R.I.P. Alex Drake March 29, 2009

When I first met you, I already knew you were going to be the chillest Assistant Store Manager we were going to have. We connected with stories about the Lakers, Louis Vuitton, Nintendo Wii. And we were so close in age that we just clicked. There were so many good things I could say about her. There will never be another Alex, another person so influential to anybody's life. The last thing she said to me before she had her baby, "Finish school Julius." Now I have every reason to finish school and the extra motivation for living life.

Alex, I love you and although we were not immediate family, we were family, The Home Depot family, a great family. You will deeply be missed and always apart of my life. Thank you for the memories. I will see you soon.

Lord, thank you for the blessing of having Alex in my life. I cannot thank you enough.

UPDATE: On the March 29, 2009, the Mira Mesa Home Depot was to have a store meeting. She had texted at approximately 11:14AM that she would be attending the meeting. She sent the text to Traci. At 11:18AM, she was involved in an accident that unfortunately took her life.

The crazy thing is that I knew she was there. Our culture believes that once you see a moth or a butterfly after someone passes away, then that is supposed to be her spirit.

It gave me the chills, but I knew she was there.



The color pallet of this moth is just out of the ordinary. And the size of the moth was no normal moth.

An article from CW6:

DUI Crackdown following Young Mother's Death on SR-67

CHP officers will be stepping up their DUI patrols on State Route 67 with the help of a $265,000 grant.
Pam McKeirnan angrily talks about State Route 67. On Sunday, she witnessed her 25-year old daughter, Alexandria Drake, die in a crash. Alex's 4-week old son Jayden was in the backseat but survived the crash.

"This little boy is now motherless, because we don't have center divides on that road -- because a man was racing," McKeirnan said.





Pam McKeirnan holds grandson Jayden.

Police say two reckless drivers racing down the highway took the life of McKeiran's daughter. Pam believes a safer highway 67 would've saved Alex.

”There are trees and it is the trees that killed my child. Removal of the trees and widen the road," is what she demands.

There have been 50 head on collisions, with 7 deaths in 7 years, according to county leaders who say they are trying to make highway 67 safer.

Caltrans spokesman Bill Valle at a news conference on Tuesday said, "The 67 it is not wide enough in many areas to put in K-rail. You would have to widen the roadway and have to account for left turns."

Valle says long term safety improvements for highway 67 are only on the chalkboard. Speed sensors on the road along with rumble strips on the medians are the short term solutions.

Jay Drake, Alex's husband, thinks more needs to be done. He said, "When they come around those corners -- because there is a lot of corners -- someone has to think, 'Oh, wow -- is there going to be a car coming on my side of the road?'"

With the federal grant, CHP officers will add 2200 more patrol hours to conduct more roving DUI patrols and setup sobriety checkpoints.

McKeirnan is hopeful this will save lives on what's proving to be a deadly highway.

Alexandria's family has set up a memorial fund to help Jayden's future. If you would like to contribute, make your donations to the "Alex and Jayden Drake Fund" at the Mission Federal Credit Union.

Tragic Death



A medical helicopter lands on a closed section of SR-67 Sunday afternoon at the scene of a head-on crash. (Photo: JC Playford)

California Highway Patrol officers are looking for the driver of a white BMW which may have been involved in the deadly accident that took the life of 25-year-old Alexandria Drake. The accident happened Sunday morning on State Route 67 near Archie Moore Road in Ramona.

At the crash scene, Home Depot workers held an unplanned prayer service on Monday. There wasn't a dry eye on the side of the road where Alex Drake's Volvo had crashed into a tree. Drake’s co-workers from Home Depot comforted one another and left messages behind on a small cross.

"It's just sad," Laura Cortez tearfully said. "The baby's never going to get to know his mother."

Drake's newborn baby boy had been strapped into the backseat and survived the crash.



Diane McMahon heard the impact of the crash. She rushed to the site and stayed there the whole day to comfort family members. She said, "It will stay with me forever to see the baby chair laying out there."

CHP officers say the accident happened as a Jaguar, going about 80mph, tried to outrace a white BMW. The Jaguar lost control.

Investigators say Drake's mother was riding in an SUV ahead of her daughter. The Jaguar clipped the SUV as a deadly chain reaction started.

Drake hit the crashed Jaguar, sending her Volvo into a tree. The driver in the Jaguar went to the hospital. The other racer fled the scene.

Laura Cortez made a plea to that driver. "That person knows they were involved and if they have any kind of heart for any family, especially that baby, just go to the police and turn yourself in."



The driver of the Jaguar was 47-year-old Melvin Pearless of Ranchita. He's not under arrest, but he probably will face a vehicular manslaughter charge.

As for the driver of the white BMW there is no description on that person, but police would like to talk to the driver.

If anyone has information on the crash you are asked to call the CHP at 619-401-2000.

YOU'LL ALWAYS BE IN MY HEART