Recent high school graduate dies in crash on way to college orientation to meet her roommates

BALDWIN COUNTY, Ala. (WALA/Gray News - A high school graduate who walked across the stage just weeks ago has died in a crash this week.

Rylie McGill, 18, was said to have been on her way to orientation at the University of Alabama at Birmingham on Tuesday when authorities said her vehicle left the roadway and struck a tree on Interstate 65.

State troopers said the collision occurred about 4:45 a.m., with the 18-year-old pronounced dead at the scene.

McGill’s mother, Kristin Carroll, said her daughter had left the house early that morning.

“She was going for her college orientation that was going to be that morning. She had just left the house,” Carroll said.

According to Carroll, her daughter had earned a full-ride scholarship to the university, where she was on her way to meet her roommates, see her dorm and get ready for the next chapter of her life.

“She had so many things that she wanted to do. Her biggest goal was that she wanted to be a journalism professor. She wanted to write. She just loved writing. She loved helping people,” Carroll said.

McGill’s friend Zulma Molina said the two were close and that she is still trying to process what happened.

“It just really, really horrible. And something to this day that I cannot process,” she shared.

Molina said they graduated together and spent their senior year making memories they thought they’d have more time to add to.

“Rylie was an incredible person. She cared for every single person that was around her, even if she didn’t know you personally or not a lot, she would still try to find a way to make sure that you were happy,” Molina said.

Another friend, Neveah Wilson, said McGill was someone who made people feel seen, supported and loved.

“She was just a great person to be around. She would really uplift anybody who was around her to do right,” Wilson said.

Carroll said her daughter is survived by five brothers who are now grieving a sister they loved deeply.

State troopers say what led to the crash remains under investigation.