Steve Sherrell has lived in Forney, Texas since 1999. His business, Sherrell Air Conditioning and Heating, has been located in downtown Forney for the last six years. He has seen many tornadoes, particularly when he lived in Oklahoma, but on Tuesday, April 3, 2012, Mr. Sherrell literally experienced being picked up by a tornado. He called it the scariest thing he has ever experienced.
Steve Sherrell has lived in Forney, Texas since 1999. His business, Sherrell Air Conditioning and Heating, has been located in downtown Forney for the last six years. He has seen many tornadoes, particularly when he lived in Oklahoma, but on Tuesday, April 3, 2012, Mr. Sherrell literally experienced being picked up by a tornado. He called it the scariest thing he has ever experienced.
Sherrell and four employees were at his shop on Broad Street just west of Bois D'arc on Tuesday afternoon. Two of his female employees became concerned about the inclement weather heading their way, so they ran across the street to the Ci-Ci's Pizza. The ladies knew that the pizza parlor would have a large cooler they could hide in if a tornado was to strike. Not long after that, another employee chose to go to Ci-Ci's Pizza and ride out the storm. Sherrell and his employee Richard heard the tornado warning siren, but chose to stay behind. He says, in hindsight, “That was not the best decision.”
At 3:38 pm, a tornado touched down in downtown Forney, directly behind Sherrell's business. He and his employee Richard could see the large funnel cloud and felt rocks and debris hitting their building. They were afraid the structure would not withstand the force of the tornado coming directly at them, as it is an older building. Sherrell said, “We made a decision to run for it and try to make it to the pizza place for cover. My only thought was just run! I only made it halfway across the street.”
What happened next could only be described as terrifying. Sherrell said, “Halfway across Broad Street, the tornado caught up to me and picked me up in the air. I was thrown nearly 40 feet across the street against a red truck that was parked at the Hair Shaft II parking lot.” He struck the truck and fell onto grass and asphalt. Roofing debris fell on top of him, and boards struck the ground next to where he lay hurt and helpless. “It's the most scared I have ever been,” said Sherrell. His employee was just able to make it to safety, but Sherell was injured and couldn't move. The Forney Police Department responded immediately and moved him into the pizza parlor because another potential tornado was spotted in Forney.
When the storm passed, an ambulance picked up Sherrell and transported him to a Sunnyvale hospital for treatment. He was lucky. His right ankle was badly sprained and he had bumps, bruises, and cuts, but no broken bones. He said, “I'm thankful to be alive. I hurt all over, but I'm still here.” He knows that trying to outrun a tornado was not the best move and not one he would make again, but when you are staring at something as frightening as a tornado heading your way, you don't always think straight. “We probably would have been better either leaving with the others or staying at the shop, even though it took a lot of damage to the roof and windows,” said Sherrell.
The damage to his building was extensive. A large portion of the roof was torn off, windows were shattered, and the garage doors were buckled. Debris was scattered all over the sidewalk and onto Broad Street. The company trucks that were parked behind the building received significant damage. Less than fifty yards behind Sherrell's shop, a trailer from a big rig was tossed up against a tree and building. Still, it could have been much worse. Sherrell knows he is lucky to be alive and he is thankful none of his employees were injured. “I don't own this building and I'm not sure yet if we are rebuilding here, but I need to find a place to run my business.” Sherrell is now turning his attention to finding a space where he can continue to operate his business.
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