02.24.2008
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| Johnstown trucker survived Tennessee tornado
Johnstown trucker survived Tennessee tornado 2/23/08 The Tribune-Democrat, PA Quote:
Bob Gaylor said he always wanted to see a tornado from a safe distance.
But on Feb. 5 he got more than he bargained for.
The 36-year-old over-the-road truck driver, employed by BlackSheep Trucking in Meyersdale, was traveling west on Interstate 40 in Jackson, Tenn., en route to Dallas when around 8:15 p.m. a gray cloud quickly approached his rig.
That was the last thing he remembered until waking up in an ambulance on his way to the hospital.
“There were watches out for tornados that day,” the Johnstown resident recalled. “It was dark, and I was trying to get off an exit ramp to get into a rest stop when I saw a UPS truck five truck lengths behind me go over.”
Within seconds of that, Gaylor said, the front end of his truck began to lift off the ground.
Wind speeds were approaching close to 260 mph – a Category F4 tornado, according to news reports from that time. The sudden change in air pressure in Gaylor’s cab caused him to pass out, and when he awoke his truck was facing east, lying on its side about 75 yards from where he had encountered the wind funnel.
In a 10-mile stretch, he estimated, 20 other tractor-trailers were strewn along the highway – contorted and covered in debris.
More here.....tribune>>>>>>> | |
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