Tornado Deaths Prove Danger of Staying in Cars
Associated Press
2008-05-13 09:52:56.0
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The latest wave of tornadoes to rip through parts of the nation's midsection has rekindled a warning first issued a quarter century ago: stay out of your car in a twister.
Eight of the 23 victims in Missouri and Oklahoma died in cars, troubling experts who say the inside of a vehicle is one of the worst places to be when a tornado hits.
Among those killed were three people rushing to reach a relative's house and four family members who were in a van on the way to a friend's wedding.
Cars have the same problem as mobile homes in a storm: they aren't anchored to the ground, so winds can get underneath them. A meteorologist says winds of less than 100 miles per hour can flip a car.
Weekend storms killed 26 people in Missouri, Oklahoma, Georgia and Alabama.
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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