Memorial honoring migrant workers killed in Marion County bus crash removed. Who took it?
The memorial erected on State Road 40 in memory of the eight migrant workers killed in a two-vehicle wreck on May 14 is now gone. But who removed it?
Inspired by Roberto Marquez, the memorial showcased eight crosses, each with the name of one of those killed in the crash, a Mexican flag, a blue cloth and flowers. Two of the crosses had pictures of the people who died, large paintings, flowers, candles and Bibles.
The items were the centerpiece of a vigil held several days after the horrific crash that attracted hundreds of people who lined State Road 40, not far from Southwest 148 Court.
On Wednesday, the spot where the memorial once stood had only a white cross with the words "Jesus Saves," and a few candles. Marquez is puzzled and hurt with what has happened.
"I don't know why someone would do that," he said of the removal of the memorial. "It's real sad."
Marquez, who came from Texas to build the memorial after hearing about the crash, said all of his efforts and those from the community were done seemingly in vain.
"They should respect it," he said about the memorial and what it represents. "It hurts real bad."
Contacted Wednesday, a spokesperson for the Florida Department of Transportation said in an email they do not know who removed the memorial.
"We understand the memorial has been removed, but the Florida Department of Transportation did not remove it. We will continue to work with the loved ones to come up with a solution for a safe memorial marker," the email said.
FDOT officials said they have a Memorial Marker Program that's designed to "commemorate those who have died as a result of a vehicle related crash on the State Highway System. In an effort to increase public awareness of highway safety, it is the Department's policy to allow the placement of memorial markers within the state road right of way."
A Marion County spokesperson said its code enforcement department did not re-locate the memorial, and that they have no jurisdiction over the area.
Officials from the Florida Highway Patrol and the Marion County Sheriff's Office also said they have no idea who dismantled the memorial.
A woman who answered the phone at Wavetree Stables Inc., which owns the property where the bus crashed, said Wednesday they too had nothing to do with the memorial's removal.
The bus carrying the 53 farmworkers to work at Cannon Farms in Dunnellon was side-swiped by an older model pickup truck the morning of May 14. FHP troopers said the bus was traveling west on the roadway when it was hit by a truck traveling in the opposite direction that crossed into the path of the bus.
Veering off the roadway, the bus struck two trees, a wooden fence and overturned. Eight workers lost their lives, and dozens of others were transported to various hospitals for treatment, authorities said.
The crash was the deadliest in recent Marion County history. Most of the people injured in the crash have been released from hospitals. HCA Florida Ocala Hospital officials said one person remains critical and three others are in stable condition at its facility.
Charged in the crash is Bryan Mclean Howard, who faces eight counts of DUI manslaughter. He told officials he smoked marijuana oil and took prescription pills the night before the crash. Howard said he was on his way to a methadone clinic when the crash happened. He told troopers he doesn't remember anything about the crash. He told investigators that when he got out of the truck, someone told him he was involved in a crash with a bus.
Arrested at the hospital where he was being treated, Howard was taken to the county jail where he remains with no bond.
Contact Austin L. Miller at austin.miller@starbanner.com
This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Memorial honoring bus crash victims removed in Marion County
