SCHOHARIE, N.Y. -- It's been nearly a week since Jessica Kirby, her family, and their staff at the Apple Barrel Country Store & Café, witnessed the immediate aftermath of the nation's deadliest transportation crash in nine years.

Kirby and many others are still trying to come to grips with the tragedy that claimed 20 lives. 

“The images of those first moments of the accident are something you never ever forget,” Kirby said.

The makeshift memorial outside their store continues to grow with messages, flowers, and a steady flow of visitors stopping to say a prayer. 

Now Kirby and her family are looking to turn it into a permanent memorial.

“This is something that’s much larger than our small community," Kirby said. "It’s important everybody that’s been affected has some place to reflect.”

She says the Reflections Memorial Foundation is being established to raise money to create a permanent memorial site. Kirby says the plans are in their infancy with design ideas still up in the air. 

The group says they'll be seeking input from the community and the families of the victims. The hope is to have the memorial completed by the one year anniversary.

“It helps us recover," Kirby said. "It’s going to help everybody recover, the community, the families, the first responders.”

Donations for the memorial can be made at any branch of Bank of Richmondville. You can visit their Facebook page for more information.