An Oklahoma community and the NFL world is mourning the loss of Connor Barba, an 18-year-old from Norman who just wanted to realize his dream of watching his favorite team
According to a GoFundMe set up for Connor, he was “shocked” when his mom told him they were going to the Monday Night Football matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. She surprised him with tickets to celebrate his birthday.
Connor’s uncle said he wanted to watch his favorite player, Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield, in person.
“He was a football fan in general and a big-time Baker fan. He wanted to see Baker play,” Connor Barba’s uncle Collin Barnett told “Good Morning America.” “It was just going to be a great game.”
Unfortunately, their family trip from southeast Kansas would end in tragedy when Connor and mom, Megan Barnett, were involved in a collision on Saturday, according to ABC affiliate KOCO-TV.
AWFUL NEWS: 18-year-old Connor Barba and his mom Megan were driving to the #Buccaneers–#Chiefs game when a driver hit them head-on, killing Connor.
Megan is seriously injured in the hospital, she had surprised Connor with tickets for his birthday.
💔💔💔 pic.twitter.com/1maYGYqPuU
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) November 8, 2024
What Happened In That Car Ride To See The Chiefs And Bucs?
Megan Barnett and her son were driving from their home in Norman, Oklahoma, to Kansas City when a car suddenly veered into their lane on a two-lane road and hit their car head-on.
Barba, who was driving, and the driver of the other car were killed. They were pronounced dead at the scene.
Megan Barnett was seriously injured and transported to a hospital in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she remains in the intensive care unit.
She is currently in stable condition.
The uncle also added that the pair were looking forward to the football game for different reasons.
While Barba wanted to see Tampa Bay Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield, his mother wanted to see the Chiefs because of Taylor Swift.
‘He really wanted to see Baker Mayfield play, and Megan, I think, wanted to see the Chiefs play, likely the Taylor Swift connection,’ he told KOKO.
