Terry Barnett Injured in Auto Accident on US-69 in Angelina County, TX
Angelina County, TX — December 16, 2022, 65-year-old Terry Barnett was seriously injured in a traffic accident on U.S. Highway 69 in Angelina County.
Authorities say the incident happened around 7:30 p.m. on US-69 near mile marker 412. Preliminary investigation suggests Barnett was driving a Ford Econoline van west on a private drive when he started to enter the northbound highway lanes. The van entered the path of an oncoming Ford F-150 pickup and the two collided. The pickup then veered into the southbound lanes and crashed with a Toyota Tacoma.
Barnett suffered serious injuries in the crash. No other serious injuries were reported.
No further information is currently available.
As with any accident, it's important to keep an open mind and withhold judgment here until a full investigation is complete and all the facts are in. Even if a wreck seems straightforward, like when a driver allegedly fails to yield to thru-traffic and officers suggest he may have been under the influence of alcohol, there may be more to the story. For example, few people realize that a local bar or restaurant may be partly responsible for the damage done in a DWI crash. That's one of many potential factors that need careful attention before anyone tries to wrap things up.
I'm not saying a bad bar must be involved in what happened on the interstate, but that's the point: Unless the entire story is learned and verified by evidence, there's no telling what else might have been a factor. A man was seriously hurt here, and whatever police believe caused that he deserves to know his accident was taken seriously and investigated carefully. I hope authorities gave him that reassurance.
