On October 11, 2021, McKenna Winnie was traveling eastbound on Route 619 when her car was struck by a tractor-trailer traveling southbound at the intersection of Route 77. McKenna was killed in the crash. The same intersection had been the site of a crash just months earlier when a dump truck traveling at high speeds t-boned a car.
McKenna has only just begun her sophomore year at the University of Delaware when she was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2017. McKenna not only survived but thrived. She pushed through the physical challenges of college, work, and everyday life with the support of her family, friends, classmates, and coworkers. At the time of the crash McKenna was working on her Master’s degree in public policy and public health at Rutgers and had taken a position at the Rutgers Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research.
For those who knew her, her passing was unfathomable. She was considered a blessing to many and a remarkable woman who had survived a brain tumor with deep faith and an enduring sense of humor. At 23, McKenna Winnie had her entire life ahead of her but in a devastating instant she was gone.