When a tornado struck central Texas recently, one man's Ford Ranger saved him from a grim ending.
Life Saver
In recent weeks, a number of tornados have devastated select parts of the U.S., which is often the case in the spring. These tornados have claimed a number of lives and destroyed millions in property, leaving many without a place to stay or a vehicle to drive. That was the case with a man in Central Texas recently, but in what is nothing short of incredible, it seems as if his Ford Ranger gave its life while also saving his own, as he recently explained to KXXV news.
Sudden and Violent
Ryan Leamer was out driving his Ford Ranger when he began to notice power lines exploding and debris flying around his truck, but before he could react, the pickup was in the air and flipping around itself. The Ranger eventually came to a rest on its roof. During the entire incident, Leamer could only think of his son and whether or not he'd ever see him again.
Escape Plan
Once the Ranger landed upside down, Leamer quickly crawled out of the broken back window, understandably confused and bewildered. “When I kept rolling I was like, 'No, I’m going to die - straight up'," Leamer said. “I’m hearing these explosions of the power lines all around me, and then I started hearing stuff hit the side of my truck, and after about five seconds is when my window exploded."
Explosion of Heat
“I felt like an explosion of heat in my arm during this," Leamer said of that body part, which is a bit banged up following the incident. "It felt like somebody literally just - knife wound all the way down my arm. I was in there hiding, just kind of hysterically laughing and crying because I truly believed I was dead, after the third roll I was like, 'This is it.'"
Being Thankful
It took a minute before Leamer realized that he had survived this horrific incident, though his Ranger was obviously a total loss. He ran into a nearby bank and waited out the storm, after which his shock and horror quickly shifted to being thankful for the fact that he managed to make it out OK.
Rare Ending
“The guy who does the power lines, I talked with him for a second, he said 'If you don’t go to church, you better start going, because you don’t see many people crawl out of that' - I’m just grateful more than anything,” Leamer said.
Could Have Been Worse
Thus, even though Leamer currently has no way to get around town, he's simply thankful to be alive. He's also glad that this happened before he picked up his son, as he was on his way to do precisely that when disaster quite literally struck.
