Krystal had left her family home just five months earlier for Wellington, where she was a promising saleswoman in an electronics shop and saving money to travel overseas.
But she was killed as she headed home from work by a vehicle on the wrong side of the road. A 12-year-old boy who was a passenger in the other vehicle was also killed.
Now Mrs Barnett and her husband Malcolm can build on memories of her, thanks to the Brake project, which has culminated in a website to commemorate United Nations Road Safety Week, which starts today.
An image of Krystal as she might have looked today, aged 28, and those of four other youngsters who died on the roads are on display at www.livingmemories.org.nz.
"They represent just one week's lost potential - five New Zealanders who were denied a future," said Brake director Caroline Perry.
Bereft families supplied photos not just of their dead children but of brothers, sisters, parents and grandchildren to help Australian artist Kevin Darch build up identikit-style portraits of how they may have developed.
His portraits were then sent to Weta Digital, which superimposed them on computerised 3D models, before adding details such as hair, eyebrows and skin tone.
Ms Perry acknowledged that some people may look askance at the exercise, but said Brake had worked for a long time with families in Britain and New Zealand, and had kept project participants involved "every step of the way".
"Some might say it may be a bit spooky, but a lot of families do wonder what their children might look like today."
Mrs Barnett said she had no qualms, even if being shown the image of "Krystal at 28" a fortnight ago had produced yet another watershed of tears.
"We just felt it was a privilege," she said.
"We said [to Brake], if you want us to be part of it, we'd do everything we can to help, to remind people that every week five New Zealand families are robbed of a future."
Crackdown on drivers in school zones
Police vow to mark United Nations Road Safety Week - starting this morning - by cracking down on drivers travelling more than 4km/h above reduced speed limits through school zones.
That means no more than 44km/h through urban zones, and 74km/h within 250m of rural schools on roads otherwise governed by a 100km/h speed limit, before classes start and after they finish each day.
National road policing chief Assistant Commissioner Dave Cliff says extra officers on patrol near schools during the safety week, for which this year's theme is "Look out for kids", will also pay particular attention to the correct use of child restraints and breath-test all drivers they stop.
He says it is tragic that more than 1100 school-age children have been killed or injured after being struck by vehicles outside schools since 2007.
"Children can be unpredictable so motorists need to be well-prepared to stop safely in and around school zones," said Mr Cliff, who will walk the talk with pupils of Rowandale School in Manurewa today to kick off a week of events organised by the road safety charity Brake.
Inspector Alison Brand, the Counties-Manukau road policing manager, said about 40 uniformed and six civilian staff would be involved in enforcement and education efforts in her district during the week, which would include checkpoints to support roadside "clinics" where Plunket and Auckland Transport would give drivers advice on the correct fitting of child restraints.
Brake director Caroline Perry said that according to Safekids Aotearoa around 23 children end up in hospital with serious road injuries each month.
