15-year-old Dies in Tragic Accident in Wynnewood

By Gan Matthews, NEWS 9

WYNNEWOOD, Oklahoma -- Residents in Wynnewood are trying to make sense out of a tragic weekend accident that killed a teenage boy.

Zane Barnes was a newcomer to Wynnewood, but based on the tributes written by his classmates, he made a big impression in a short time.

"All the students that have mentioned anything about Zane have mentioned his smile, his contagious smile. That there was never a time you didn't see him without a smile on his face, you know, he was just always happy, never, never down," said Pastor Wayne Wall of First Baptist Church of Wynnewood.

But Zane Barnes' life ended suddenly last week. On Friday, he was spending the night at a friend's house near a stretch of Highway 29 west of Wynnewood. Around 8:30 p.m. the friends left in a pickup with Barnes riding on the tailgate in the rear.

"They were running an errand for the parent, and just a tragic accident happened on the way doing that errand. A young man fell out of the back of that pickup and struck his head, and he was a fatality," said Wynnewood Superintendent Alfred Gaches.

Counselors were on hand at Wynnewood High School Monday morning to help students, many of whom were just learning what happened. Some of the students penned a memorial to Zane Barnes at the main office, and all of them now have to wrestle with the harsh facts of life and death.

"I think this brings home the point that life is very fragile. You know, that it can come to an end suddenly, abruptly, and that we do need to take it very seriously," Pastor Wall said.

Zane Barnes' funeral will be held Tuesday at 11:00 a.m. at the First Baptist Church of Wynnewood.