An 18-year-old woman who was walking on a stretch of the Florida's Turnpike was struck and killed early Thursday, authorities said.
The woman, Nohely Pichardo, was walking along the northbound lanes of the Turnpike near Griffin Road when she was struck by a black Audi around 5 a.m., Florida Highway Patrol officials said.
Pichardo, from Hialeah, was pronounced dead at the scene.
The crash had all northbound lanes of the Turnpike closed early Thursday as authorities investigated, causing heavy traffic delays. The lanes were later opened back up.
FHP spokesman Sgt. Mark Wysocky said investigators are still trying to determine why she was walking on the Turnpike.
"We're still gonna look, check the area to see if there's any disabled vehicles in the area that she may have been walking from or what the other circumstances would have been," Wysocky said.
"She was truly an amazing person," said Genesis Rodriguez, a friend of Pichardo's. "A disagreement in the car. She got out of the car and walked off. She didn't deserve to die like that you know."
The Miami Springs volleyball team said they were retiring the number 10 jersey which Pichardo wore last season.
