Guy Oakley Barnett Sr.
Agency patch
Chief of Police

Guy Oakley Barnett Sr.

Waverly Police Department — Waverly, TN
Accident
End of Watch February 26, 1978
Age 45
The Vigil Panel 119 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Chief Barnett was killed when a propane tanker car exploded following a train derailment. The explosion occurred as work crews were cleaning up the area two days after the derailment. The crews were attempting to move the tank car when it exploded, killing Chief Barnett and 15 civilians. Three other police officers were injured.

Survivors

Chief Barnett was survived by his wife and three sons.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-TN-44F593F5
Stewardship
Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw
August 2, 2026
Last updated
August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

Are you family? This record can be claimed and maintained by those who knew Guy. Claim this record.

This page is permanent and free. No fee to view it, no advertising, no tracking, and no account required. It will not be taken down.

Tributes

I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Chief of Police Barnett served with the Waverly Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Waverly community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Chief of Police Barnett.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Type Police Department
Location Waverly, Humphreys County, TN
Platform Identity wpd.humphreys.tn.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch February 26, 1978
Age 45
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Chief of Police Guy Oakley Barnett Sr. is one of 1 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,772 officers honored here.

In TN, 191 of 769 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 24.8% of this state's fallen. That is 24.8 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Waverly Police Department, 1 of 3 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 33.3% of this agency's fallen.

Waverly Police Department
1
of 3 officers
33.3% Accident
TN — Statewide
191
of 769 officers
24.8% Accident
Nationwide
1
of 97,772 officers
0% Accident

National Cause Distribution

How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Guy Oakley Barnett Sr.'s cause is highlighted.

Felonious
1 (0%)
Accident
1 (0%)
Illness
1 (0%)
Cardiac
1 (0%)
Undetermined
1 (0%)
Suicide
1 (0%)

How Guy Oakley Barnett Sr. Compares

Age at Death
45
This officer
Avg for Accident: 38.1 years

When Accident Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Guy Oakley Barnett Sr. is highlighted in Feb.

Jan
820
Feb
730
Mar
748
Apr
708
May
848
Jun
797
Jul
899
Aug
938
Sep
913
Oct
925
Nov
872
Dec
897

Others Who Wore This Badge

2 officers from Waverly Police Department are honored on badge.nw.