By now you’ve probably already seen the insane footage of the red pickup truck that got swept up in a tornado on Highway 290 in Elgin, Texas.
Not only did the teen driver survive the terrifying ordeal, but he was able to drive away although his truck was severely damaged.
But thanks to the kindness of a local Chevy dealer, he’s getting a brand new red pickup truck.
Riley Leon, 16, was driving home from an interview at Whataburger on Monday when “out of nowhere” a tornado crossed Highway 290 flipping his truck and spinning it around before flipping it back over again.
“It just happened fast,” the teen told NBC DFW.
Leon said only moments before he had called his friend to tell them the good news – he got the job. And then seconds later a tornado was tossing him and his truck around like he was in the Wizard of Oz.
“I honestly didn’t know what to do, to grab onto the steering wheel or to start praying,” he said.
The high school junior said while the video made it appear that he continued driving, in reality he moved his truck to the side of the road.
“I landed in the center of the road and I was just driving to get off the road.”
That’s when Commander Aaron Crim with the Elgin Police Department spotted him and asked how he was.
Leon called his mother to tell her his incredible story of survival, and she said she “didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.”
“Thank God he’s OK. The rest doesn’t matter.”
While Leon was thankful he survived, he said it hurt him to see his truck damaged.
“It broke me down seeing my hard work is gone,” he said. “It is family-owned but my dad passed it to me but I paid him off.”
However, thanks to a North Texas Chevrolet dealer the 16-year-old will be getting a brand new truck that he will be able to drive to his new job which starts Monday.
The teen is expected to pick up his new ride at Bruce Lowrie Chevrolet in Fort Worth on Saturday.
Riley has an incredible story of survival to tell. It warms my heart that there are people in his community who are willing to help him replace his damaged truck.
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