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Plant High School Student Killed In Crash

Pictured from left: Ally Faulk, Lizzy Mischo and Kristen Hurst.

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By MICHELLE BEARDEN

mbearden@tampatrib.com

Published: November 15, 2008

Updated: 11/15/2008 11:01 pm

The trip began with such promise for the four friends: A weekend visit to a college campus for a homecoming game, a box of homemade brownies from one of the moms and show tunes sung in unison from the hit musical "Mamma Mia!"

Less than three hours later, it was all gone in a matter of seconds.

"The last thing Ally said was 'What's going on?' The car just started swerving all over," said Lizzy Mischo, 18, who sat in the front seat of the Ford Expedition driven by her best friend, Allyson Faulk. "One minute we were so happy, and then we were screaming."

The Plant High School seniors were northbound on Interstate 75 south of Gainesville about 6:30 p.m. Friday when Faulk, 17, lost control of the sport utility vehicle. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the car left the highway, struck several trees and caught on fire.

Faulk, who wore a seat belt, died at the scene. Mischo, who says her seat "ended up like a pretzel" after impact, was able to unlatch her seat belt and ran from the crushed car, yelling for help.

The other two passengers, Kristen Hurst, 17, and Karlyn McKell, who turns 18 on Tuesday, were not wearing seat belts and were ejected from the back seat. McKell suffered minor injuries and Hurst was taken to Shands Hospital at the University of Florida. She was in good condition Saturday night.

"The damage was so severe that initially we couldn't even tell what make of vehicle it was," said patrol spokesman Lt. Patrick Riordan.

'She Saved Me'

Resting at home Saturday night, Mischo was grappling with how she survived with just bruises, stitches and a chipped bone in her shoulder — and her childhood friend didn't.

They met in second grade and lived four blocks from each other. Not having Faulk burst into her house and head to the refrigerator for a bottle of cold water is too strange to fathom.

Her only comfort is knowing that Faulk died quickly. Right after the crash, Mischo said she looked at her friend and knew she was gone.

"She was the angel who got me out of that car," said Mischo, an infielder for the Plant softball team. "I know she was the one who guided me and saved me. I know she'll always watch over me now."

Faulk, who loved the color purple and shopping at Forever 21, was an honors student at Plant. "A brainiac," Mischo said. "Independent, sarcastic and very funny."

The two were big fans of singer Carrie Underwood and bought tickets for her Dec. 12 concert in Tampa.

Faulk stayed on a straight path. Mischo said her friend, never without a bottle of water, would never drink alcohol or take drugs. She didn't do the party scene. Instead, she was an editor of the yearbook and president of the Zeta Service Club. She worked two days a week at Yogurt Naturally.

Faulk and her friends were making their first trip together to Tallahassee to see Florida State University play Boston College on Saturday night.

Faulk dreamed of going to Clemson University, but she knew out-of-state tuition would be too expensive, so she and Mischo planned on attending FSU together.

"I know she wouldn't want me to grieve. She'd want me to go on to college and be the best person I could be," Mischo said.

'We Played For Her'

Fellow students remembered their classmate at several sporting events Saturday.

Before taking the court in a volleyball match against Venice High School, Danielle Erb and her teammates penned Faulk's initials in the palms of their hands. They advanced to the state tournament in an emotional victory.

"We played for her," said Erb, choked up over her friend's death. "She was a genius. She had straight As. Bad things happen to nice people."

At the state swimming and diving championships in Orlando, Plant senior Meg Anderson won a silver medal in the 50-yard freestyle event. After receiving the medal, she proudly showed off Faulk's initials on her hand. They were surrounded by two hearts.

"She really was involved in everything," Anderson said.

School officials are bracing for reaction to the popular student's death when students return to school Monday. Crisis counselors will be on hand.

Gina Piloto, assistant principal at Plant, called Faulk "the kind of kid that students gravitated to."

"Very bubbly, very sweet … just an outstanding Plant student," she said. "She took her academics very seriously. She took high-level classes and always challenged herself."

Funeral services are being planned for Wednesday at Christ the King Catholic Church.

Mischo said Hurst, a tennis player who made it to the state semifinals last year in the singles division, is expected to be released from Shands today. She suffered several broken bones and a fractured hip.

When teenagers get in car accidents, the first assumption is they were drinking or driving recklessly, said Annie Mischo, Lizzy's mother. But she said she knows better with this foursome.

"They are good girls, the cream of the crop," she said. "They always did everything according to the book. This has shaken all of us to the core."

Their family met with their priest Saturday for answers. He couldn't give them any.

"Sometimes, there are no answers," Annie Mischo said. "It was just a horrific accident."

In lieu of flowers, the Faulk family requests donations be made to the Plant High School Zeta Service Club or the Juvenile Diabetes Research Center, 5959 Central Ave., No. 202, St. Petersburg FL 33710.

Reporters Russell Ray, Katherine Smith and Nick Williams contributed to this report. Reporter Michelle Bearden can be reached at (813) 259-7613.

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