Memorials: Roadside Shrines – The Victims; Mark Gordon Photography

The Victims – Roadside shrines seldom answer the question: "What happened?" Sometimes the answer can be found in online stories about the accidents. But, events, dates and even the names of the victims aren't always available. Whether the victims are the subject of extensive stories or lost to all but their friends and family, the memorials serve as a reminder to the living. Select any image below.

Nine-year-old Journey Houle and his father, Derek Houle, 37, were killed on Interstate 64 near mile marker 52 on March 1, 2013. They died after their SUV hit a patch of black ice and slid off the road, where it became stuck in mud. They were struck by another vehicle that slid off the Interstate as they stood outside the SUV.

The accident that took the life of Staff Sgt. Joshua Powell took place a world away from his home town. Sgt. Powell, 25, was killed in a helicopter crash during operation enduring freedom. A billboard was erected in his honor on Highway 97 just outside Springfield, Illinois

On Interstate 65 near Cullman, Alabama. Memorial to Laura Suzanne Currier Fields, age 52, who died July 8, 2011. Suzy was a Licensed Physical Therapist.
Survivors included her husband, daughter, two sons, step-daughter and step-son.

Donald McGregor, 67, of Fall River, Kansas, died when the semi-trailer he was driving on Interstate 55, near Lincoln, Illinois, struck a vehicle that had stopped in the southbound traffic lane for an unknown reason. The occupant of the other vehicle was also killed.

Curtis Lee Smith, 25, of Springfield, Illinois died Saturday, March 17, 2001, from injuries sustained in a car accident.

On March 25, 2012, Allen Wempe left his home in Staunton, Illinois and was driving south on Illinois Route 4, to his job at the Gateway Distributing Co. in Lebanon. A 2000 Chevy Blazer crossed the center line and struck Wempe’s 2003 Dodge Neon head-on. The driver of the other vehicle had a blood alcohol level of nearly twice the legal limit.

Jordan DeClerck, 22, of Taylorville, Illinois, died Oct. 30, 2011 near Mt. Pulaski on Illinois Route 121 when he lost control of his blue 2002 Jeep at about 3 a.m. in the morning. According to his obituary, Jordan was a hard worker who enjoyed time with his nieces and nephews, enjoyed working with his hands and loved his dog.

Kassandra 'KK' Gibson, 13, of Troy, Illinois was killed July 25, 2005 near the 77-mile marker on Interstate 24 in Kentucky. She died when her mother lost contorl of their SUV while driving from Illinois to Florida.

Daniel D. Rivera, 21, was killed Nov. 16, 2008 when his 2000 Chevrolet Trailblazer left the road for unknown reasons on Illinois Route 4 and went up a small incline and struck a tree stump. He was a football player at McKendree University in Lebanon, Illinois.

On Sept. 3, 2010, Benjamin Ingram, 18, of Enfield, Illinois, was driving a 1993 Ford Ranger on U.S. 45 south of Fairfield, Illinois, just off Interstate 64 when, for unknown reasons, the vehicle crossed over the center line and struck a northbound 2001 Jeep Wrangler. Both Ingram and his girlfriend, 16-year-old Taylor Cokley died in the crash. The couple enjoyed horseback riding and the memorial includes a cross of welded horseshoes, with their initials cut into steel plates.

Sara Richardson, 49, died February 1, 2013 in a traffic accident at Ninth Street and Jefferson Avenue in Springfield, Illinois. Richardson was a passenger in a vehicle driven by her daughter who indicated she was driving to the police station and was being pursued by another vehicle as part of a domestic disturbance.

Douglas Lowery, 51, died on Interstate 65 near the 295 mile marker near Cullman, Alabama, April 13, 2009. He was the only person in the vehicle and died after his vehicle left the roadway and hit a tree.