NewsPalm Beach CountyRegion N Palm Beach CountyJupiter

Actions

Palm Beach Gardens woman's death sparks concern over roadway in Jupiter Heights

Samantha Sierra, 33, died in a crash along Heights Boulevard
crash site of Samantha Sierra on Heights Boulevard 031612023
Posted at 6:03 PM, Mar 20, 2023
and last updated 2023-03-21 10:39:18-04

JUPITER, Fla. — A deadly wreck just outside of the Jupiter Heights community is drawing attention to what some residents call a traffic hazard.

Samantha Sierra, 33, was killed on the night of March 16, while driving home from a work-related event at Roger Dean Stadium. She was alone in her car when, police said, she failed to navigate a bend on Heights Boulevard, ran off the pavement and into a tree.

All of her airbags deployed, but Sierra did not survive the impact.

"She was just a beautiful person," Billy Gagliardo, Sierra's husband, said.

The couple had been married only a few years and have a 3-year-old daughter, Charlotte.

"She loved our little girl so much. There was no better friend, no better wife, no better mother, she's everything people aspire to be. She was an amazing person who didn't deserve this."

According to Sierra's husband, tire marks on the side of the road suggest his wife's car left the roadway on the dangerous curve that runs just outside the neighborhood and leads to busy Donald Ross Road.

"It's dangerous," Gagliardo said. "I don't understand why this is like this."

Gagliardo stood on the side of the road staring down at the tire marks and the flowers left at the scene of his wife's tragic wreck.

"All of the residents who live back there [in Jupiter Heights] told me the lights here are too dim," Gagliardo said. "Why is this road like this? It doesn't make sense. There should be speed bumps here, a speed sign. Something that indicates this is a sharp turn. Something!"

Gagliardo met several of the residents, who were at the scene the night his wife died. Many were the first on the scene as paramedics arrived. They were still too shaken to talk about the crash. They all vowed to petition the town of Jupiter to get speed bumps, better lighting and road signs on the stretch of roadway.

Meanwhile, friends have started a GoFundMe account in Sierra's memory.