Lexington trucker recovering after Oklahoma tornado blew rig off overpass

Wow! I think I would be clenching so hard they would need the Jaws of Life to get me out of the seat.

 

Big Don, yes the individual, the fellow driver and good friend of mine, picked up the tab for all his medical bills. He does very well with the type of trucking he does. I know its hard to believe but trust me its true.

 

I suspect the driver(s) saw the actual tornado some distance away and the winds were acceptable and they felt they we avoiding the tornado. They probably would have avoided the tornado itself but did not understand that where there is a tornado, there are WICKED RFD (downdraft) winds very nearby. I'd imagine it was actually the RFD winds that layed the truck over as opposed to the tornado itself. And this should be kept in mind if you ever see a visible tornado. Focus on the tornado, but be aware of the RFD winds that are the broader problem for high profile vehicles near a storm that is producing a tornado or has significant storm structure.

 

I was blown over once by downdraft in the middle of the night. One of the deputies that arrived thought it was actually the tornado that hit us but I don't think it was. The trees around there had more of a one directional type damage to them rather than rotational. Who knows though. Luckily for me the tornado warning wasn't issued until after the ambulance arrived 10 minutes later. I had actually gotten out of the storm and was talking to the guy who was with me about how much better the weather and wind was and that we might actually get the trailer dropped before it started pouring when it caught back up with us.

It was like being T Boned. Hit me so fast and hard that I was on my side on the pavement, not in the median or the ditch. There wasn't even a second to think if I could do something to prevent it from going over, it was just instant hang on for your life mode. I never knew you could get a non-preventable rollover until that night.

I still have problems driving in storms now because of it, which is kind of crazy since I used to chase storms all the time before I moved to CA. It was the first storm I hit when I moved back to IN again, go figure. Every time I get near one I see that incident in my head like a video. Going over and thinking to myself that I need to hold myself off the ground with the steering wheel to keep my head and left side from dragging along the pavement. I knew the seatbelt would help but that it wouldn't stop my head from dragging. I looked like I came out of a Rocky movie after that one. I'll always remember the sound of it.

 

Yes dear u are missing the fact that he was stopped on an overpass because ALL traffic was stopped. ..not yhat he wsnted yo syop thrre.

 

WOW...Can I get the name of this supposed person who paid all those bills???

 

Now who paid ALL HIS BILLS? I REALLY would like his name etc. What would make him pay a strangers medical bills REALLY...I WANT TO KNOW. ...

 

Really??? Who is this payin strangers medical bills?

 

Yes dear u are missing the fact that he was stopped on an overpass because ALL traffic was stopped. ..not yhat he wsnted yo syop thrre.

 

You all sound like a bunch of old ladies cackling at bridge club! Like it's any of you business who's paying his medical bills! And why he stopped on an overpass, obviously he had a reason.
My best wishes to the driver for a speedy recover!