Brook-Lynn Barrientes, 2 Children Injured in Truck Accident near Ottawa, OH

Basic Facts

Crash date: April 28, 2026

Crash location: intersection of State Route 65 and County Road 7 near Ottawa, OH

People involved:

• Brook-Lynn Leona Barrientes, 33
• Unidentified Chevrolet passengers
• Unidentified truck driver, 47

Do authorities suspect alcohol played a role in this crash? Unknown

Did authorities recommend criminal charges?

Do authorities suspect a product defect caused the crash? Unknown

Accident Report

Putnam County, OH — April 28, 2026, Brook-Lynn Barrientes and two children were injured in a truck accident at about 10:15 a.m. on State Route 65.

Authorities said a 1999 Freightliner semi-truck allegedly ran a stop sign while heading south on County Road 7 and collided with an eastbound 2022 Chevrolet Trax. The truck fled after the crash.

Chevrolet driver Brook-Lynn Leona Barrientes, 33, and two children were hospitalized with unspecified injuries after the crash, according to authorities.

The truck driver, a 47-year-old North Carolina man, subsequently was arrested near Pandora, authorities said. He is suspected of being impaired at the time of the crash, but the Ottawa Township accident is still under investigation.

Authorities have not released any additional information about the Putnam County crash at this time.

How Did This Accident Occur?

If the truck driver turns out to have been intoxicated at the time of the crash, as suspected, his employer and its hiring practices deserve some additional scrutiny.

Did the trucking company adequately screen would-be drivers to ensure they didn’t have a history of traffic violations or alcohol-related offenses? That is important when putting someone behind the wheel of an 80,000-pound truck.

Investigators also should look into the possibility that the truck ran a stop sign because it had a problem with its brakes. That also could shift some of the blame for this crash to the trucking company or its maintenance provider.

The injured driver and her family deserve to know everyone who might have played a role in this crash. Do you know anything that could help provide more answers about this crash? Let us know in the comments.