An Ohio mother has revealed the horrific bruises she suffered when a killer tornado that also broke her daughter’s ankles ripped through her home.
Amanda Gear was left with broken facial bones after 150 mph winds swept away her trailer at Geiger Mobile Home Park in Lakeview.
Her daughter Caylie Short, 15, broke both ankles after strong gusts threw her 50 feet outside her home.
‘I couldn’t move my legs. We tried to walk and I couldn’t,” Caylie said. WWNYTV from his bed at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus. “It was scary, I was confused.”
The teenager was hiding under her mattress when her house began to collapse. She heard her mother scream and the next thing she knew she had been thrown onto the road.
An Ohio mother has revealed the horrific bruises she suffered when a killer tornado ripped through her home.
Amanda Gear (left) was left with broken facial bones, while her daughter Caylie Short (right) broke both ankles.
The family was caught in a 155 mph tornado that tore through the Geiger mobile home park in Lakeview.
Short, 15, has already undergone two surgeries and a long recovery awaits him
The equipment is still heavily bruised after being hit by the winds.
“Being thrown in there and I think that’s what hit me,” she said. “I remember looking up when I was trying to get up, it looked like it was daytime.”
He described his horror after discovering Short’s injuries, which also included a broken collarbone.
“He broke the same bone in both ankles, but the left one was sticking out,” Gear described. “I told him we would get through this one day at a time.”
Short was rushed to the hospital, where she underwent two surgeries and is expected to have a long recovery ahead.
“The first thing I did when I got to the hospital was go up and hug her and start crying,” said Short’s stepfather, Brian Scurlock. “I told her I’m glad I made it and that I was going to be there for her.
“I will never take a tornado siren lightly again.” TO GoFundMe A fund has now been set up to help with their recovery costs.
The family was among dozens injured when the EF3 tornado tore through Indian Lake.
Gear and Short’s stepfather, Brian Sturrock, were among those caught in the EF3 tornado.
Three people were killed when a series of tornadoes ripped through Ohio on March 14.
Gov. Mike DeWine also activated the Ohio National Guard to assist officials in Logan County, where the deaths occurred.
Damaged boat docks after bad weather on Orchard Island in Russells Point, Ohio, on Saturday, March 16, 2024
The tornado killed three people and injured 27 in total. The Logan County Sheriff’s Office identified the victims as Marilyn Snapp, 81, of Lakeview, Darla Williams, 70, of Lakeview, and Neal Longfellow, 69, of Orchard Island.
The two communities were among the hardest hit by severe weather that wreaked destruction on parts of Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and Arkansas and left dozens injured.
At least nine tornadoes and numerous severe storms hit central Ohio. The most devastating tornado was an EF-3 that started in southern Auglaize County near Fryburg and continued through the Lakeview area.
EF-2 tornadoes, which forecasters say may have winds of 111 to 135 mph, were confirmed in central Union County and Darke and Miami counties along with Crawford/Richland counties.
Crews were still working Monday to remove fallen trees and other debris, including materials from damaged or destroyed homes.
Some areas were still without power, although many customers have been restored.
A woman searches through clothing at Indian Lake High School on Saturday, March 16, 2024, in Indian Lake, Logan County, Ohio.
Joe Baker’s damaged home in Valleyview, Ohio, on Saturday, March 16, 2024
A boat lies upside down in a tree on Orchard Island in Russells Point, Ohio, on Saturday, March 16, 2024.
Gov. Mike DeWine also activated the Ohio National Guard to assist officials in Logan County, where the deaths occurred.
DeWine declared a state of emergency in 11 counties in total.
Samantha Snipes, 33, said that when she first heard the tornado warning, she called her father Joe Baker, who lives seven minutes away, and told him to take cover.
He said he was trying to get into the closet of his childhood home and then the phone went off.
She and her husband tried to drive down the main road to get to him, but they couldn’t and had to take the back road after the tornado passed.
“It looked like something out of a movie, like ‘Twister,'” he said. ‘My dad’s garage was leveled. The back of his house is gone. Like everything was gone.’
They climbed all over screaming for him. When they found him, he was not hurt and he told them to stop crying, he said.