Weather Channel hosts die in car crash while livestreaming twister
- 7 years ago
DICKENS COUNTY, TEXAS — This past week, three men died chasing after a potential twister in Texas, but surprisingly, it wasn’t a tornado that killed them in the end.
On March 28, Weather Channel contractors Kelley Williamson, 57, and Randall Yarnell, 55, were tracking a storm in a black suburban, heading north. Meanwhile, young storm chaser Corbin Lee Jaeger, 25, was heading west toward the same site in his jeep. As both vehicles approached an intersection, Williamson’s eyes were fixated on the storm. Distracted, he blew through a stop sign, leading to a catastrophic two-car collision.
At the time of the crash, Williamson was not wearing his seatbelt, and was ejected from his SUV. All three men died on impact.
Veteran storm chasers, Williamson and Yarnell were livestreaming their pursuit of the twister for almost two and a half hours. Their video feed froze just seconds before the crash. The video was uploaded to Williamson’s YouTube channel shortly afterwards.
Williamson and Yarnell are mourned by their Weather Channel colleagues. Jaeger, from Arizona, was certified by the National Weather Service as a storm spotter.
On March 28, Weather Channel contractors Kelley Williamson, 57, and Randall Yarnell, 55, were tracking a storm in a black suburban, heading north. Meanwhile, young storm chaser Corbin Lee Jaeger, 25, was heading west toward the same site in his jeep. As both vehicles approached an intersection, Williamson’s eyes were fixated on the storm. Distracted, he blew through a stop sign, leading to a catastrophic two-car collision.
At the time of the crash, Williamson was not wearing his seatbelt, and was ejected from his SUV. All three men died on impact.
Veteran storm chasers, Williamson and Yarnell were livestreaming their pursuit of the twister for almost two and a half hours. Their video feed froze just seconds before the crash. The video was uploaded to Williamson’s YouTube channel shortly afterwards.
Williamson and Yarnell are mourned by their Weather Channel colleagues. Jaeger, from Arizona, was certified by the National Weather Service as a storm spotter.