Girl dies when car hits school

A 21-year old Atmore woman, who recently moved to the area from Georgia, was killed in a single-vehicle vehicle crash early Friday morning after her 2015 Ford Fusion left Highway 31 and slammed into the side of Flomaton High School.

Shaneal Schifano was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash that occurred about 12 a.m. on Dec. 23, according to the Flomaton Police Department. A 911 call reporting the crash came in to the Flomaton Police Department's dispatch at 12:04 a.m.

The vehicle was traveling north on Highway 31when it went onto the right shoulder and later slammed into the high school building.

Caleb Silbernagel said he and a friend were at Hurricane Park at the time of the crash and that he made the 911 call.

He said he saw the vehicle pull out of Flomaton Woods Apartments heading back toward Flomaton. When he and his friend left they saw that the vehicle had crashed and got out and then dialed 911.

The daughter of Calecia and Ricky Finklea of Atmore, Shaneal had just recently moved from Atlanta to Atmore for a new job and had been in Atmore four or five months.

"I wanted her close to home," her mother Calecia said. "I want to know exactly what happened."

According to Flomaton Police Chief Johnny Wilson, Shaneal's body was transported to the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences in Mobile for an autopsy.

Chief Wilson said the investigation is continuing and police are trying to secure video from the school to see exactly what happened.

Shaneal was born in Atmore and moved to Atlanta 12 to13 years ago and was a 2019 graduate of Morrow High School in Atlanta where she played softball. According to her mother. Just weeks ago, Shaneal had completed her school work at Morrow Vocational School's United Education Institution in Georgia and was employed in a part-time position at Atmore Family Dental.

Her mother said Shaneal had enrolled to begin classes at Coastal Alabama Community College to become a registered nurse.

"I'm very proud of her," Shaneal's mother said. "She was an adorable child. She was never in any kind of trouble."

As of press time Wednesday, funeral arrangements had not been made.

In addition to her parents, she is survived by her brother, Hikeem Howard of Atmore and her sister Jalecia Fields of Atmore.