Community mourns high school senior who died in crash near campus before graduation
WPBF 25 NEWS STARTS WITH BREAKING NEWS THIS MORNING. HIGHLIGHTS JUST HOW FRAGILE LIFE IS. TODAY. A LOCAL SCHOOL COMMUNITY IN MOURNING AFTER A HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR ON HIS WAY TO GRADUATION REHEARSAL, WAS KILLED IN A CRASH RIGHT OUTSIDE OF SOUTH FORK HIGH SCHOOL. THAT CEREMONY IS SET TO HAPPEN LATER TONIGHT. THE CRASH HAPPENING RIGHT HERE ON SOUTHWEST PRATT WHITNEY ROAD AND SOUTHWEST BULLDOG WAY AROUND 840 IN THE MORNING. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US ON WPBF 25 NEWS AT 4:00. I’M TIFFANY KENNEY AND I’M SHAYNE WRIGHT. JUST A TRAGIC STORY. TODAY, STUDENTS AND TEACHERS AT THE SCHOOL REMEMBERING BROOKS AS A STUDENT ATHLETE, A MEMBER OF THE VETERINARY PROGRAM, AND A LIFELONG MARTIN COUNTY SCHOOL STUDENT. NOW, DISTRICT LEADERS SAY TODAY’S GRADUATION CEREMONY IS STILL HAPPENING. BUT THEY SAID TO TAKE A MORE SOMBER NOTE TO OUR WPBF 25 NEWS TEAM, BRINGING YOU THE LATEST ON THE INVESTIGATION INTO WHAT CAUSED TODAY’S CRASH AND HOW THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY IS HONORING HONORING THE LIFE OF CHRISTOPHER BROOKS. ANGELA ROZIER IS HEARING FROM THE MARTIN COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE TODAY, AND RACHEL WILLIAMS IS TALKING WITH MEMBERS OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICT ON TONIGHT’S GRADUATION AND HOW THEY’RE REMEMBERING THE TREASURE COAST TEAM. ANGELA, LET’S START WITH YOU. WHAT DID YOU LEARN ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED AT THAT CRASH SCENE? WELL, I CAN TELL YOU, TRAFFIC INVESTIGATORS NO LONGER HERE AT THE CRASH SCENE THIS AFTERNOON OUTSIDE SOUTH FORK HIGH SCHOOL. BUT AS YOU SAID, SAM, FAMILY AS WELL AS STAFF AND TEACHERS AND STUDENTS STILL HURTING TONIGHT AFTER GETTING THAT TRAGIC NEWS. NOW I WANT TO SHOW YOU WHAT THE SCENE LOOKED LIKE EARLIER THIS MORNING WHEN WE FIRST ARRIVED. YOU CAN STILL SEE. THIS IS VIDEO OF THE VICTIM’S MANGLED CAR. THE VICTIM WAS HERE IN THE MORNING. CHRISTOPHER BROOKS. HE WAS TRAVELING NORTHBOUND ON SOUTHWEST PRATT WHITNEY ROAD WHEN HE FAILED TO SLOW DOWN FOR STOP TRAFFIC, AND INVESTIGATORS SAY HE REAR ENDED A DUMP TRUCK AND DIED ON IMPACT. NOW, THE SHERIFF SAYS THE BROOKS GRANDPARENTS, THEY WERE HERE, AS WELL AS CLOSE FRIENDS. SHORTLY AFTER THAT CRASH TOOK PLACE. UNFORTUNATELY, ONE OF THE FIRST PEOPLE ON SCENE THAT DIDN’T QUITE SEE THE CRASH BUT SAW THE SMOKE FROM THE CRASH, WAS ONE OF HIS FRIENDS. AND SO THEY RAN UP AND. AND SAW WHAT NO ONE SHOULD SEE. AND THE SHERIFF ALSO SAYS, THIS IS A HEARTBREAKING DAY FOR THE STUDENTS AND THE STAFF HERE. FHP, WE’RE TOLD, IS NOW INVESTIGATING THIS CASE. NOW FOR MORE ON THAT STUDENT WE GO TO MY COLLEAGUE RACHEL WILLIAMS, WHO SPOKE WITH SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS EARLIER TODAY. RACHEL. YEAH, AND THAT’S RIGHT. AS WE’RE CONTINUING TO LEARN MORE ABOUT CHRISTOPHER BROOKS, WE KNOW THAT HE GREW UP IN THE MARTIN COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT AND THAT HE WAS VERY INVOLVED ON CAMPUS. SO LIKE WE KNOW BROOKS WAS ON HIS WAY TO GRADUATION PRACTICE THIS MORNING. THAT STARTED AT 830. INVESTIGATORS SAY THE CRASH HAPPENED AROUND THAT TIME. IN A PRESS CONFERENCE, SHERIFF TELLS US ONE OF CHRISTOPHER’S FRIENDS, WHO THE MOTHER IDENTIFIED AS BRODY BAKER, WAS ONE OF THE FIRST ONES ON SCENE. BRODY’S MOM TOLD ME ON THE PHONE BOTH HER SON AND CHRISTOPHER WERE RUNNING LATE TO GRADUATION PRACTICE, AND CHRISTOPHER WAS SCHEDULED TO ARRIVE BEFORE BRODY, AND THAT’S WHEN HE SAW THE CRASH AND BROKE OUT IN TEARS. SCHOOL DISTRICT LEADERS TELL US BROOKS WENT TO HOBE SOUND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AND MURRAY MIDDLE SCHOOL. HE WAS ALSO A MEMBER OF THE BOWLING TEAM. THAT MAKES THE LOSS ALL THE MORE TRAGIC FOR US AND JUST HITS US IN SO MANY AREAS. HE WAS INVOLVED IN SPORTS AT THE SCHOOL. HE WAS INVOLVED IN ONE OF OUR CAREER TECHNICAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS. HE WAS INVOLVED IN THE VETERINARY PROGRAM AND JUST A HEARTBREAKING, HEARTBREAKING SITUATION. THE GRADUATION IS STILL SCHEDULED FOR 7:00 THIS EVENING. BRODY’S MOM TOLD ME THAT PARENTS ARE PLANNING TO BRING FLOWERS TO SET UP A MEMORIAL FOR CHRISTOPHER. FOR NOW, I’M LIVE IN MARTIN COUNTY. RACHEL WILLIAMS, WPBF 25 NEWS. AND OUR TEAM WILL CLOSELY FOLLOW ALL THE NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN THIS CRASH INVESTIGATION, AS WELL AS OUR TREASURE COAST COMMUNITIES. REMEMBERING CHRISTOPHER BROOKS, YOU C
