Plants at Railroad Tracks to Memorialize Father, Daughter Killed in Round Lake Park Crash

Photo Credit: ABC 7 Chicago video report

A memorial has been planted at the Round Lake Park railroad crossing where earlier this year a 36-year-old man and his 7-year-old daughter were killed when the father attempted to drive across the tracks and was hit by a Metra train, according to the Daily Herald.

Luz Barrera, the mother of Alyssa Carranza and ex-wife of Francisco Carranza, said the memorial is meant to remember “two wonderful people” that were lost in the accident that occurred on Jan. 22, according to the article. Friends and family gathered at the crash site, which is located at the railroad tracks near Porter Drive and Route 134, for the memorial planting on Wednesday, the Daily Herald reports.

The memorial includes 14 plants donated by Wilson Nurseries and Landscape Supply in Volo with a variety of perennials, which will “keep the crossing nice most of the year,” according to the Daily Herald. The plants include shades of purple, which was Alyssa’s favorite color.

Francisco Carranza of Island Lake had a blood alcohol level four times the legal limit when he drove through a Metra crossing gate and collided with the train. Francisco Carranza owned Carranza Insurance Agency and was well known throughout the community in Round Lake, according to an ABC 7 Chicago video report.

Alyssa Carranza was a second-grade student at St. Joseph Catholic School in Round Lake, according to an earlier Daily Herald article.