Jenna A. Wilkins
Jenna Wilkins was walking northbound on an unlit portion of Route 82 near Clove Branch Road in East Fishkill when a car struck her.
The first time I noticed flowers placed on the roadside for a loved one was on the Taconic Parkway. The white cross and oval frame are now faded, as is the name.
During the years I commuted, I wanted to pull over to see the person’s name and read it aloud so the name could live on.
Since then, the number of flowers and crosses has multiplied on the Taconic. “It must be all the speeding and distracted drivers,” is what I would say to myself to try to rationalize why so many more roadside memorials were popping up.
Then, I started seeing roadside memorial markers in town and hearing stories of pedestrians getting hit. There were a number of reasons for these accidents: distracted drivers, lack of sidewalks, unlit roads, and impaired drivers; the list seemed endless.
If you spend any time driving through the center of town, you'll notice the speeding cars and trucks.
2023- A child was hit by an impaired driver?
I saw this notification on Facebook, and while scrolling through the comments, a few people mentioned that a child had been struck by a car on Route 376. However, I couldn't find any online information about the accident.
A few days later, my daughter ran into her friend, who recounted a story about a girl who had suffered severe back injuries from being hit by an impaired driver.
To this day, I haven't found any information about what really happened.
The alleged accident led me down a rabbit hole of stories about pedestrian fatalities and injuries that have occurred in East Fishkill and neighboring towns and cities.
Jenna A. Wilkins
On 12/5/20, at approximately 6:00 p.m., Jenna Wilkins was walking northbound on an unlit portion of Route 82 near Clove Branch Road in East Fishkill when a car struck her.
I’ve driven past this roadside memorial SO many times. I would notice it, wonder about the person for whom this was made, and drive on. It was years of this- notice, make a mental note, and go about my day.
Then one day I stopped.
It’s for Jenna Wilkins.
The image above I took right before it turned dark. I wanted to circle back to see the solar lights- each one carefully placed along the road.
It was windy, and the lights danced—I don’t know why, but I smiled. A sense of peace? Maybe. At night, this memorial feels entirely different than in the daytime. It almost feels like when you pull up to your home, and someone is up waiting for you.
After I was done taking the photos, I was left wondering about Jenna, and her life. Did the cars zipping by wonder about Jenna too?
For the next few months, I will highlight roadside memorials, both old and new. I hope along the way to connect with family and friends and maybe even share a story or two about their lives.