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““I CANNOT believe they drove away like that.””
Severe thunderstorms and tornados have struck parts of Texas and the southern U.S. this week, injuring at least 12 people, according to local officials. And one lucky Chevy driver in Elgin, Texas has gone viral for surviving a tangle with a twister on Texas State Highway 95 on Monday night.
Storm chaser Brian Emfinger caught the whirlwind incident about 25 miles northeast of Austin on video. A red 2004 Chevrolet Silverado truck — weighing roughly 2.5 tons — is shown getting flipped over and spun around by the storm. But the vehicle miraculously lands right-side up, and the driver is able to get away.
“I CANNOT believe they drove away like that,” Emfinger tweeted. His video has been viewed more than 3.5 million times since Monday night.
Representatives from the General Motors-owned
GM,
Chevrolet were not immediately available for comment.
Fellow storm chaser Marcus Reynolds, who assisted the Chevy driver afterward, told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that he guessed the driver was a 16- or 17-year-old boy — and he walked away with just some cuts on his arm. Reynolds also said he let the driver use his phone to call his guardians after he drove away from the storm.
The severe thunderstorms damaged areas including but not limited to Jacksboro, Elgin, Austin and College Station in Texas. The same storm system is set to move into Louisiana and Mississippi on Tuesday, carrying the risk of dangerous tornadoes and powerful winds, according to the Associated Press.
