‘Shocking moment:’ 16-year-old describes driving pickup truck flipped by Texas tornado

Riley Leon was driving home from job interview

Tornado flips, spins pickup truck but driver keeps on going

A 16-year-old boy behind the wheel of a pickup truck that was flipped by a Texas tornado during severe weather this week is thankful for “another chance in this life,” according to KVUE-TV in Austin.

Riley Leon told KVUE-TV that he was on his way home from a job interview in Elgin, when the tornado came out of nowhere.

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“I wasn’t scared that much, but it was a shocking moment for me,” he said.

The boy’s brother told KVUE that the truck has been in the family for a decade and he recognized it immediately in video that went viral online.

Harsh winds and pounding rain ripped through the north Texas town Monday afternoon, flattening homes and damaging the elementary and high schools. The video shows the tornado sweeping through the area, spinning and flipping the red truck upright. Leon then just drove away.

Click here to read the boy’s full story.


About the Authors

Brenda Argueta is a digital journalist who joined ClickOrlando.com in March 2021. She is the author of the Central Florida Happenings newsletter that goes out every Thursday.

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