Monday, March 13th, was a busy day. James asked me to substitute for him at a scheduled talk at Woodland Forrest Elementary School in Tusdcaloosa. He doesn't ask me to do that very often, but with the potential for severe weather, he did not want to be too far away from the Weather Center.
Once the talk was over, I checked in with the Weather Center and learned that they wanted me to head toward Hamilton to meet up with a live truck and Bill Castle to do live shots at 5 and 6 pm as the weather came into Alabama. I headed up US 43 to reach US 78 and head to Hamilton. But as I monitored radar in the Chaser, I realized we needed to be further south. I coordinated with the Weather Center via live Instant Messaging, and we rerouted the live truck to Winfield which appeared to be a good decision based on current movement of the first supercell.
Upon reaching the US 43 turn to Fayette, I decided to head due north on SR 13. Lovely country with the rolling hills. As I came over one of those hills about 12 miles south of Eldridge, disaster struck!
There was a sudden loud noise followed by more loud flapping that could only mean one thing - a blowout! The ride suddenly got rough, but I could tell it was on the right rear side. I steered with both hands and used the brake lightly to slow the Chaser and get to the shoulder of the road. As soon as the Chaser had stopped, and my heart came down from about 1000 beats per minute, I got out to look at the damage.
The tire was shredded! So I sent word to the Weather Center about being disabled, and I started looking to change the tire. I found the jack and some instructions - boy, reading instructions, I must be desparate. I got the jack located on the frame and began raising it when my first guardian angel arrived.
Gary White was on his way home with a brand new truck he'd just gotten at his job. I did not find out what Gary did, but he had lots of tools and much more mechanical know-how than I did. He helped me raise the car and we tried to loosen the lug nuts. But neither of us could budget any of the lug nuts.
Gary got some additional tools from his truck including a 4-foot long bar. With that extra leverage, the lug nuts were no match for Gary. So we jacked some more and got the shredded tire off the Chaser. But now, how in the world do you get the spare tire out from under the Chaser? I didn't know and neither did Gary, but he said there must be some way to lower the tire. My second guardian angel arrived just then.
Tyrone Oswalt (and I'm not sure of the spelling) stopped to see if he could help, and he knows vans. He showed us exactly how to lower the tire. Now the spare was ready to go on, so we had to raise the jack just a bit more. The spare slipped on and Gary tightened the lug nuts. I cranked the jack down and Gary suggested I might need a little air for the spare. Tyrone walked back to his van and pulled out an air hose connected to an air tank and topped up the tire. I was ready to hit the road again!
I offered to pay them for their help, but they wouldn't have it. Gary said, "I try to do something good every day." And I thought, "Boy, I sure am glad I was the one who got his good deed for this day." I jumped back into the Chaser and headed for Winfield. The rest is history as Bill Castle and I sent live pictures of the first supercell storm back to the station.
I am so thankful for Gary and Tyrone and for all their help in getting me back on the road. Their unselfish assistance to a stranger from out-of-town certainly shows the giving nature of people in Alabama. Gary and Tyrone, thanks again. And God bless you for helping a stranger.
-Brian-
Shredded blowout from the Storm Chaser
on March 15, 2006, 8:43 am
It's good to know that there are still good Samaritans in this world. And you were mega-lucky/blessed if your blowout occurred at a point on Hwy 13 where you have cell signal, too!
It was funny Monday afternoon...I met you in the StormChaser van as you and Mr. Castle drove into Winfield. (I was the goofy one waving like crazy when I met you
You guys set up across the street from the bank where my Mom works. Later on, the storm hit in the field next to their house. (That's where the trailer was demolished.)
I was watching your coverage on ABC 33/40 when James said that the possible tornado was going to pass a couple of miles south of downtown Winfield, right on the Fayette/Marion County line. Knowing that my Daddy was home at that exact location, I called him and told him to head for the basement. He did so right as he heard the storm pass over. (He said it sounded like a freight train.)
Thanks to you guys for looking out for your viewers!
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