Roadside Memorials

Is it me or have those makeshift roadside memorials been cropping up more and more lately? You know the ones, the crosses, candles and flowers the mark the spot where one or more people perished, usually in a car crash.  I'm driving much less than I did a year ago but somehow I seem to be seeing more and more of them.

Just last Thursday, I was on my way to work.  I usually take the Stevenson inbound and as I got to my entrance ramp, it was blocked by a Minuteman truck (the crew of state employees who patrol the highways and assist in accidents and flats and other assorted roadside matters).  I was able to get on the Stevie at the next ramp and heard a traffic report indicating that my exit was closed for an 'accident investigation', which I know from my traffic reporting days is almost always due to a fatality.  Sure enough, the next day as I got on at my usual ramp, there were three bunches of flowers and crosses affixed to the guardrail.  Someone died or maybe multiple people did.

My wife and I were recently driving through a neighboring town and came upon another roadside memorial on the parkway in a residential neighborhood.  In addition to the flowers and crosses was a sign that read "I Miss Mommy".  It was a story that made the news and newspapers a year or so ago.  A woman was walking with her two children, one of whom was an infant.  As I remember it, the mother and infant died and the other child lived when a car struck them.  It was a tragic story.  It got us talking though, about how despite the tragic nature of the incident, how that was someone's lawn and that they have this semi-permanent memorial on their property.  

I honestly don't have a solid opinion either way regarding these memorials.  It they're on a public roadway, I don't really see a problem with it.  I see it slightly differently in the second case where the memorial is on someone's property.  Technically it's on a parkway which is municipal property but is still the responsibility of a homeowner.  I think it would be tragic enough to know someone died on my lawn but to be reminded of it constantly with crosses and signs might get to me after while. 

What do you think? Have you noticed an icrease in these memorials?  What if it was your lawn?  Or someone you knew who passed?

Comments

[Perry/Chicago]

I first noticed this phenomenon in the Southwest (apparently there are some very dangerous pieces of very straight Interstate road in New Mexico and Arizona . . .) when I was touring in the 90's. Due to the locations, then and now, I think that it is (but not exclusively) a popular Hispanic custom. I found it somewhat macabre then and still do.

What I find even more disturbing is those that are kept up with current events which mirror the seasons and holidays.
There is a decorated bicycle chained up on the NW corner of Wellington and Damen (in Chicago,) where a twenty-something bicycle enthusiast was killed within the past year. It was decorated with Christmas goodies in December and most recently with plastic Easter eggs spread around on the ground amongst the flowers and candles.
While I don't think I would ever fully recover from that kind of loss of someone close to me, I still haven't recovered from losing my dog to a car in the late 90's. I couldn't bring myself to relive the horrible moment it happened by revisiting and memorializing the place of impact. Going forward is hard enough. My memories are tucked away in an un-erasable, very complex and private vault . . .

[ken]

I agree, Perry. One graveyard is enough. I don't know that I could maintain a public memorial AND a gravesite if someone I knew died in a tragic way like this.

[drcastrato]

This happened to my Aunt. A drunk driver crashed his car into a telephone poll in front of her house. She had family and friends of the deceased coming to her house a lot, and sometimes ringing the doorbell to talk to her about their friend's final minutes. My aunt couldn't take it and started calling the cops, and taking down the roadside memorials that were in her yard.

[Jen]

Sorry for the late comment on this, but my friend, Richard Gilles did a fantastic photo series on the subject: http://www.hues.com/highway/highway01.html

[Quill272]

I hat them but thats just me. I've already told my girlfriend/family if I die tragically in a roadside accident to not put one of these monstrosities up just go have a beer in my honor.