Dropped The Ball
 

Update 10/2006:  Bad news, folks. This white cross memorial is gone forever.   About a year after my 2003 update, the monument was again removed.  This time it was not rebuilt.  So, enjoy these photos as a piece of history ...

Update 10/2003:  IT'S BACK!!!  Believe it or not, the family has rebuilt the monument ... call it White Cross 2.0:  Bigger, Better, Stronger.  Truly amazing.  The new memorial has lots of stuffed animals and flowers, but its most interesting article is the picture of the victim Pete Ryan (Obviously Ryan's family put up the tribute.)  The football, however, is nowhere to be found.  Check out the new update pixs here    

 

Update 3/2003:  Sadly, this memorial has been removed.  I guess the family thought it was time to move on...
 

Road:                        14 Freeway North at Avenue O overpass  
Location:                  Palmdale, CA

Victim #1:                 
 
Pete Ryan
Date of Accident:   
?

Age:                                 Teenager

Victim #2:                 Ivy Biggs
Date of Accident:   
5-15-95

Age:                                 Teenager

Inscription:              “Pete Ryan               Ivy Biggs”


Description:            A standard white cross with the victims’ names painted on.  A bouquet of dead REAL flowers is attached to the cross, and a high school sticker decorates the upper part of the cross.  A football lies at the base of the cross (we’ll see how long that stays there!).
 

Analysis:                 This one is a no-brainer!  High school football jock parties with friends after the big game, and then drives his cheerleader girlfriend home afterwards.  After 16 beers, old Pete was probably seeing double when he slammed into a stalled car parked under the Avenue O overpass.  Or maybe he just drove off the road, lost control, and rolled the car a few times, crushing him and his lady.  Either way, I guess you could really say he dropped the ball on this one.

More Images:     Photo One - Photo Two - Christmas Update  - Update 1 - Update 2 - Update 3

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