KLBJ reporter dies from injuries suffered in wreck

AUSTIN (KXAN) - A reporter for KLBJ-AM radio died Wednesday from injuries she suffered in a rollover crash Tuesday on Ranch to Market Road 2222.

Station news director Todd Jeffries announced the death of Barbara McCarley on his Facebook page, saying he and his staff were "heart broken." Police confirmed McCarley's death a short time later.

"She always had a smile, always a positive force," Jeffries said on the post. "You heard her voice in morning and afternoon newscasts - she covered the city and police department. Join us all in prayer for her husband and two children."

According KLBJ's website, McCarley, 48 started as a reporter Austin in 1998. At the time or her death, she had been assigned to cover City Hall, but also covered several stories of a range of topics, among them the Steiner Ranch wildfires in September 2011.

"Barbara was a fast and loyal friend to all who knew her," the station said. "Whether she was interviewing them or helping someone in their time of need.

"Barbara made it a point to involve her children in her charity work, providing food to the homeless, even making deliveries for Blue Santa," the station continued.

She was also active in the Texas Advocacy Network that helps battered women.

Austin City Councilman Mike Martinez said he know McCarley in his role as an elected official and when he wasn a firefighter.

"It’s just extremely sad," Martinez said. "And it’s always tragic when a fatality happens on our roadways. But it kind of heightens that awareness when it’s someone that we know, that we care about, that so many people in Austin knew."

McCarley was a native of Corpus Christi and is survived by her husband, Robert, two children ages 13 and 11, three sisters and several nieces and nephews.