Noodle Muffin presents

Date of Accident: September 26, 2010
Date of Birth: December 4, 1988

Inscription: "Dec 04 1988 Bella Amor Mendoza Sept 26 2010" plus many handwritten messages.

Age: 21
Special Items: Bella's photo and a Lady of Guadalupe medallion are embedded into the cross. A wooden cross pendant is hung on the white cross.

Fake flowers and two wind spinners are at the base of the cross. Lastly, Virgin Mary and baby Jesus figurines lie at the base of the cross.

Description:            Wow, this is a beautiful monument. It marks the spot where a pretty young lady was tragically killed in a car accident in September 2010. The
                                        familiy handcrafted this large white cross, and then Bella's friends and relatives lovingly wrote messages all over it. It's one of the nicest, most
                                       heart-felt memorials I have seen. What makes this white cross unique though is what the family did after their loved one's death. In addition to
                                        creating a physical monument at the accident site, the family also created a Facebook tribute page for Bella. It is still active and is filled with
                                        heartfelt and thought-provoking messages. So, Bella's memorial is a novel intersection of a traditional white cross memorial with today's social
                                       media.

                                        After a brief web search, I found info on the accident, along with Bella's obituary (see links below). Here's what happened:

                                       "Bella Mendoza, 21, of Visalia, died Sunday morning when the sport-utility vehicle she was traveling in struck a median and flipped on
                                        Highway 99 near Earlimart. The California Highway Patrol reports that Ms. Mendoza was one of six passengers traveling south in a 2003
                                        Ford Explorer driven by 18-year-old Matthew Elizondo of Visalia around 5:30 a.m. Mr. Elizondo struck the median in an attempt to avoid a
                                        tanker truck and encroached on his lane, then swerved across northbound lanes and rolled the SUV into a pistachio orchard.Ms. Mendoza
                                        was pronounced dead at the scene, while the rest of the passengers received injuries ranging from minor to major."