Nancy and Lyndon Barnett Flemingsburg, Kentucky parents die in car crash after attending teen son’s high school graduation at Fleming County High School.
Two Kentucky parents died in a car crash after leaving their son’s high school graduation, school officials and authorities said.
Nancy Barnett, 53, of Ewing, died at the scene of Saturday’s wreck in Fleming County after colliding with a pickup truck, Kentucky State Police told the Lexington Herald-Leader.
Barnett’s husband, Lyndon Barnett, 56, later died at the University of Kentucky Medical Center in Lexington.
Their two sons – Dalton, 18, and Michael, 26 — were also taken to the hospital for treatment following the crash, where they remained in critical but stable condition come Monday.
Fleming County High School principal Stephanie Emmons said the family was involved in the crash ‘shortly after’ Dalton’s graduation ceremony.
Proud mom wore senior mom class of 2020 shirt
‘We have learned that his mother, Nancy Barnett, and his father, both passed away as a result of the accident,’ Emmons said in a statement. ‘Please continue to uplift this family through your thoughts and prayers during this time.’
During her son’s graduation, mother Nancy had worn a shirt showing off the pride she had as a ‘senior mom’ while at Dalton’s graduation, school officials said in a joint statement.
‘Senior Mom: Some people wait their entire lives to meet their inspiration,’ her shirt read. ‘I raised mine. Class of 2020.’
‘The Barnetts mean a lot to our Fleming County community and we will be here to support Dalton and his brother as they face the difficult times ahead,’ the statement continued.
The graduation ceremony in Flemingsburg, which was closed to the public, lasted more than 12 hours due to social distancing measures amid the ongoing coronavirus. Only one graduating senior and six relatives were allowed on campus at specific times, the Herald-Leader reported.
The first student received their diploma before 8 a.m., while the last student graduated at about 9 p.m.
Dalton was one of the first graduates to walk across a stage during the ceremony, WLEX reports.
The grieving student, plans to enter the military, school officials said.
‘He is always a joy to be around and his family has always been very proud of him,’ Emmons and Creasman’s statement continued.
Police say the accident occurred after a car driven by Nancy Barnett, traveling west on Ky.-599 collided with a pick up truck traveling north when she attempted to make a left turn onto Ky.-11.
The driver of the truck, Anthony Bailey, 52, and his passenger, Nancy Bailey, were not hurt during the crash. An investigation is ongoing.
