Imagine driving home from work on a typical Wednesday afternoon, minding your own business, when suddenly, a tornado decides to play a little game of “car flip” with you. Well, that’s exactly what happened to South Carolina resident Malaijah Smoke during the wild weather brought on by Hurricane Idalia. As if being pregnant wasn’t enough of an adventure already, she found herself being lifted into the air by a weak tornado, only to be dropped onto another unsuspecting vehicle.
Fortunately, Malaijah managed to escape with only minor injuries. While she says she got away with some soreness and had a cut on her hand, considering her car was just tossed around like a toy, she got off pretty lightly. But there was more good news for her because once she got to the hospital, doctors assured her that her unborn baby was fine.
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The video footage capturing the moment when Malaijah’s car takes flight like a bird with a serious case of wind wings is pretty bizarre. It’s like something out of a Hollywood action movie, except this time it’s not Tom Cruise doing the stunts. “It kind of became a blur at the moment, and then all I know is my car was lifted into the air and I’m literally dangling with my seatbelt,” she said. “I did have some glass in my nose, and I didn’t even realize until I got to the hospital. I guess I was so in shock. And I had some soreness where the seatbelt was from my chest to my lower belly. No bruising, it’s just sore,”
But let’s not forget about the other driver involved in this tornado-tossed chaos. While Malaijah might have escaped with minor injuries, the same can’t be said for the poor soul in the struck vehicle. They also suffered minor injuries, adding insult to injury – or should I say tornado to injury? Either way, it’s safe to say that this wasn’t the kind of car crash they were expecting on their Wednesday drive.
The National Weather Service confirmed that the tornado responsible for this car-flipping spectacle was an EF0 twister, packing winds of 75 mph. Now, I don’t know about you, but I’ve seen stronger gusts of wind at my local hair salon. Maybe the tornado just wanted to show off its acrobatic skills without causing too much mayhem. It’s like the Cirque du Soleil of weather phenomena.
In the end, while Malaijah Smoke’s day might not have gone as planned, she can now add “tornado survivor” to her list of accomplishments. And hey, if she ever needs any advice on how to escape from a shattered rear window or navigate through a tornado like a boss, she’s got some pretty unique experiences to share. Just remember, folks, always buckle up and keep your seatbelts fastened – you never know when Mother Nature might decide to give you an unexpected thrill ride.