Since this video popped up over the weekend, a lot of people — meteorologists, members of the press and the social media masses — have been critical of the driver for what he did (or did not do) when faced with the massive EF-4 tornado that killed two people in northern Illinois on April 9.
But after talking to the driver, Sam Smith, and carefully watching his video, I think he did what was right in this particular situation — and every situation is different.
The most widely flung criticism is that he should not have been under an overpass. That is generally good advice. You should not seek shelter from a tornado under an overpass.
But Smith wasn’t under the overpass because of the tornado. The deadly storms fired up as he was driving south on an interstate — I-39 — in northern Illinois, while he was on his way to Indianapolis. With heavy rain and golf-ball-size hail falling, drivers began to shelter their cars under overpasses. When his section of the road got crowded, Smith pulled away to avoid collision, with the intent of making it to the next overpass.
“It was then that I saw the tornado far off in the distance,” Smith said, “having no idea it was coming right my way.”
The second most frequent criticism was that Smith should have turned around and driven away from the tornado. If you’re on an empty road, and you know which way the tornado is headed, I think that’s great advice. But again, there with other drivers lined up behind him because they were trying to protect their cars from the large hail. With cars behind him, he couldn’t turn around, and the only way was forward. Toward the tornado.
He might have been able to drive across the median and get to the other side of the interstate to go north, but he didn’t know what the tornado was going to do — he’s not a meteorologist or a trained storm spotter. Smith describes himself as “a pretty normal guy that had never even seen a tornado before.” He also would have run the risk of getting stuck in the mud if he attempted to cross the median.
Still others are saying that Smith should have exited his truck and laid down in a ditch. Also good advice, if there’s actually a substantial ditch nearby that is significantly lower than the road. The problem with getting out of the car when you’re that close to an EF-4 tornado (with maximum winds of 180 to 200 mph) is that you run a high risk of being impaled by debris, or even being lifted off the ground. It doesn’t take wind speeds of much more than 100 mph to lift a grown man off the ground — I know this from experience.
But you don’t have to take my word on it. Let’s look at what the severe weather experts suggest. From the Storm Prediction Center itself:
There is no safe option when caught in a tornado in a car, just slightly less-dangerous ones. If the tornado is visible, far away, and the traffic is light, you may be able to drive out of its path by moving at right angles to the tornado. Seek shelter in a sturdy building, or underground if possible. If you are caught by extreme winds or flying debris, park the car as quickly and safely as possible — out of the traffic lanes. Stay in the car with the seat belt on. Put your head down below the windows; cover your head with your hands and a blanket, coat, or other cushion if possible. If you can safely get noticeably lower than the level of the roadway, leave your car and lie in that area, covering your head with your hands.
In an ideal situation, Smith would have been able to follow the ideal advice that many of us know by heart: don’t take shelter under an overpass; turn around and get away from the tornado; get out of your car and lay in a ditch. Unfortunately this situation was far from ideal, which I think is evident by the video he captured.
Smith likely did the best he could when he got stuck in the wrong place at the wrong time.