Norman mom and son involved in fatal crash on way to Kansas City Chiefs game
By Zach Rael
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NORMAN, Oklahoma (KOCO) — A mother and son traveling to a Kansas City Chiefs game were involved in a fatal crash this weekend.
Monday night was supposed to be an evening of celebration and fun for Megan Barnett, a Norman mom, and her 18-year-old son Connor Barba. But the two were involved in a head-on crash that killed Barba while on the road to the game.
Megan is still in the intensive care unit.
Family members said they are still trying to process what happened, as it has only been two days since the crash.
“He was an outstanding young man. He had a lot of light. He had an incredible amount of joy and an incredible smile. He loved to laugh and joke,” Colin Barnett, who is Barba’s uncle and Megan’s brother, said.
Barba’s young life was cut short on Saturday afternoon after the crash in southeast Kansas. The two had their home in Norman to start what was supposed to be a fun mother-and-son trip.
“It was a birthday gift from Megan to Connor,” Colin said.
To celebrate Barba’s birthday next week, his mom surprised him at the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“She surprised him. He was shocked. It was not on his radar,” Colin said.
Both of them were looking forward to the game, although they had slightly different reasons.
“He really wanted to see Baker Mayfield play, and Megan, I think, wanted to see the Chiefs play, likely the Taylor Swift connection,” Colin said.
But they never made it to the game.
The driver of a Chevy Camaro veered into oncoming traffic on a small two-lane road, according to the Kansas State Police. The car hit Barba and Meghan head-on.
Barba was in the driver’s seat.
“Connor swerved right in a way and slammed on the brakes as hard as he could,” Colin said. “When Connor did that, he took the full brunt of the car of the Camero.”
His uncle said it was Barba’s quick reaction that likely saved his mother’s life.
Barba and the driver of the Camaro were pronounced dead on the scene.
“Especially for his age, he was incredibly mature and respectful,” Colin said.
Meghan is recovering at a hospital in Tulsa. She is stabilizing and will hopefully be moved out of the intensive care unit in the next couple of days, according to Colin.
She faces a long road to recovery, both physically and emotionally.
“Connor’s relationship with his mother and sister was his absolute priority in life,” Colin said.
The family started a GoFundMe to cover expenses for Megan’s recovery and for a memorial to Barba’s life.
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