Texas teen whose truck was wrecked in viral tornado video gets given new vehicle

Riley Leon presented with 2022 Chevrolet after surviving terrifying encounter with tornado

Bevan Hurley
Saturday 26 March 2022 23:48
Comments
‘I’m grateful I’m here’, teen in wild tornado truck video speaks out

A Texas teenager who narrowly survived when his truck was tossed into the air by a tornado has been given a brand new Chevrolet Silverado.

Dramatic footage of 16-year-old Riley Leon’s 2004 Silverado being picked up by the twister, before spinning several times and landing back on its wheels, went viral this week.

Riley said earlier this week it was a “blessing” that he had been able to drive away with minor injuries.

On Saturday, Riley was presented with a top of the line Silverado pick up truck from a dealership in Fort Worth, and his family were presented with a $15,000 check to help with his medical expenses.

The teenager, who is starting a new job next week, suffered severe back pain after the encounter.

During an interview on Good Morning America, Riley described the experience as “like a carnival game, those ones that flipped you over”.

“It was fast. I didn’t feeling nothing because it was like in a blink of an eye,” he said.

The incident, which was widely circulated on social media, was captured by storm chaser Brian Emfinger, who watched it unfold from across the highway.

The tornado engulfed the truck just after it wreaked havoc in a mobile home community just across the highway and destroyed a mobile home and a power line, injuring one.

“I’m thankful to God for giving me another chance in this world,” Riley said.

“He probably left me here because I have something special coming my way.”

The teenager had been returning from a job interview and called his friend telling him:’I got the job! Everything was going good.”

“Out of nowhere the tornado came in and it caught me, he said. “I knew there was going to be bad weather but I never expected the tornado to be at the same moment I was at.

“There was a ditch and it took me there and then it took me out to the street and that’s when I was spinning with the truck.”

Register for free to continue reading

Registration is a free and easy way to support our truly independent journalism

By registering, you will also enjoy limited access to Premium articles, exclusive newsletters, commenting, and virtual events with our leading journalists

Please enter a valid email
Please enter a valid email
Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number
Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number
Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number
Please enter your first name
Special characters aren’t allowed
Please enter a name between 1 and 40 characters
Please enter your last name
Special characters aren’t allowed
Please enter a name between 1 and 40 characters
You must be over 18 years old to register
You must be over 18 years old to register
Opt-out-policy
You can opt-out at any time by signing in to your account to manage your preferences. Each email has a link to unsubscribe.

By clicking ‘Create my account’ you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use, Cookie policy and Privacy notice.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy policy and Terms of service apply.

Already have an account? sign in

By clicking ‘Register’ you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use, Cookie policy and Privacy notice.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy policy and Terms of service apply.

Register for free to continue reading

Registration is a free and easy way to support our truly independent journalism

By registering, you will also enjoy limited access to Premium articles, exclusive newsletters, commenting, and virtual events with our leading journalists

Already have an account? sign in

By clicking ‘Register’ you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use, Cookie policy and Privacy notice.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy policy and Terms of service apply.

Join our new commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in