Community mourns high school senior who died in crash near campus before graduation
Updated: 4:32 PM EDT May 21, 2026
An investigation into a fatal crash involving a South Fork High School senior continues Thursday night.’On his way to graduation practice’: Florida senior dies in car accident outside school entranceMartin County Sheriff John Budensiek said the crash happened outside South Fork High School in Martin County around 8:30 a.m., Thursday.Authorities identified the victim as 18-year-old Christopher Brooks. The sheriff said the Hobe Sound teenager and South Fork High School senior was on his way to graduation practice when the crash happened.”This really does highlight just how fragile life is, how quickly things change,” Budensiek said.Officials said Brooks was traveling northbound on Southwest Pratt Whitney Road at the intersection of Bulldog Way when he failed to slow down for stopped traffic, rear-ended a dump truck and died on impact.Budensiek said one of the first people to arrive after the crash was one of Brooks’ friends.”Unfortunately, one of the first people on scene that didn’t quite see the crash but saw the smoke from the crash was one of his friends, and so they ran up and saw what no one should see,” Budensiek said.Maria Wilmot and her 17-year-old daughter Lucia Fourie heard the crash Thursday morning while waiting at a red light in front of the school.”The noise was so loud that I thought, and then we saw smoke, and then I saw the car, and everyone started running,” Wilmot said.Fourie is a junior at South Fork High School.”I feel so bad,” Fourie said. “I’ve had friends who have died in car crashes. It’s hard to see somebody so young have that happen to them.”The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating.Stay up to date: The latest headlines and weather from WPBF 25Get the latest news updates with the WPBF 25 News app. You can download it here.
MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. —
An investigation into a fatal crash involving a South Fork High School senior continues Thursday night.
‘On his way to graduation practice’: Florida senior dies in car accident outside school entrance
Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek said the crash happened outside South Fork High School in Martin County around 8:30 a.m., Thursday.
Authorities identified the victim as 18-year-old Christopher Brooks.
The sheriff said the Hobe Sound teenager and South Fork High School senior was on his way to graduation practice when the crash happened.
“This really does highlight just how fragile life is, how quickly things change,” Budensiek said.
Officials said Brooks was traveling northbound on Southwest Pratt Whitney Road at the intersection of Bulldog Way when he failed to slow down for stopped traffic, rear-ended a dump truck and died on impact.
Budensiek said one of the first people to arrive after the crash was one of Brooks’ friends.
“Unfortunately, one of the first people on scene that didn’t quite see the crash but saw the smoke from the crash was one of his friends, and so they ran up and saw what no one should see,” Budensiek said.
Maria Wilmot and her 17-year-old daughter Lucia Fourie heard the crash Thursday morning while waiting at a red light in front of the school.
“The noise was so loud that I thought, and then we saw smoke, and then I saw the car, and everyone started running,” Wilmot said.
Fourie is a junior at South Fork High School.
“I feel so bad,” Fourie said. “I’ve had friends who have died in car crashes. It’s hard to see somebody so young have that happen to them.”
The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating.
Stay up to date: The latest headlines and weather from WPBF 25
Get the latest news updates with the WPBF 25 News app. You can download it here.