It was only hours ago, it seems from Howard Mcfarlane’s posts on Facebook, that he was boarding a flight from Jamaica to see his daughter graduate from Inlet Grove High School in Riviera Beach.
It was only hours ago that he happily chronicled a journey that ended with father and daughter side by side, smiling, mugging for the camera and drinking in the joy of that impending graduation.
“We are together again, in Florida,” Mcfarlane says in one of the videos.
Later, after the big day, he’d post above pictures of Toryann in her blue graduation gown: “Yes mi daughter u av done us proud.”
In the early hours of May 13, two days after her graduation, that pride would be swallowed by a shattering and shocking grief when Toryann was killed in a car crash on Interstate 95 in Riviera Beach near Blue Heron Boulevard.
The happy, congratulatory posts that accompany a high school graduation morphed into disbelief and despair. A 16-year-old described by her high school principal as “brilliant” was gone.
“It is with profound sadness that the Inlet Grove Community High School family mourns the tragic loss of a beloved member of our learning village, Tory-Ann McFarlane (sic),” Inlet Grove Principal Francisco Lopez wrote to parents, students and community members. “Tory-Ann was a brilliant and driven student who embodied the very best of our school community from the moment she arrived.”
A crash in the night
How could this happen?
A Florida Highway Patrol synopsis of the crash says at about 12:28 a.m. on May 13, Toryann was driving northbound on I-95 in an unknown lane and failed to maintain control of the gray Nissan Altima she was driving. The right front of the car hit a guardrail and concrete wall and ultimately came to a stop as it faced northeast in a center lane.
Toryann got out of the car and was leaning into the backseat when another car, a gray BMW X3, hit the right side of the Altima, throwing Toryann from the car. The Altima would be hit by another vehicle, a BMW X5, whose driver tried to swerve to avoid the cars that had already crashed.
The X5 driver suffered no injuries, according to the FHP synopsis. The X3 driver was taken to a hospital with nonfatal injuries. Toryann was pronounced dead at the scene.
FHP said the investigation into the crash remains open.
Mcfarlane posted a pair of pictures of himself with his arm around his daughter and wearing her graduation cap.
“SIP ON TOR TOR D’ADDA MISS YOU,” he wrote, using his nickname for Toryann.
And later, another post: “Father God keep mi strong.”
Lopez said Toryann’s time at Inlet Grove was marked by gifts she had in abundance — brilliance and kindness.
“As a high-performing student, she entered our specialized ‘Skippers’ program, which recognized her exceptional potential by allowing her to skip the eighth grade and transition early into high school,” Lopez wrote. “She went on to become a dedicated member of our Medical Academy, where she excelled and earned multiple industry certifications.”
Toryann’s next steps were clear.
“Demonstrating her continued academic commitment, she had already begun her higher education journey, attending college through our Early Admission program with Palm Beach State College,” Lopez wrote.
Messages of grief and condolence have poured onto Mcfarlane’s page.
Lopez told parents, students and community members how to access grief counseling.
“Beyond her remarkable academic success, Tory-Ann possessed a beautiful, contagious smile, and a deeply kind and respectful spirit that lifted everyone around her,” he wrote.
Wayne Washington is a journalist covering education and Riviera Beach development for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at wwashington@pbpost.com. Help support our work; subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Crash kills Palm Beach County high school grad days after ceremony
Reporting by Wayne Washington, Palm Beach Post / Palm Beach Post
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
