An Oklahoma community is mourning the loss of an “outstanding young man” who died in a car crash ahead of the latest Kansas City Chiefs game.
Connor Barba, an 18-year-old from Norman, Okla., was “shocked” when his mom told him they were going to the Monday Night Football matchup between the Chiefs and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, surprising him with tickets to celebrate his birthday, according to a GoFundMe set up on behalf of his family.
However, while they were still in southeast Kansas, the family trip ended in tragedy when Connor and mom Megan Barnett were involved in a collision on Saturday, Nov. 2, according to ABC affiliate KOCO-TV.
According to a Kansas Highway Patrol crash report, a Chevrolet Camaro traveling in the southbound lane crossed the center “for an unknown reason” before striking the family’s vehicle in the northbound lane.
Connor died as a result of the crash, as did the 45-year-old driver of the Camaro, identified by police as Joseph Savage of Coffeyville.
Megan, 41, was seriously injured in the accident and is currently in the intensive care unit at a hospital in Tulsa, Okla., according to the GoFundMe, which raised over $90,000.
The crash occurred on U.S. 169 near Cherryvale just before 4 p.m., ABC affiliate KAKE-TV reported.
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Colin Barnett, Connor’s uncle, told the outlet that “Connor swerved right in a way and slammed on the brakes as hard as he could.”
“When Connor did that, he took the full brunt of the [Camaro],” he added, sharing that he believed those actions likely saved the boy’s mom.
The boy’s uncle told KOCO that the teen “really wanted to see Baker Mayfield play” while his mom “wanted to see the Chiefs” and was likely hoping to catch a glimpse of Taylor Swift cheering on boyfriend Travis Kelce.
“He was an outstanding young man,” Connor’s uncle continued. “He had a lot of light. He had an incredible amount of joy and an incredible smile.”
