Collinsville woke up Monday to a deep and sudden loss after a deadly crash took the life of Lydia Barnes, a 28-year-old City of Collinsville employee who was simply heading to work like any other day. By nightfall, the town was grieving someone many knew not just as a coworker, but as a constant, kind presence in city life.
The crash happened around 7:00 a.m. in the 8000 block of FM 902, just outside the Collinsville city limits. Morning traffic was light when a pickup truck crossed the center line and slammed head-on into the compact car Lydia was driving. The impact was violent and unforgiving.
Texas Department of Public Safety troopers identified the pickup’s driver as 19-year-old Grayson Cates. Investigators say his truck drifted into oncoming traffic moments before the collision. What should have been an ordinary commute turned into a scene of chaos and heartbreak within seconds.
First responders arrived to find both vehicles crushed and both drivers trapped. Fire crews worked with urgency, cutting through metal in a race against time. Cates suffered severe injuries and was airlifted to Medical City Denton for emergency treatment. Lydia remained pinned inside her car for more than an hour as crews fought to reach her.
Despite every effort, Lydia was pronounced dead at the scene. She never made it to work that morning. News of her death spread quickly through City Hall and across the community, leaving coworkers stunned and families broken with grief.
In response, the City of Collinsville postponed its scheduled city council meeting and closed City Hall for the day. City leaders released a statement filled with sorrow, describing Lydia as a beloved employee and acknowledging the pain her sudden loss brought to the entire city family. Officials said the council meeting would be rescheduled once the community had time to breathe and mourn.
The Texas Department of Public Safety continues to investigate the crash, and no final conclusions have yet been released. For now, the focus in Collinsville is not on fault or findings, but on remembering a young woman whose life ended far too soon.
Friends and coworkers remember Lydia Barnes for her dedication, her warmth, and the quiet way she showed up for others. In a town where people know each other by name, her absence is already being felt in hallways, offices, and everyday routines she once filled.
As Collinsville grieves, Lydia is being remembered not for the crash that took her life, but for the life she lived and the people she touched along the way.
