Teen in truck swept up by tornado tells miraculous story of survival

Charlie Herbert

Footage of the remarkable escape went viral

A teenager who was caught up in a tornado whilst driving his red pick-up truck has shared his miraculous escape.

Footage went viral earlier this week of Riley Leon’s truck being tossed across the road and spinning around after getting caught in the middle of a tornado in Elgin, Texas.

The 16-year-old had been driving back from a job interview at the fast-food chain Whataburger when his truck was flipped onto its side by the wind. Incredibly, he managed to regain control of the car and drove the truck away after the tornado passes.

Omg… just going thru my video. This is a story about a red truck and a tornado…. I CANNOT believe they drove away like that. #txwx #tornado pic.twitter.com/8h0nD88xFv

— Brian Emfinger (@brianemfinger) March 22, 2022

Speaking to NBC, he said: “I honestly didn’t know what to do, to grab onto the steering wheel or to start praying.

“On the video, it looks like I drove off but in reality I didn’t. I landed in the center of the road and I was just driving to get off the road.”

Riley told KVUE that the pick-up had been in his family for over a decade.

Video of a truck getting tossed and landing on its wheels during a tornado in Texas went viral this week when 16-year-old Riley Leon drove through the storm heading home from a job interview. The lucky teen not only made it home safely, but he got the job and starts next week. pic.twitter.com/rW2J6CV8TN

— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) March 24, 2022

But since the clip was posted online, Chevrolet has offered the teen a new car.

In a post to its Facebook page, the company said: “Chevrolet, together with Bruce Lowrie Chevrolet of Fort Worth, TX, are donating a 2022 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LT All Star Edition in Cherry Red to Riley Leon and his family after he survived a powerful tornado while driving in his Silverado.

“We are thankful Riley is safe [and] commend his driving skills during a frightening situation.”

https://www.facebook.com/chevrolet/posts/10159605336982296

The story becomes even more heartwarming though, with Riley being offered the job he was applying for at Whataburger as well.

Despite surviving the twister, Riley still required medical care, and his family have set up a fundraising page to help cover the medical bills.

A GoFundMe page for the teenager reads: “He is a lovely, bright student making plans to graduate next year and could genuinely use some love from our community and anyone else who may have viewed this video and prayed for the passengers.”

It continues: “Riley is so lucky and blessed to have made it out of this terrifying incident. His truck was totaled, but for the most part, he is doing ok. Unfortunately, he has begun to experience body aches and severe back pain, as one would expect after this type of accident.

“He will be under a doctor’s care. They will have to wait and see if he will need back surgery and may also need future therapy.”

It has so far raised more than $41,000.

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