Storm Chaser Captures Chevy Silverado Getting Sucked Into Tornado, Driving Off
Don’t mess with Texas (tornadoes).
As storms ripped through central Texas on Monday, an unsuspecting teen driving on the highway found himself caught in the middle of a Hollywood-style tornado incident—and storm chaser Brian Emfinger caught it all on film.
An unnamed driver was piloting his red Chevrolet Silverado down Highway 95 in Elgin, Texas—a suburb of Austin—when a passing tornado cut across the road. The storm's high winds picked up the truck as it was passing through its funnel, tossing it around like a toy car before placing it back onto its tires. Miraculously, the driver was able to continue down the road, almost like nothing happened.
The tornado was one of just several that touched down in central Texas on Monday. This particular one was an EF2, and right before scooping up the truck, it demolished a mobile home just out of frame, sending debris flying into the road.
Another storm chaser named Marcus Reynolds was traveling a short distance behind Emfinger. His camera was also rolling at the time of the incident, capturing the event. Fortunately, Reynolds was able to catch up with the driver and make sure he was okay.
"[H]e was about 17 and other than being completely shaken up he got away with just a cut on his arm," explained Reynolds in a tweet. Reynolds says that he stopped to help the motorist after capturing the bizarre event on film and lent him his cell phone to call his parents. Presumably, the teen's phone was lost in the tumble, as the majority of the truck's glass was reportedly shattered.
The driver of the Silverado seemingly wasn't chasing a storm, but he found one anyway. Thankfully, he walked—or, rather, drove—away uninjured. However, many others weren't as fortunate. The storms destroyed mobile homes and damaged multiple other structures, hospitalizing at least 10 people and reportedly killing one.
According to AccuWeather, 66 tornado warnings were issued in the southern U.S. on Monday and Tuesday. And of the 20 tornado reports filed by the NOAA's Storm Prediction Center, 19 were confirmed to have touched down in Texas. By Tuesday morning, more than 60,000 residents across the state were without power.
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