High winds near a tornado blow a semi truck down in front of storm chaser Ben Ahrens' vehicle on April 26, 2024, near David City, Nebraska. (Ben Ahrens / X video screen shot)
Watch Storm Chaser's Run Get Cut Short After Wind Throws a Semi Truck Into His Path
A storm chaser in Nebraska saw up-close and personal on Friday what it’s like to be affected by the high winds near a tornado.
Ben Ahrens shared a clip on X of what appeared to be dash-cam footage from his vehicle showing an 18-wheeler being blown over on the highway in front of him, knocking his vehicle off the road and into a field.
Luckily, Ahrens said he was uninjured in the accident, which occurred in David City, Nebraska, about 50 miles northwest of Lincoln.
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“A semi ended my chase early today,” he wrote in the post. “I’m okay.
“What really matters is the devastating damage these storms have done and are continuing to do,” he added.
A semi ended my chase early today. I’m okay. What really matters is the devastating damage these storms have done and are continuing to do. #newx#wxtwitterpic.twitter.com/KbMnhKY2VE
The semi-truck that impacted Ahrens’ vehicle wasn’t the only one apparently blown over in Friday’s storms.
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X user Sean Mitchell shared a video on the platform that showed another group of storm chasers encountering an overturned semi as they captured footage of a tornado Mitchell said was “near Omaha.” (Another X user replied saying that the footage was “West of Lincoln on I-80, not Omaha.”)
In the video, the group follows a tornado closely as it crosses the road in front of them, until one of the riders announces, “Semi’s overturned up here.”
The group stops near the overturned truck to see if they could help, but quickly turned back to their vehicle upon learning that the driver was uninjured.
“This is one of the craziest things I have ever seen,” Mitchell wrote.
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Mitchell posted other images showing the aftermath of the storm, including a video of what appeared to be drone footage.
Lincoln’s KLKN-TV reported on Saturday that at least two tornadoes hit the area, one an EF-3 with winds of 135 to 165 mph, and another a slightly weaker EF-2 with winds of 110 to 135 mph.
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No deaths or serious injuries were reported, though the number of homes “damaged or destroyed” in the area ranged into the hundreds.
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George Upper is the former Editor-in-Chief of The Western Journal and was a weekly co-host of "WJ Live," powered by The Western Journal. He is currently a contributing editor in the areas of faith, politics and culture. A former U.S. Army special operator, teacher and consultant, he is a lifetime member of the NRA and an active volunteer leader in his church. Born in Foxborough, Massachusetts, he has lived most of his life in central North Carolina.
George Upper, is the former editor-in-chief of The Western Journal and is now a contributing editor in the areas of faith, politics and culture. He currently serves as the connections pastor at Awestruck Church in Greensboro, North Carolina. He is a former U.S. Army special operator, teacher, manager and consultant. Born in Massachusetts, he graduated from Foxborough High School before joining the Army and spending most of the next three years at Fort Bragg. He holds bachelor's and master's degrees in English as well as a Master's in Business Administration, all from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He and his wife life only a short drive from his three children, their spouses and his grandchildren. He is a lifetime member of the NRA and in his spare time he shoots, reads a lot of Lawrence Block and John D. MacDonald, and watches Bruce Campbell movies. He is a fan of individual freedom, Tommy Bahama, fine-point G-2 pens and the Oxford comma.
