A memorial off Salem Parkway for Trinity Watt, Madison Capobianco and Makayla Tryon who were killed by a drunk driver in June 2019. (Courtesy/ Tammy Watt)
Locals will meet Saturday morning for an Adopt-A-Highway cleanup event in Salem on the stretch of highway where three teens were killed by a drunk driver in 2019.
Those who attend will meet at the intersection of Salem Parkway and Cherry Avenue Northeast at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, where they will clean two miles on both sides of the road, according to a Facebook event listing. All participants must be 16 and older.
Trinity Watt, Madison Capobianco and Makayla Tryon died in June 2019 after a drunk driver hit the passenger side of a car Watt was driving and pushed them 600 feet. They died at the scene.
“Trinity, Makayla and Madison were beautiful young women, daughters, sisters, aunts, cousins, grandchildren and friends of many,” the post read. “Please join us in continuing to remember them by helping us clean Salem Parkway adopted in their names!”
Signs were installed along the road that said the girls’ names on them. All three were former students at Roberts High School, Salem-Keizer’s alternative high school.
Tryon earned a GED from the district’s downtown learning center during the 2016-17 school year. Capobiano and Watt attended classes through a program on the Chemeketa Community College campus.
The driver, 26-year-old Juan Carlos Rodriguez Palacios, was convicted on May 14, 2020, of three counts of manslaughter, two counts of third-degree assault and driving under the influence and sentenced to 25 years in prison.
“We need all hands on deck!,” the post read. “If you can commit to one-two bags of garbage or one to two hours, or maybe you can commit to all morning! Anything helps as this is a large area to clean.”
-Ardeshir Tabrizian
