A memorial is now a permanent landmark on Durrance Rd. It commemorates the life of Alana Tamplin.
The memorial is where Kenny Balch lives in North Fort Myers. It is one he hoped he would never see.
“I know that they put up memorials whenever there’s a fatality,” Balch said. “I was just sad when I saw it.”
The memorial is one way the friends and family of Alana, 12, hope to keep her bright and bubbly personality alive after a vehicle fatally hit and propelled her into a grassy ditch along the rural roadway Monday morning.
The memorial also reminds drivers to keep an eye out for children who often use the road to walk to the bus stop to prevent future deaths.
“The last thing we want is for a child to be hurt or lose their life,” said Gregory Bueno, a Florida Highway Patrol lieutenant.
Alana’s death has prompted the FHP to jump into action.
“We came out here this morning and we’re enforcing the speed limit,” Bueno said. “We had no problem finding people exceeding that speed limit.”
In less than three hours, Troopers issued eight citations to drivers exceeding the speed limit – from 8 mph to 19 mph.
“It’s to send a message to the community that there are speed limits and we expect you to abide by them,” Bueno said.