Provo woman wants to create memorial to honor girl killed in car crash

PROVO – They didn’t know her for very long, but the death of a three-year old girl in Provo last Sunday has rocked some community members to their core.  One woman has plans to honor the girl and her family.

McKenna Brown had only known little Chelsea Parkinson for a few hours before she was killed in a car crash last Sunday.  Still, she says Chelsea and her daughter, Sloane, became instant friends when they met at church.

“Even the nursery leader said, ‘Oh, Chelsea and Sloane are friends from before.’  I said, ‘No, they just hit it off,’” Brown says.

Brown claims she thought about getting a picture of the two girls playing, but, decided not to, thinking she’d take one the following week.  She never got that chance.

The crash happened on University Avenue and 3700 North shortly after 4:45 that Sunday afternoon.  Investigators say it appears the driver of a Pleasant Grove truck never touched his brakes and slammed into the Parkinson’s car.  That intersection is where Brown wants to put a memorial for Chelsea.

“There won’t be statues.  There won’t be anything crazy fancy.  I just want it to be a place where they can feel our love,” Brown says.

She got permission from the owners of Will’s Pit Stop to place the memorial, which she will manage.  Brown feels it will be a small way for the community to show their support for the girl’s family, without invading their privacy.

“My hope is that people just surround it with things like flowers and balloons,” she says.

(Photo Credit: KSL TV)