” Budensiek said. “And they’re so traumatized.
“These are the worst cases for us in law enforcement and fire [and] rescue to respond to because it could be anybody’s family member.”
Budensiek said the crash “highlights just how fragile life is” before warning drivers not to be distracted behind the wheel.
“This changes everybody’s life drastically,” he said.
Witness Lucia Fourie, who studies at Treasure Coast Classical Academy, said she “froze” after watching Brooks’ car rear-end the truck, CBS12 reported.
Bernard Blackshire, who was driving a semi truck, tried to rip Brooks’ car door off, but said, “we couldn’t ’cause it was stuck.
“He had a subtle movement and then all of a sudden, he stopped. A lady was out here crying, it was just pretty sad,” he told the outlet.
The dump truck driver wasn’t injured, cops confirmed. A semi-truck driver at the scene was also unharmed.
South Fork’s graduation ceremony still went ahead, but there was a chair draped in a black and red gown – a nod to the school’s colors. His seat was also decorated with a graduate’s cap and a bouquet.
Officials leave a seat empty in line with a school tradition, honoring students no longer here, WFLX-TV reported.
Brooks, who was also on the school’s bowling team, was honored when students moved their tassels on their caps, Treasure Coast Newspapers reported.
“As we prepare to turn our tassels, we remember our dear friend Christopher Brooks,” one student said.
The student then moved the tassel on the cap Brooks would’ve worn at the ceremony.
Tributes were paid to Brooks — with Savannah Morris describing him as a “sweetheart.”
“He was very kind, always looking out for others,” she told WPBF
Ryland Morris said he was a “friend to everyone” and was always cracking jokes.
The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating the crash.
