A new roadside memorial was installed Friday in memory of a Fort Saskatchewan teen killed nearly six years ago in a crash involving a drunk driver. Alexandra Ollington’s mother says the Highway 21 sign, which has been a year in the making, is a way to honour and remember her young daughter’s life. “My whole family was taken away that day on Sept. 17. As much as we try to keep going on with life, that doesn’t mean that the grief we feel truly ever leaves us,” Maria Popiwchak told CTV News Edmonton as she laid flowers beside her daughter’s memorial. Alexandra was 17 and driving with two of her friends, 16-year-old Keithan Peters and a 15-year-old girl, when their car was hit by a pickup truck going the wrong way on the highway. Police at the time said the pickup driver’s blood alcohol content was 2.5 times higher than the legal limit. Alexandra and Keithan were killed. Their 15-year-old friend was sent to hospital with serious injuries. Alexandra was a Sherwood Park resident and had just graduated high school before her death in September 2020. “You’re always thinking about the what ifs. What could have been, what should have been. Always wondering, at the age of 23, what would Alexandra be doing right now? Where would she be? What experiences would she have had?” her mother added. Cpl. Devon Lafreniere was in charge of the Fort Saskatchewan RCMP traffic section at the time and was the first to respond to the collision. “In this job, you come across similar situations over a career … It’s always much more difficult when it’s kids involved,” he told reporters on Friday. “Driving by this area and coming back to this exact site brings back terrible, terrible memories … It’s something that’ll never be forgotten.” The memorial was commissioned with the support of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and the City of Fort Saskatchewan. “I’m hoping that it will serve to the greater community as a reminder of the importance of being careful when you’re driving, so that you’re not causing this tragedy for another family,” Popiwchak said. With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Sean McClune
