Texas tornado pounds car with 2 women inside, video captures their miraculous survival

The tornado in Texas killed several people but the women in the car escaped unscathed.

A Saturday night meant for music and merriment turned into a life-threatening ordeal for Valenia Gill and Brenda Proctor Dance when a powerful tornado crossed their path near Valley View, Texas. The twister, part of a deadly supercell, claimed several lives, but miraculously, Gill and Dance emerged unscathed from their terrifying encounter.

The two women had just left a singer/songwriter show, still buzzing with excitement and sharing their night on social media. "Let the shenanigans begin," Dance posted on Facebook, accompanied by a smiling picture of herself and Gill outside the venue. Yet, within 15 minutes, their night took a drastic turn.

As they drove, the wind began to howl, rain lashed sideways against the car, and hail pummelled the vehicle. "Expletive's flying everywhere," Gill exclaimed in a video they recorded, capturing the chaos as chunks of debris flew past their headlights.

"My ears are popping," Dance noted with growing concern. "Look at the sign shaking," Gill responded, the road signs flapping wildly in the worsening visibility. Realising the danger, Gill stopped the car.

Panic set in as the tornado enveloped them. "We're right in the middle of the tornado, Brenda. What do I do?" Gill shouted, the car rocking violently. "Cover your head," Dance advised over the deafening roar, now reminiscent of a jet engine, as debris hurtled by and power flashes lit up the road.

Facebook user Valenia Gill was driving her car and was caught up in a tornado. This happened Valley View close to Sanger in Texas. They were driving on I-35. Luckily no one was injured and made it home safely.#tornadoes #valleyview pic.twitter.com/JLXcDTHA6B

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— Damaged Sector (@DamagedSector) May 26, 2024

Emergency vehicle sirens wailed in the background as another car cautiously navigated past them, revealing a downed power line. Hours later, Dance shared a relieved update on social media: "We made it back, feeling like I have a pressure headache now… so thankful we were able to actually drive away."

Gill, experiencing her first tornado, faced significant car repairs. Dance set up a Go-Fund-Me to assist her friend, noting, "She is disabled and only has the minimum liability on her car due to being on a fixed income."

Dance also posted videos of news coverage of their ordeal in another Facebook post. She wrote: "I would never wish this on anyone.... physically I may look ok.... on the inside I'm all tore up. This was terrifying seeing your life literally flash before your eyes.... we made it out alive and across the highway was a lot worse... Definitely seeing life a lot differently now."

The tornado, which travelled approximately 80 km, led Texas Governor Greg Abbott to declare emergencies in four counties. Seven people died, including two children. The National Weather Service (NWS) said the may have had winds up to 37kmph.