ARLINGTON, Texas (WFAA/CNN Newsource) – A Texas community is mourning a husband and wife who were hit and killed when they got out of their car following a multi-vehicle crash, leaving their two young children without parents.
Zachary and Katherine Barton, both 39, were killed in a five-vehicle crash last Saturday night on State Highway 171 near Hillsboro, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.
“It’s just really difficult to process that they’re gone,” said Jason Overstreet, a longtime co-worker and friend of the couple. “Heavy hearts and heartache, disbelief. It’s just such a horrible tragedy.”
Zachary and Katherine Barton, both 39, were killed in a five-vehicle crash. The couple, who met and fell in love through bowling, leave behind two young children.(Source: Jason Overstreet, WFAA via CNN)
The Bartons were caught in a multi-vehicle crash that investigators say began when a driver passed a pickup truck before returning to the right lane, where they hit equipment being towed by a farm tractor. The equipment detached and ended up in the roadway.
Two other cars, including one driven by the Bartons, then hit that equipment.
Investigators say the couple got out of their car and were standing in the roadway when another car hit them. Katherine Barton was pronounced dead at the scene, while her husband was taken to the hospital, where he later died.
The Bartons’ friends say the couple met and fell in love at the International Bowling Campus in Arlington, and they remained deeply connected to the bowling community.
“Zach always had a smile and wanted to help. Katie, like Zach, was just somebody that was beloved within this community,” Overstreet said.
The couple leave behind two children, both under the age of 6.
“This is right now all so shocking and difficult to process and everyone is grieving, but I know the bowling community will in time find a way to come together and support the family,” Overstreet said.
Investigators say two other people, including a 12-year-old, were critically injured in the incident. It’s suspected that alcohol may have been a contributing factor in the initial crash.
The investigation is ongoing.
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