WEST TEXAS – A storm chaser not only caught a massive tornado touching down in Hawley, Texas on Thursday, but ended up rescuing a family of four whose home was destroyed by it.
In Freddy McKinney's chilling live video, he yells at the family: “Hurry up, get in!” as they run for their lives, asking him for help.
They ran to the hospital, which was miles away.
Kasey and Wes Lambert, along with their 7-year-old son and 5-year-old daughter, have a variety of lacerations, bruises and broken bones, but are otherwise fine.
“We saw it hit our friend's house and we went into the closet,” Kasey Lambert said. “We sat and held hands. What did we do? We prayed, 'Please keep us safe.' Bricks are falling on top of us. Our house is collapsing.
She tried to catch her two children, but the wind was too strong.
“Lane was sucked up and thrown 25 feet,” Lambert said. “I remember screaming for him. I thought he was dead. I thought he was gone and I had already started crying. And I was the only fear I've ever had as a mother is not being able to rescue my son in a moment dangerous. And that's exactly what happened.”
When the tornado passed over their home, Lambert said they were able to quickly find Lane and run to McKinney for help. If she hadn't been there to take them to the hospital, she said she's not sure her son would have survived because of the bleeding.
The Lamberts said they are incredibly grateful for the outpouring of love and support from the community as they heal and clean up what's left of their home.
Several other homes in Hawley were damaged or destroyed by the tornado. The National Weather Service believes it was likely a strong EF3 or a weak EF4, but the agency will need several more days to review the data before making a final determination.
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Caroline Vandergriff
