PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — A South Florida man and his dog weathered a frightening minute on Saturday when a twister roared into the location, turning their vehicle after effective winds sent it air-borne.
Zach Means, of Palm Beach Gardens, said he was fretted about his dog, Marlin — and his own safety — as low-flying particles toppled previous his vehicle, WPTV reported.
“He knew,’” Means informed the tv station about his 5-year-old border collie, who was being in the traveler seat in advance.
Means said he had actually received an alert on his mobile phone, cautioning him about a twister caution in Palm Beach County.
“At that point, I knew it was probably best for us to try to get off the road,” Means informed WPTV. “So, we were headed back to the apartment and, unfortunately, we were headed into the path of the tornado.”
According to the National Weather Service, the twister was just on the ground for about 11 minutes however it was harmful, WPEC-TV reported.
Means was almost home when 130 miles per hour winds from what was categorized an EF2 twister lifted his vehicle and turned it over on U.S. 1 near PGA Boulevard.
He said landed in the northbound lanes, wheels down, according to WPTV.
“It was really (an) intense scene, but the actual car flipping, that was very unexpected,” Means informed the tv station. “Like, I could see all the stuff flying around but the car wasn’t shaking or moving a lot. It just went from, ‘Oh, I’m watching this in front of me,’ to, like, ‘It took us away, like instantly.’
“When the car started to flip, like, I do remember kind of like a flash of seeing the airbag go off and the glass break, but then, you know, we were back upright, and I was just sitting there with my hands on the wheel, and it seemed to happen, basically, instantaneously.”
Another driver remained in a vehicle near Means and taped the frightening scene.
Means was mainly worried about Marlin.
“Honestly, it was the dog,” Means informed WPTV. “Turned around, it was the first thing I did, and I said his name and his head pops up from the trunk.
“I’m lucky, my dog’s lucky, everybody’s lucky that, you know, everybody walked away unscathed.”